This report provides an overview of State trends to promote responsible fatherhood, identifies and profiles specific State strategies to encourage fathers to be responsible, and summarizes State-by-State fatherhood-related data. Data was gathered between February and May of 1997 by the staff of both the National Center for Children in Poverty and the Council of Governors' Policy Advisors. The analysis is based on responses from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Findings indicate that by 1996, 27% of all families were headed by mothers only and that the number of…
This program evaluation assessed the effectiveness of the Young Men as Fathers (YMAF) program administered by the California Youth Authority. The program offers parenting education to 15 to 20 wards of the state living in four institutions to help them become more involved in their families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and provide greater emotional and financial support to their children. Data for the evaluation was collected for 822 program participants from July 1993 through December 1995 and for a comparison group of 847 wards in two non-participating institutions. While the…
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Journal Article This article reviews the five key social work journals for the years 1988-1996. These journals had a total subscription of 168,000 during the mid-point of this nine-year span. The five journals published a combined total of 30 issues per year, ranging from 4 to 10 issues. A total of 2,323 feature articles were published in 270 issues during that period. The earlier depictions of fathers in the articles as perpetrators and as embattled have been superseded. The emerging view of fathers as nurturing is reflected in other sources. Thus, the view of the father as perpetrator and as someone to…
In this intergenerational collection of poetry by new and established African American writers, fatherhood is celebrated with honor, humor, and grace. Folami Abiade, Dinah Johnson, Carole Boston Weatherford, Dakari Hru, Michael Burgess, E. Ethelbert Miller, Lenard D. Moore, David Anderson, Angela Johnson, Sonia Sanchez, and Davida Adedjouma all contribute. Javaka Steptoe, who also offers a poem, employs an inventive range of media to bring each of the poems to life. In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall testifies to the powerful bond between father and child, recognizing family as our greatest gift, and…
This report details the experiences of six two-generation intervention projects in New York City supported by grants from the Foundation for Child Development. The two-generation projects help low-income families gain access to employment-related services for parents, and developmental services such as quality child care and health care for children. Although programs varied, all included voluntary services, used counseling, and had a moderate level of openness to parent input and decision making. Chapter 1 of the report describes recent changes in the welfare system and efforts to develop…
Divorced But Still My Parents is a textbook, workbook and storybook for children ages six through twelve. Based on the grief recovery model, this guide gently encourages boys and girls to understand the feelings caused by the parents' separation, and gives them specific strategies to cope. Parents can read Divorced But Still My Parents along with their children, and support the acceptance of changes in the family structure. Instructors in childrens' groups recommend Divorced But Still My Parents as an invaluable textbook for children. (Author abstract)
Becoming a stepfather means new relationships, new struggles, and new joys. This book is a commonsense, practical guide that helps stepfathers ease into their new role. The author emphasizes how stepfathers must replace wishful thinking with realistic expectations. Suggestions for getting along with stepchildren and building lasting relationships, managing conflict, establishing authority, and communicating in a positive way are all included to help men fully enjoy the rewards of being a stepfather. (Author abstract modified)
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Journal Article The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and attitudes of fathers and mothers about their own and their spouse's parental roles, and to identify relationships between those perceptions and attitudes and variations in fathers' actual involvement in child rearing. Self-report and interview data were collected from 89 middle-class families to measure each parent's participation in three categories of parental involvement (i.e., interaction, accessibility, and responsibility), as well as perceptions of role expectations for fathers and perceived parental role investments. Several…
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Journal Article The role of the birth father in adoption is debated by lawyers, adoption professionals, and members of the adoption triad. At issue is how best to involve the birth father in the adoption plan while respecting the feelings of the birth mother, prospective adoptive couple, and rights of the child. This article examines emotional, legal and practice issues related to a birth father in adoption and implications for the perinatal social worker. A birth father is a significant part of the adoption triad with legal rights and responsibilities. He may offer support to the birth mother during labor…
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Journal Article This article examines legal issues involving intercountry adoption and the rights of birth fathers. An overview is provided, suggesting that an increasing number of intercountry adoptions are taking place to avoid delays and uncertainty because of the state of U.S. law on paternal rights of unwed fathers. Circumvention of U.S. law is examined, to the extent that the U.S. is committed to the protection of paternal rights over alternative legal choices, such as speedy adoption regardless of parental consent, and the measures that exist in international law to prevent effective nullification of…
