Webinar
A big part of fatherhood work is helping fathers "tell their story" to themselves, their children and their partners. As John Badalament pointed out in our April webinar, it is important that fathers "be known" to their children. It is also important that your fatherhood program be known to the community, particularly to potential participants and funders. This webinar looked at ways to tell that story and included: capturing the right quantitative and qualitative data; how to interpret and describe that data for diverse audiences; examples of brochures and other written materials;…
Brief
Low-skilled men, especially minorities, typically work at low levels and provide little support for their children. Conservatives blame this on government willingness to support families, which frees the fathers from responsibility, while liberals say that men are denied work by racial bias or the economy--either a lack of jobs or low wages, which depress the incentive to work. The evidence for all these theories is weak. Thus, changing program benefits or incentives is unlikely to solve the men's work problem. More promising is the idea of linking assistance with administrative requirements…
Other
This is a partial listing of curricula that have been used as part of fatherhood programs in the United States. The compendium was compiled for the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) in August 2011 under a contract with the United States Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Children and Families/Office of Family Assistance. The compendium is for information purposes only; none of the listed curricula are endorsed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More information on availability of curricula and facilitator training can be obtained…
Brief
New York launched a pilot employment program to help parents behind in their child support in four communities between 2006 and 2009. The program was part of the state's Strengthening Families Through Stronger Fathers Initiative. Our evaluation found that the program's combination of employment assistance, case management, and other support services substantially increased the earnings and child support payments of disadvantaged parents who were not meeting their child support obligations.
Other
This report discusses conclusions from a two-day meeting of representatives of local, State, and national agencies that focused on the potential benefits and challenges of interagency collaboration between relationship education and pregnancy prevention practitioners. It summarizes key themes from the meeting and strategic actions related to relationship education and teen pregnancy prevention that were highlighted in the meeting. The recommended actions include: launch pilot projects and projects to test promising practices and assess the effectiveness of blended strategies; include youth…
Part of a series of fact sheets that discuss how and why the child support program provides innovative services to families across six interrelated areas to assure that parents have the tools and resources they need to support their children and be positively involved in raising them, this fact sheet focuses on family-centered innovations to improve child support outcomes. The need for family-centered child support services is explained, child support program accomplishments are shared, and the evolving child support program policy agenda is described. The collaboration of the child support…
Other
These resources are a snapshot of web-based materials available as of May, 2011; including field-shaping research and information sites, practical tools, and programmatic guidance for the important work of responsible fatherhood. (Author abstract)
This fact sheet profiles the Parents as Teachers program, an evidence-based home visiting approach that builds strong families and promotes positive parent-child interaction so children are healthy, safe, and ready to learn. Findings from a 2004 study on the benefits and costs of prevention and early intervention programs are shared and indicate Parents as Teachers had the largest benefit per dollar of cost ($1.23) of all reviewed pre-kindergarten education programs for children up to age 3. Goals of the Parent as Teachers program are explained and include: enhance parent knowledge of child…
Other
Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) aims to promote preschoolers' school readiness by supporting parents in providing instruction in the home. The program model is designed for parents who lack confidence in their ability to prepare their children for school, including parents with past negative school experiences or limited financial resources. The HIPPY program model offers weekly activities for 30 weeks of the year, alternating between home visits and group meetings (two one-on-one home visits per month and two group meetings per month). HIPPY sites are encouraged…
Other
In honor of Father's Day, the Child Support Report offered three personal essays on fatherhood from leaders in the field, along with several perspectives on the child support program from state child support directors and researchers. (Author abstract modified)
