Brief, NRFC Quick Statistics and Research Reviews
To help unmarried parents improve their coparenting relationship, this National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse
(NRFC) spotlight on research provides a quick look at findings from a recent journal article, “Harder Being Without the
Baby”: Fathers’ Coparenting Perspectives in Responsible Fatherhood Programming (Randles, 2020).
The research drew on interviews and focus groups conducted with 64 low-income fathers who participated in a federally
funded responsible fatherhood program in California. The program is referred to as “DADS” in the article and in this
spotlight.
…
Fatherhood Summit Session
A father’s role is integral to his children’s social, emotional, and economic well-being, but several barriers may prevent successful co-parenting. Some of the challenges include high-conflict environments, the effects of incarceration, issues of domestic violence and substance misuse, and children in foster care or relative placements. Even when parents face such challenges, positive co-parenting is possible and can provide important benefits for children.
This session provided an overview of the obstacles, interventions, strategies, and benefits for coparenting across a variety of…
Brief
In fiscal year 2018, noncustodial parents were obligated to pay nearly $33.6 billion in current child support on behalf of the 15 million children served by the Title IV-D child support program. One-third of that, or $11 billion, was not collected. Unemployment is the leading reason for non-payment of child support by noncustodial parents. This brief will explore the opportunities at the state and federal levels to provide employment services to noncustodial parents and increase child support payments in the process.
Brief
This brief summarizes relevant research on coparenting; offers strategies to help practitioners encourage and support high-quality, stable, coparenting relationships; and provides tips for fathers. The brief focuses particularly on tips for fathers who live separately from the mothers of their children.
NRFC Quick Statistics and Research Reviews, Brief
Men’s family formation behaviors have changed in recent decades. Men are delaying marriage and increasingly living with partners prior to getting married. Additionally, they are becoming fathers at increasingly older ages. These changes in behavior are mirrored by changes in men’s attitudes towards children, family life, marriage, and cohabitation.
In this data snapshot, we report data from original analyses of the National Survey of Family Growth and the General Social Survey, as well as from published resources on men’s attitudes, values, and expectations about family formation. (…
Brief
This brief, one of three in a series, focuses on Community-Centered Responsible Fatherhood Ex-Prisoner Reentry Pilot Project (Fatherhood Reentry) programs’ efforts to support healthy marriage among program participants. Fatherhood Reentry programs included several activities to strengthen relationships between fathers and their partners/coparents and to encourage healthy coparenting and family reunification. This brief describes the activities provided by the Fatherhood Reentry programs and offers recommendations, based on an implementation study of the Fatherhood Reentry projects, for…
Brief
This brief discusses the relationship between family-of-origin factors and future perpetration of sexual coercion. Research shows that children's experiences growing up, such as a negative interparental relationship quality and harsh or inconsistent parenting, can lead to feelings of entitlement, which means children believe they deserve special treatment. Feelings of entitlement were associated with a higher likelihood of perpetrating sexual coercion in a study of male college students. This brief discusses these findings and how practitioners can help parents create a positive foundation…
Brief
This brief uses a sample of over 1,000 reentering men in five states to examine reentry success. The analysis uses a common measure of recidivism as well as measures of success in other areas, including employment, drug use, and two dimensions of family relationship quality that are very rarely examined in reentry studies: financial support for children and intimate/coparenting relationship quality. The results suggest that most men were successful in at least four of the measured areas and that family contact during incarceration was positively associated with reentry success. Further,…
Brief
This brief provides a general overview of four Responsible Fatherhood (RF) grantees involved in the Parents and Children Together (PACT) Evaluation. The brief: 1) provides a general overview of two approaches to service delivery in fatherhood programs; 2) documents how service delivery is linked to fathers’ characteristics; and 3) describes how service delivery approach may be linked to program participation and retention rates. Data gathered via staff interviews, program observations conducted during site visits in fall 2013; ongoing interactions with leadership at each program; and data on…
Brief
This brief provides an overview of the history of Muslims in the United States and discusses cultural nuances to keep in mind when working with Muslim families. Drawing from experts in the field, it provides culturally appropriate tips for integration of healthy communication, conflict resolution, and parenting skills into existing service delivery models.
