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Journal Article Until the early 1980s, the needs of young fathers went largely unnoticed by policy makers and social service providers. Many programs for adolescent fathers originally started in order to benefit teenage mothers and their children (Leitch et al., 1993). It was later recognized that young fathers also need assistance to successfully become productive and responsible adults (Robinson, 1988; Leitch et al., 1993; Kiselica, 1995). Program designs have been based on a set of implicit assumptions: 1) if programs are offered, young fathers will enroll; 2) the services will meet the needs of…
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Journal Article Until the early 1980s, the needs of young fathers went largely unnoticed by policy makers and social service providers. Many programs for adolescent fathers originally started in order to benefit teenage mothers and their children (Leitch et al., 1993). It was later recognized that young fathers also need assistance to successfully become productive and responsible adults (Robinson, 1988; Leitch et al., 1993; Kiselica, 1995). Program designs have been based on a set of implicit assumptions: 1) if programs are offered, young fathers will enroll; 2) the services will meet the needs of…
This paper examines the demographic and economic characteristics of single-father families, with particular attention to public transfer receipt. Cohabiting and non-cohabiting single fathers are examined and compared to fathers in married-couple families. Estimates from the 1997 March, Current Population Survey (CPS) are featured. Selected trend data for 1984, 1989, and 1996 are also presented. The analyses show that single fathers earn substantially less than married fathers, have lower household incomes, are less educated, and are substantially more likely to be receiving public transfers.…
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Journal Article This article discusses recent revisions in child support and paternity establishment legislation enacted under the 1996 welfare reform effort, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). It critically reviews recent studies on child support collection and literature from social service programs that focus on fathers whose children receive welfare. In doing so, it illuminates the ways in which the contemporary U.S. welfare state defines men's fathering. Many scholars of the U.S. welfare state have described the state's role in the (re)production of women's…
Across the country, public and private sector partners are joining forces to improve child care as part of efforts to improve the lives of children and families in their community. These partnerships take many forms, and have diverse plans for helping young children -- strategies include increasing public awareness of the Introduction importance of high quality care, spending money on more or better child care services, and advocating for changes in the way government, employers and others support high quality care. Each partnership may have a different action plan and a different…
This fact sheet proposes ways in which fatherhood programs and state entities can work together to engage fathers. Suggestions include: facilitate collaborative relationships between local service providers and state entities like child support enforcement agencies and court systems; use state institutions as a connection point to refer low-income fathers to help them get jobs; develop a community outreach strategy that helps community providers better understand systemic issues related to child support and visitation; create a liaison that works directly with program providers to coordinate…
This fact sheet proposes ways in which state and local policymakers can engage fathers in a social network. Some suggestions include: Use state institutions' child support and welfare agencies and the courts' access points to connect low-income fathers with services; develop a statewide strategy for service delivery that combines state and local partnerships; develop outcome-based performance measures to assist state agencies to direct efforts toward developing comprehensive fatherhood services; use independent boards or commissions to oversee fatherhood projects; use the budget process to…
This fact sheet proposes ways in which welfare funds can be used to provide services to fathers. Some of the suggestions provided include: create eligibility categories for services that include fathers; include fathers in definitions of families to allow eligibility; ensure state agencies maximize this flexibilityto provide services to working poor fathers andtheir families to minimize the risk they will go on welfare; direct funding to provide employment andparenting and relationship services to fathers. (Author abstract, modified).
Brief
This brief argues that welfare reform has not gone far enough to encourage two-parent families and responsible fatherhood. In fact, some of its own policies discourage this behavior. Furthermore, many poor families with young children are already struggling to stay together against the odds. Eventually, the majority of these families break up. By intervening early, government could help these fragile families scale the most common barriers to remaining intact over the long haul. (Author abstract)
This article examines the impact of the recent dramatic changes in the social policies, particularly the expansion of the EITC and welfare reform on labor supply, marriage, and cohabitation. Altered policies have increased incentives to work or marry for some, diminished incentives for others. The results strongly indicate expanded work by single mothers and reductions of work by married mothers in accordance with their changed incentives. By contrast, estimated impacts on marriage are small and ambiguous, though modest changes in cohabitation in the predicted direction suggest that impact on…
