Many of the fathers who participate in fatherhood programs may have experienced trauma. However, they are not always easy to identify, so it is important for programs to be “trauma-informed” to provide reliable and effective services for all fathers. This brief highlights the importance of a trauma-informed approach and offers tips and considerations for programs that serve fathers.
One of the goals of fatherhood programming is to improve the lives of children by enhancing fathers’ emotional and financial support and encouraging healthy family dynamics. Programs do this through a focus on child development and appropriate parenting skills, the value of fathers’ positive engagement with their children, and the provision of connections to social support systems for fathers. However, rural fatherhood programs may need to address these topics in unique and creative ways due to some of the practical challenges of providing services in rural areas.
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This National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) resource provides information on paternity establishment for practitioners who work with unmarried fathers. Laws and procedures vary from state to state; therefore, we provide information that is generally true across states, but recommend practitioners are prepared to discuss state-specific information with their participants. For help finding more information, you or the fathers you work with can call the NRFC Helpline at 1-877-4DAD-411. You can also go to our online state profiles, which include information about specific laws on…
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Whole family approaches, also known as two-generation or multigeneration approaches, attend to the needs of parents or caregivers and their children simultaneously. The concept has mostly been applied to services for mothers and their children and has yet to be tested by responsible fatherhood programs. Although the ultimate goal of most fatherhood programs is to enhance child well-being, only a few programs focus directly on the needs of children. Whole family approaches that link services for fathers with services for their children and other family members could increase program impacts…
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Community partnerships can help fatherhood programs in many ways. They can increase the range of available services, enhance recruitment and retention efforts, and help fathers gain access to employment and training opportunities. Forming an effective partnership with the local child support agency can be particularly helpful for programs working with noncustodial fathers who are struggling to maintain regular child support payments. This case study describes the development of such a partnership in a rural area of central California (Merced County) and provides an overview of lessons…
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An NRFC team visited the TYRO Champion Dads program of Anthem Strong Families (ASF) in Dallas, Texas on June 28 and 29, 2017 and had the opportunity to talk with program staff, participants, graduates, and community partners. This NRFC Spotlight highlights aspects of the organization’s fatherhood program that may be of interest to other fatherhood practitioners.
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An NRFC team visited the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families and three of their program centers on May 23, 24, and 25, 2017. This NRFC Spotlight highlights aspects of the organization and its programs that may be of interest to other fatherhood practitioners.
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The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) has developed this research brief to help fatherhood practitioners increase their awareness and understanding of the experiences of fathers of children with special needs. The brief explains several of the more common special needs, describes challenges that fathers of children with special needs may face, and provides tips to help fatherhood programs better support these fathers. Because most research on the experience of parents of children with special needs has focused on mothers, we draw from both published research and interviews…
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Responsible Fatherhood programs often have a strong focus on workforce development activities. The federal Office of Family Assistance requires their Responsible Fatherhood grantees to provide economic stability activities, such as job training, employment services, and career-advancing education, and other fatherhood programs typically recognize the importance of helping fathers improve their ability to provide financially for themselves and their children. Workforce development activities generally include training for specific job skills (such as welding, automotive mechanics, or…
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Men who become fathers during their teens or early twenties face many important decisions. Practitioners can empower these young fathers to make the best decisions for themselves and their families by providing them with accurate research-based knowledge. This NRFC brief for fatherhood practitioners considers some of the topics that young fathers may need to think about and offers tips on how practitioners might help them make informed decisions about these topics.
