This report presents findings from an in-depth qualitative exploration of adults’ perceptions of the threats facing children. Surveys were conducted with geographically, ethnically, and age-diverse group of parents, step-parents, grandparents, step-grandparents, grown siblings, aunts, uncles and other adults (n=100) on a wide range of topics including: top perceived threats to the welfare, wellness and well-being of today’s children, barriers currently in their path can interfere with the future of young people, physical and emotional issues, including health, obesity, bullying, and teen…
The Responsible Fatherhood, Healthy Marriage and Family Strengthening Grants for Incarcerated and Reentering Fathers and Their Partners (MFS-IP) initiative was established in 2006 by the federal Office of Family Assistance (OFA), and required grantees serve fathers who were either incarcerated or recently released, as well as their spouses or committed partners. The grantees were required to deliver services to support healthy marriage and were also permitted to provide activities designed to improve parenting and support economic stability. From 2006 to 2011, the 12 MFS-IP sites delivered a…
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Journal Article This paper analyses how men who were delinquent as adolescents experience themselves as fathers. The men who took part in a longitudinal study, all in their 40s, had severe adjustment problems as teenagers, and thus have a past that causes uncertainty about their parenting abilities in the present. The paper analyses the men’s affective investments in their ways of being fathers. Four analytical categories that address the men’s fathering experiences were identified as significant in the interviews. First unsettling relations and distance from their own children, which for many of the men…
Brief
Several programs within the Administration for Children and Families work with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in an effort to promote economic self-sufficiency and social well-being for them and their families. As a part of that work, we also implement rigorous research and evaluation projects designed to improve our understanding of how best to serve these individuals. This brief highlights and describes these projects. (Author abstract)
This report presents a snapshot of the state of fathers across the Hawai‘ian islands: their number, characteristics, and geographical distribution, the children they are fathering, and their families and households. Throughout the report, information about Hawai‘i’s population is compared to nationwide information highlighting differences and similarities. Data were derived from the 2000 and 2010 U.S. Censuses, the 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-year sample, the Hawai‘i Homeless Management Information System, and the Hawai‘i Department of Public Safety. Findings indicate fathers in…
The Urban Institute is evaluating the implementation of six Community-Centered Responsible Fatherhood Ex-Prisoner Reentry Pilot Projects funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The projects provide soon-to-be and recently released fathers and their families with an array of responsible parenting, healthy relationship, and economic stability services to help stabilize the fathers and their families. Services offered include parenting and relationship classes, financial literacy workshops, domestic violence services, support groups, family activity days, and case management…
This report begins by urging support for the reauthorization of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), legislation that will encourage communities to engage juvenile offenders in programs proven to help steer them away from a life of crime. The report then reviews the current situation resulting from placing juvenile offenders in residential facilities with other troubled youth, including a cost of more than $5 billion to keep juvenile offenders in facilities. The benefits of providing community services and family coaching to juvenile offenders is discussed, and…
This report uses the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health to examine both the prevalence of parental incarceration and child outcomes associated with it. Based on the analyses, more than five million children, representing 7% of all U.S. children, have had a parent who lived with them go to jail or prison. The proportion was found to be higher among black, poor, and rural children. After accounting for effects associated with demographic variables such as race and income, the study found parental incarceration was associated with: a higher number of other major, potentially…
Brief
The second in a series that addresses important issues facing those crossover youth who are dually-involved and the systems that serve them, this brief begins by explaining the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) was developed by the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy to improve outcomes for youth who are dually-involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The model uses a research-based approach to assist child welfare, juvenile justice, and related agencies in adopting policies and practices that better…
Brief
This brief explains the importance of father engagement in child welfare services. It begins by discussing the rising number of children being raised by single mothers and the disengagement of fathers from their children’s lives. Federal efforts towards nationwide programs that strengthen two-parent families, promote healthy marriage, encourage responsible fatherhood and increase father engagement are noted, and the benefits of paternal engagement are explained. Following sections review effects associated with poor parental engagement, causes of low engagement, and promising interventions to…
