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Journal Article Despite a large body of literature across multiple disciplines on adolescent motherhood, adolescent fathers have been largely absent from empirical research. Previous findings suggest that young men who experience multiple risk factors across a range of life domains have a high likelihood of becoming fathers at an early age, which can negatively impact their developmental trajectories and age-normative transitions (e.g. from school to work). However, little is known about the risk factors for fatherhood among high-risk juvenile offenders; nor is it well understood how fatherhood is related…
Unpublished Paper
Drawing on an extended longitudinal study of the lived experiences and support needs of young fathers, this working paper follows the fortunes of 31 young men through the process of becoming a parent. The paper begins with some reflections on the nature of existing evidence on young fathers. In 2010, at the outset of our study, we discovered a paradox in researching this topic. On the one hand, young fathers had been neglected in social scientific research and marginalized in policy discourses and in professional practice (see Neale 2016, Neale and Davies 2015 and for parallel developments in…
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Training Materials This co-parenting curriculum was designed to achieve these expected results: 1) Expecting and parenting youth are equipped with the knowledge and skills to create a nurturing environment for their children; 2) Expecting and parenting youth are equipped with the skills to establish a positive co-parenting relationship (i.e., able to effectively communicate and problem solve); 3) Parents co-create a parenting plan/pledge that enables them to work together to promote the well-being for their child; and 4) Ongoing and sustained involvement of both parents, especially the non-custodial parent,…
Community groups can be settings which enable people to come together, meet with peers and engage in positive activities and support. Little is known about community groups for young men who are fathers and young men can often feel marginalized in and from other services and family support settings. This report therefore details findings from a qualitative research project into two different projects which are providing groups for young men who are fathers. The research is based on interviews with stakeholders and participants within the two projects and this report looks at key themes and…
Brief
This brief takes a close look at how the following legal issues affect expectant and parenting youth: custody, visitation/parenting time, and child support. It is intended for professionals serving youth who need legal support. It includes resource spotlights that provide youth-serving professionals with additional resources on these topics. (Author abstract)
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Training Materials This compilation includes materials for professionals providing services to young fathers. The first section includes a factsheet that describes the benefits of young fathers’ positive involvement with their child and child’s mother. The second section includes an assessment and checklist to help organizations identify their strengths and areas for growth in working with young fathers and provides steps to make all aspects of programs more young-father-friendly. A workbook is then provided that includes interactive activities that will help fathers, mothers, and program staff learn more about…
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Training Materials The New Mexico Alliance for School-Based Health Care, as a contractor for the New Mexico Public Education Department, GRADS Plus grant, has created and collected a series of tools to increase the health literacy of young people who are pregnant/expectant and parenting. These tools may be useful directly for these young people or for adults who support them (e.g. teachers, health care providers, etc.). The goal of these documents is to assist in guiding young people as they navigate, for themselves and their children, the complicated U.S. health care system. These tools may be of use to any…
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Journal Article The majority of teen pregnancy literature and practice is deficit based, focusing on the consequences of teen pregnancy; significantly less research is devoted to the teens’ strengths. This article discusses the strengths-based perspective as a viable framework for clinicians and school social workers to implement to help teen parents and their families ameliorate some of the challenges they encounter. This article emphasizes the importance of clinicians, school social workers, and the community to adopt a strengths-based perspective when working with teen parents in order to cultivate…
With a growing focus on the importance of men's reproductive health, including preconception health, the ways in which young men's knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (KAB) predict their reproductive paths are understudied. Young men's KAB in adolescence predicts their future fatherhood and residency status. Strategies that address adolescent males' reproductive KAB are needed in the prevention of unintended reproductive consequences such as early and nonresident fatherhood. (Author abstract modified)
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Journal Article In the second half of the 20th century, the United States experienced a massive increase in incarceration. In response to this growth, a burgeoning scholarship has sought to explore the collateral consequences of incarceration for young children. However, this scholarship has less frequently explored the impact of incarceration on long-term outcomes, how incarceration experienced in periods other than early childhood impacts children, and whether the incarceration of family members other than parents has negative implications for children. Using data from the children of the mothers in the…
