Fatherhood Summit Session
For some families served by federally-funded Responsible Fatherhood programs, intimate partner violence can interfere with the achievement of program goals. In such families, fathers may behave violently or use coercion or control against their partners. They also may be victims or survivors of violence themselves.
This session summarized findings from the Preventing and Addressing Intimate Violence when Engaging Dads (PAIVED) study, which outlines possible approaches for federally-funded Responsible Fatherhood programs.
The PAIVED study team conducted a comprehensive review of several…
This booklet features articles written by parents with experience navigating the child welfare system. Topics addressed include peer support, visiting, legal representation, relationships with foster parents, parenting classes, fathers’ rights, addiction and recovery, domestic violence, and reunification. (Author abstract modified)
Recognizing that domestic and sexual violence directed against women is a serious social problem that continues to plague America, the National Football League Players Association has joined with A CALL TO MEN, the leading national men's organization dedicated to addressing this problem, to produce Dedicated to Daughters, a book celebrating the unique and indestructible bond between fathers and daughters. In it NFL players and coaches, through inspiring personal accounts, talk about what it means to be a father, and the importance of being a role model for their daughters.These courageous men…
This chapter looks at the extent and impact of fathers' violence on children and children's own perspectives on their violent fathers. Key findings from the research on the varying ways children are harmed through this violence are summarized, as well as research on children's views of living with paternal domestic violence and their feelings towards their fathers. (Author abstract modified)
This chapter looks at the way fatherhood has been constructed through social policy and law and how this relates to discourses of domestic violence. It discusses the influence of fathers' rights movements on policy formation and the contradictions created for practitioners in trying to negotiate between two different policy discourses: that of safeguarding children and involving violent and abusive fathers in children's lives. (Author abstract modified)
A study of 20 domestically violent fathers in the United Kingdom explored the approaches of perpetrator programs in addressing children's safety in their interventions with the fathers and perspectives of the fathers on changes in their parenting practices. Findings indicate a lack of focus on children's fears and feelings in the programs.
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.
Battered women's advocates often oppose members of the fatherhood movement when attempting to influence public policy regarding contact between abusive men and their children. The fatherhood movement consists of several different factions that have varying perspectives of domestic violence and methods for preserving family relationships. The segments include father involvement advocates, responsible fatherhood groups, and fathers' rights groups. Father involvement supporters condemn violence, but attribute violent behaviors to a sense of powerlessness. Responsible fatherhood groups promote…
This chapter examines the conflict between domestic violence advocates and father involvement programs, responsible fatherhood groups, and fathers' rights groups that promote father-child relationships in a variety of ways. Father involvement programs emphasize employment training, child support, and preparation for parenthood as strategies for increasing the emotional connection between fathers and children, while responsible fatherhood groups focus on father-child relationships as a strategy for alleviating social problems caused by weak family structures. Fathers' rights groups promote…
Raising a child is one of the most gratifying jobs you’ll ever have and one of the toughest. Try as you might to be the best parent you can, our complex world challenges you every day with disturbing issues that are difficult for children to understand and for parents to explain. But explain we must, or we miss a critical opportunity. Research shows that children, especially those between the ages of 8 and 12, want their parents to speak with them about today’s toughest issues, including violence. Even when they reach adolescence, they want to have a caring adult in their lives to discuss…
