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After a number of years working with a caseload of 20 families in a rural community, I began to notice a trend: the lack of fathers present in the homes during my work. I began to question what our district could do to encourage the involvement of more fathers. After pondering this question, all the while doing little to nothing about the issue, I received an e-mail from our Parents as Teachers state leader. The e-mail was sent to all Illinois programs stating that the national center was looking to partner with a local program for a fatherhood initiative project. I jumped on the chance to…
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Our nation’s military fathers and their families face an unprecedented context. Between 2001 and 2008, there was a ten-fold increase in the number of Department of Defense troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan (Belasco, 2009). In 2008 the Parents as Teachers National Center chose SAY--San Diego’s Healthy Start Military Family Resource Center--for its innovation in collaborating with the military to form Dads On Duty, a program uniquely tailored to young military dads with kids ages birth to 5. To date more than 150 fathers have completed Dads on Duty, which uses evidence-based practices…
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The Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) team consists of researchers, curriculum developers, and social service delivery professionals who were funded to research and oversee the development of community-based programs that provide relationship education to married parents. This Toolkit was developed by the SHM team to guide emerging SHM programs as they developed and implemented various aspects of the program design and research agenda — with the goal of helping program operators develop a strong, successful program. Our goal in providing this document for general use is that managers and…
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This article discusses reasons for the lack of father involvement in child rearing, the benefits of father involvement for children's well-being, and the benefits of father engagement that are specific to child protective services and foster care. Strategies for engaging fathers are discussed in the areas of agency commitment, locating and recruiting fathers, the initial contact, and on-going contact. Characteristics of successful father engagement programs are also noted.
Other, Fact Sheet
Designed for judges, this bench card contains steps that judicial officers can take to help fathers participate in the child protection court process and case planning. (Author abstract modified)
Other, Fact Sheet
Designed for judges, this bench card contains ways in which judicial officers can help better engage fathers by understanding how men seek help and learn differently from women. They can also encourage the child welfare agency to work with fathers as often as mothers, offer services geared toward men's learning styles, and work as hard to find and engage fathers as mothers. (Author abstract modified)
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Identifying and locating fathers early helps children establish or maintain important connections with their fathers and paternal relatives. It also reduces delays in permanency, if the goal is adoption. Establishing paternity quickly after a putative father is located is critical to ensuring the case moves quickly and the father can assert and protect his constitutional rights to the care and custody of his child. Designed for judges, this bench card contains ways in which judicial officers can assist in this process. (Author abstract modified)
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This is a partial listing of curricula that have been used as part of fatherhood programs in the United States. The compendium was compiled for the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) in August 2011 under a contract with the United States Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Children and Families/Office of Family Assistance. The compendium is for information purposes only; none of the listed curricula are endorsed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More information on availability of curricula and facilitator training can be obtained…
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This issue of the Partners for Kids newsletter highlights the good fatherhood work going on in North Carolina.
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This brief discusses the importance of getting children ready for school after summer vacation and provides tips for parents for: reviewing bus safety rules for children, implementing routines at least two weeks before the start of school to make sure they are rested and ready for homework, and addressing anxiety about attending school. A list of additional resources for parents is provided.
