This fact sheet discusses the characteristics of grandparent caregivers in the United States and then presents information the number and characteristics of grandparent caregivers in South Dakota. Findings indicate: there were 7 million grandparents in the United States living with their grandchildren, and 2.7 million (39%) were responsible for caring for their grandchildren; there were 11,217 South Dakota grandparents living with their grandchildren, and 5,311 (47%) were responsible for caring for their grandchildren; of grandparents responsible for their grandchildren in South Dakota, 66%…
red dot icon
Journal Article Grandparents or other relatives are raising over 2.7 million children in the United States; and research suggests that the birth parents of these children maintain varying levels of involvement with them and their relative caregivers. However, the impact of parental involvement on children's developmental outcomes remains largely unexplored. This study sought to understand the role of maternal and paternal involvement (each parent's contact with the caregiver, contact with the child, friendliness to the caregiver, and quality of relationship with the child) on competence levels of African…
This fact sheets examines how integrating healthy marriage and relationship education into services for foster and adoptive families is critical to helping families stay together so they can provide a strong base for their children's well-being. (Author abstract)
red dot icon
Journal Article The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched the Fatherhood Initiative to facilitate increased fatherhood engagement. To understand how fatherhood identification in child welfare care planning influences outcomes, a secondary data analysis study was conducted to answer the following questions: Are cases that identify fathers associated with decreased time in foster care, shorter time to permanent placement, more reunifications, and increased use of kinship permanency? The children in cases that identified fathers spent more time with a parent during their child welfare case and…
Infertility can negatively impact couple relationships. This fact sheet provides statistics related to the incidence of infertility and the available treatment options. In addition, the impacts of infertility on marriages and couple dynamics are briefly discussed. (Author abstract)
red dot icon
Journal Article The present study was conducted to investigate differences in nurturant fathering, father involvement, and young adult psychosocial functioning among small samples of three nontraditional family forms. A total of 168 young-adult university students from three family forms (27 adoptive, 22 adoptive stepfather, 119 nonadoptive stepfather) completed retrospective measures of nurturant fathering and father involvement and measures of current psychosocial functioning. Results indicated that adoptive fathers were rated as the most nurturant and involved and that nonadoptive stepfathers were…
red dot icon
Journal Article Providing effective foster care is a major undertaking that continues to plague this country. The ultimate goal of substitute care is to provide child victims of maltreatment with a safe and nurturing home environment. The goal of this theory driven research project was to identify ecological factors correlated with effective non-kin family foster care. Various levels of analysis were considered including individual, family and community. The findings of this study identified three factors as significant predictors of effective foster care. Included are implications for social work in the…
red dot icon
Journal Article While considerable research has been carried out on the experiences of birth mothers in adoption, birth fathers remain a relatively neglected group. As part of an ongoing project to redress the balance, Gary Clapton explores the life course of a group of 30 birth fathers ranging in age from 35 to late 60s. Beginning with the immediate post-adoption period, he traces the men's early feelings of grief and loss, and in a minority of cases, alleged indifference, through to a spectrum of emotions spanning curiosity, concern, regret and 'connectedness'. The author points to similarities with the…
red dot icon
Journal Article Findings from a study of casework outreach to birthparents of children in out-of-home care are presented. The study explored whether the birthfather was being ignored as a resource for discharge planning. It examined the outreach and interventions of caseworkers in three New York City out-of-home care agencies. Casework activity levels were found to be higher for birthmothers than for birthfathers, and a complex relationship among the variables of gender, outreach, and response was revealed. The nature and value of more specific outreach toward birthfathers of children in care, and the risk…
red dot icon
Journal Article This article analyzes the rights of legal absentee fathers to be notified of foster care proceedings. It reviews New York state laws regarding child protection and custody and the removal of children from a home in cases of child abuse and neglect. The article also assesses the implications of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment for family law, and highlights Supreme Court decisions about the rights of individuals in foster care cases. The discussion asserts that statutory and case law do not support the right of a legal absentee father to continual notice about legal…
