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Journal Article This study documents the opinions of twenty low-income fathers about their participation in a Responsible Fatherhood program in a large urban area. The program offered life skills training, job readiness and placement assistance, mental health counseling and other services to help fathers become involved in their children's lives and to comply with child support orders. Formal services were provided for six months, with opportunities for follow-up maintenance groups. The fathers who participated in the study were at various levels in the program, from entry to ongoing support. Four focus…
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The Parenting Wisely intervention is a self-administered, computer-based program that teaches parents and their 9- to 18-year-old children important skills for combating risk factors for substance use and abuse. It uses a risk-focused approach to reduce family conflict and child behavior problems, including stealing, vandalism, defiance of authority, bullying, and poor hygiene. The program is designed to: (1) teach parents effective child supervision and disciplinary skills and increase parental involvement; (2) teach parents and their children communication skills; (3) improve family problem…
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Journal Article This study examined the association between fathers' alcoholism and other risk factors such as parental depression, family conflict, infant temperament, and parent-infant attachment. The quality of parent-infant interactions was hypothesized to be a proximal mediator of the associations among alcoholism and other risk factors and attachment. The participants were 223 families (104 nonalcoholic families and 119 alcoholic families) with 12-month-old infants recruited through birth records. Infants in families with two parents with alcohol problem had significantly higher rates of insecure…
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Journal Article Recognizing that most poor families are single-parent families, the federal welfare reform law of 1996 emphasized the responsibility of both parents to support their children. In addition to strengthening the child support enforcement system, the law included several provisions designed to decrease childbearing outside of marriage and to promote two-parent families. This article focuses on the important role that fathers play in children's lives and how public policies have affected childbearing and father involvement. Key observations are: Compared with children living with both biological…
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Journal Article This paper argues that the determination of legal parenthood should fundamentally be about identity; that is, it should be seen as providing an answer to the question: to which family does this child belong? The paper approaches the issue by, first, noting that the determination of legal parenthood has become one of the most contentious issues in family, and that this has ironically happened because of the combination of greater certainty in the determination of biological paternity, and greater instability in family relationships. The historic strategy of using the stigma against…
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In Colorado, it is estimated that 15,500 children currently have a parent in prison. A much larger number have experienced the incarceration of a parent at some point in their lives. Serving time in prison does not mean that you have lost your right to make decisions about the care of your children or that your relationships with your children have become any less important. This manual gives parents ways to keep their family together behind the wall as well as help them to understand the importance of dealing with custody issues. (Author abstract, modified).
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Research findings from a comprehensive search of Internet sites, bibliographies, government sources, and experts were reviewed in preparation for a three-year study about child welfare practices with noncustodial fathers. This report summarizes the literature about trends in family living arrangements, the effects of trends in non-custodial fatherhood on families within the child welfare system, the barriers to father participation in case planning, and innovative practices used to locate and engage fathers in the child welfare case process. Overall, the review found that child welfare…
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This one hour documentary produced for Maryland Public Television examines the changing role of fathers and the benefits of father involvement for men and their children. Social influences on family life and the risks of fatherless families for poverty, juvenile delinquency, and teen pregnancy are addressed. The video presents the perspectives of the major religions (Christian, Jewish, and Muslim), as well as movements such as the Million Man March and Promise Keepers. Support services for fathers offered by the Maryland Fatherhood Initiative and private agencies are highlighted, including…
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Journal Article Children born out of wedlock often suffer due to infrequent and limited interaction with the noncustodial parent. To address this issue, programs have been developed at the federal and state level to improve the access of noncustodial parents (primarily fathers) to their natural children. This article describes an access and visitation program that facilitates the creation of agreements between noncustodial and custodial parents. Findings from a six month demonstration in two counties in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia are reported. In total, more than 100 noncustodial parents participated in…
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Journal Article Despite research that substantiates the importance of father involvement in children's lives, family-centered child welfare services continue to be oriented toward the child's mother. This newsletter from the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice explains how child welfare services can engage fathers in the lives of their children. The articles suggest strategies such as family conferencing, support services, and outreach to fathers in prison or on parole. The findings from research about the positive and negative aspects of father involvement are discussed.…
