Barriers to engaging fathers in child welfare practice are explored, as well as the dangers of adopting a practice model that uncritically embraces fathers. Perspectives from fathers are shared and practices are proposed that align with the following principles: acknowledge their existence, understand there are different ways to be a father, violence does not necessarily eliminate men from being involved as fathers, and understand the context. Discussion questions are included. 49 references.
What has a more powerful influence on how parents raise their young children: the way they were raised or their faith? What roles do professionals and friends play in shaping parents? views on childrearing? What impact is the economic downturn having on child care arrangements for young families? These questions and more are some of the issues addressed in a new national parent survey of 1,615 parents of children from birth to 3 years conducted for ZERO TO THREE by Peter Hart Research. The survey was designed to explore the issues and challenges that parents of young children confront today,…
Statistics show that close to 70 percent of all births to black mothers are nonmarital, giving rise to the stereotype that black fathers are largely absent. However, while black fathers are less likely than white and Hispanic fathers to marry their child's mother, many black fathers continue to parent through cohabitation and visitation, providing caretaking, financial, and in-kind support.This volume recasts the meaning of black fatherhood in its many manifestations, exploring two-parent families, cohabitation, single custodial fathering, stepfathering, noncustodial visitation, and parenting…
This federally funded guide shares what is known about promising practices in healthy marriage and relationship (HMR) programs, especially those serving low-income and culturally diverse populations. It is intended to be helpful to a variety of audiences, including those who are interested in starting a new program, those already involved in running a program, and those who are evaluating or funding such programs. An introduction provides background information on the healthy marriage movement, challenges common to providing HMR services, and funding of HMR services. Chapter 2 provides…
Designed to assist advocates for nonresident fathers in child welfare cases, this checklist provides tips for addressing special advocacy issues. Strategies for advocates are explained for addressing substance abuse, mental health concerns, domestic violence allegations, and immigration concerns.
Throughout history, the general perception is that it is man's role to interact with the wider world, providing food, protection, performing heroic acts and journeying to redefine borders and expand our geographic horizons. Private, domestic spaces and acts such as childcare have commonly been seen as female. Yet, as women are increasingly entering and remaining in the workplace, there has been a shift in familial power relations, and as a result, men's role as 'fathers' has changed and become marginalized. Societal notions of fathers have evolved from the distant breadwinner through…
Incarceration has become an increasingly common event in the lives of young adult men and children. While father's history of incarceration (FHI) robustly correlates with delinquency and criminal justice involvement among sons, this research has not been contextualized to racial stratification present in the U.S. Addressing this gap in current literature, this study attempts to examine the effects of FHI on delinquency and adult arrest among national samples of white, African American, and Hispanic males from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health. Given the large inequalities…
Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N=7,686) are used to determine whether racial and ethnic differences in socioeconomic stress and social protection explain group differences in the association between family structure instability and three outcomes for white, black, and Mexican-American adolescents: delinquent behavior, age at first sex, and age at first nonmarital birth. Findings indicate that the positive association between mothers' union transitions and each outcome for white adolescents is attenuated by social protection. The association of instability with…
Prepared for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in October, 2009, this report is an examination of how the mutual and interlocking responsibility of effective government policy and African American fathers' engagement can improve the lives of African American children, families, and communities. (Author abstract modified)
