This introduction discusses the development of the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program (HIPPY), a home-based early intervention program that helps parents teach skills important to school readiness and success to their 3 to 5-year-old children. This free service is delivered by HIPPY home visitors who live in targeted high-need communities. It discusses the goals of the book, including its advocacy of an international network that can increase the productivity, quality, and quantity of HIPPY programs, its use as a resource for HIPPY practitioners and for researchers,…
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Journal Article Fatherhood is a topic of national conversation that is receiving considerable media attention. The number of single and noncustodial fathers is on the rise, and social workers will have increased contact with these men in the future. It is important for social work professionals to learn more about fatherhood, given the growing relevance of this topic. The social work literature is an important source of information where social workers can gather information about fatherhood. In this article, the authors examine how the social work literature describes fathers, especially noncustodial…
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Journal Article Nonresidential parents are in a precarious position as by definition they are outside of the family residence after divorce and hence often perceived as outside of the family system. Semi-structured qualitative telephone interviews with 36 nonresidential parents living 50 or more miles from their children revealed social and institutional systems provide both assistance and barriers to parents following divorce.The challenge of continuing with their identity and role as a parent and family member was shown through their interactions with schools, religious institutions, and work places, as…
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The Dakota Fatherhood Initiative (DFI) is a grassroots collaboration comprised of various programs and individuals from North and South Dakota who work with fathers in a variety of settings. This includes hosting and planning an annual Dakota Fatherhood Summit each year with sites alternating between North and South Dakota. The Dakota Fatherhood Summit III was held in Fargo, North Dakota on May 21-23, 2003. Previous summits were held in Bismarck, ND (April 2002) and Pierre, SD (October 2002). The Summit provided the opportunity to address key issues regarding male and father involvement in…
This report examines the treatment of low-income fathers in the child support system in the U.S. and how the system could be improved. The report suggests that the time of establishment of the child support order and shortly thereafter is the key time for the child support agency to establish a more positive relationship with low-income fathers. Improving this "up-front" process could increase both financial and emotional support for children. The report analyzes default order practices, examines best state practices, and reviews and analyzes selected international practices. The report…
This report expands on an earlier study conducted in 2000, BAYFIDS I, which reported data on the number, diversity, content, and missions of programs and the participants in them in the Bay Area. The purpose of BAYFIDS I was to track, document, and analyze the operation and impact of fathering programs, as well as the nature of county policy efforts around fatherhood. We sought to develop baseline data on participant needs, program capabilities, and agency effort. In addition, we were interested in capturing information on the attitudes and values held by program participants, program staff,…
This report provides findings from an assessment of eight fatherhood demonstration projects funded by the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), within the Department of Health and Human Services. Following an introduction in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 discusses the importance of child support for low-income families and the special issues that make collecting child support from low-income parents problematic. Much of the current national discussion about responsible fatherhood activities has focused on low-income fathers and programs to serve them. Chapter 3 describes the eight…
This guidebook covers the necessary steps for nonprofit organizations that wish to implement outcome management (also known as "managing for results"), and includes guidance on establishingan outcome-oriented measurement process and practices for using the information internally.
Over a recent 32 month period, Florida's Commission on Responsible Fatherhood, in partnership with Workforce Florida, Inc., administered five locally based programs under a model called Equipping Parents to Strengthen Families. The programs were operative in Brevard, Broward, Dade, Leon and Polk counties. These programs were part of Florida's welfare reform initiative and served 980 low-income noncustodial parents by helping them find and maintain stable employment, make their child support payments and improve their relationships with their children. This report highlights the results of the…
This report examines state efforts to reduce nonmarital births since the passage of PRWORA. In addition to synthesizing existing surveys of related state efforts, the study also includes findings from a series detailed interviews with a sample of nine states. These interviews focused on how states' efforts to reduce nonmarital births had changed since passage of PRWORA, the extent to which efforts focused on teens and/or adults, challenges or barriers states encountered, changes in roles of state agencies and community-based organizations, changes in funding sources, and the potential role of…
