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Journal Article When states establish paternity registries they must set deadlines after which an unwed father cannot assert his right to paternity, the author states. While these laws apply to paternity registration in cases where a mother chooses to keep her baby, state statutes vary on whether such registration deadlines should apply in custody cases where the mother later decides to put the child up for adoption. The author explores federal and state legal rulings relevant to the discussion, noting that some states measure the date of child's birth as the beginning of this registration period while…
Empirical study has not shown the high rates of child maltreatment anticipated for the adolescent parent, but adolescent parents do share the characteristics present disproportionately often in adult parents who maltreat their children. Most studies have focused on the adolescent mother as a child abuser. For the father, as for the mother, risk factors seem to originate in the environment, the personality, and the characteristics of the child. Pressures faced by the adolescent father appear to be greater than those faced by the adolescent mother. Nevertheless, information on adolescent…
The father's role in child development and in the etiology of child maltreatment is examined in the context of families with absent fathers. Child maltreatment is defined, including subtle forms of emotional abuse and neglect, with an emphasis on the importance of the father's function in the family, which is generally ignored in the child abuse literature. The causes and consequences of paternal neglect or absence are contrasted with those of effective fathering. Not only do fathers have an influence--positive or negative--on how their children grow up, but they can affect the mother's…
This final report discusses the Teen Parent Program, which provided a continuum of services to reduce child abuse and neglect and to strengthen the families of teenage parents. The project addressed a number of problems teen parents face: weak family structure and support; low levels of self-sufficiency and self-esteem; and lack of family planning, medical care, information on parenting, and parent-child interaction. The program consisted of 4 basic components. These components were: a family care specialist, teaching child development and home management, and providing transportation and in-…
This report discusses the Teen Age Parent Program (TAPP), a school-based program for teen parents, which began in December 1986 and continued through December 1988 in 2 school districts in Wisconsin. In both districts, TAPP involved 4 components: support groups for teen mothers; support groups for teen fathers; support groups for extended family members; and volunteer parent aides. The program served 100 teen mothers, 42 teen fathers, and 60 extended family members in the 2 districts. Both school districts chose to allocate money from their regular budgets to continue the program…
Training Materials, Other
This curriculum was designed by a California youth correctional agency to help young fathers in custody become more effective parents. The agency estimates that 20 percent of young men ages 13-25 in its custody are fathers and still more are father figures to children in their extended family. The curriculum was designed to be culturally sensitive and adaptable to the experience level of each class. Topics include: roles and responsibilities of parenting, communication, domestic violence, child development, discipline, health issues, parental drug use, nutrition, cleanliness, safety, impact…
This paper examines New York law on the rights of unwed fathers. Cases that form the constitutional basis for the recognition and limitation of the rights of unwed fathers are presented. Standards set forth by New York for determining whether an unwed father must consent to a nonmarital child's pending adoption are presented. Fathers with due process rights with respect to voluntary surrenders and termination of parental rights involving their nonmarital children are identified. Situations in which adoptions can proceed without the consent of an unwed father are discussed. Situations in which…
This final report presents the major activities and accomplishments, problems, significant findings, and dissemination activities of Project Takoja. The goal of the project was to develop a replicable, comprehensive Native American adolescent parent model that increased adolescent parent self-sufficiency and ability to parent. During the project, a community assessment instrument was developed to identify existing levels of services provided to and used by Indian adolescent parents and potential resources to provide services to these parents. Training packages were developed that were…
This manual provides an overview of the evaluation process, with special considerations for programs funded by the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF). The text describes why evaluations are important and explains each step of the process, whether an outside evaluator is used or the evaluation is being conducted by in-house staff. Topics include: purpose, cost, types of evaluation teams, selecting and managing outside contractors, organizational preparation for the evaluation, evaluation plans, data collection, analysis, and reports. In general, program managers should…
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Journal Article This paper examines stressful factors in relationships between imprisoned fathers and their children that point to the risk of child abuse and neglect. An innovative family support services program, Parents in Prison, is also described. This program is housed at the Tennessee State Prison for Men. Developed in response to inmates' recognition of the need for child abuse and neglect prevention services relevant to men who are in prison, the program model has potential for becoming a major service delivery stategy. Leadership for Parents in Prison is provided by an inmate committee which…
