Although the 1998 welfare reform law supported the promotion of marriage to reduce poverty, most initiatives have dedicated resources to employment programs for mothers. This chapter describes how marriage can improve child well-being by increasing family income and facilitating relationships between fathers and their children. Lessons learned from programs such as Parents' Fair Share and the Fragile Families Initiative have demonstrated the importance of activities that encourage marital stability and paternal social and emotional involvement at an early age. However, policies must address…
The Agenda for Action seeks to encourage nonprofit organizations to focus their management practices and decisions on the results they intend to achieve for their participants. This focus goes beyond just measuring the results to actually using the results to increase the effectiveness of their services and improve their service outcomes. Put another way, the agenda encourages not just outcome measurement, but outcome management as well. Other performance measurement elements, such as financial condition and efficiency of operations, although important, are not addressed. (Author abstract…
Despite increasing recognition of the role of fathers in the lives of their children, home visitors and child protection workers usually perceive men to be the source of problems and do not include them in their interventions with vulnerable children. Social work tends to marginalize fathers and avoid assessing their risks or benefits to the family. This book outlines theoretical justifications for the engagement of fathers in child protection work and suggests relevant practice strategies. Important concepts from attachment theory, feminist theory, and nursing theory are highlighted. The…
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Community foundations can promote responsible fatherhood by publicizing the important role of fathers, developing community resources, educating fathers about parenthood, and helping men overcome work-related challenges. In addition, community organizations can advocate for public policy reform to support father-child relationships. This guide provides examples of community foundation initiatives in each of these areas and highlights additional strategies for involvement. Recommendations include: examine the impact of foundation funding policies on fathers, participate in local Father's Day…
A survey of the fifty States and the District of Columbia on fatherhood initiatives identified 31 commissions, initiatives, and programs, 3 of which were inactive. This report provides a State-by-State profile of the different initiatives. The profiles include information on the development of the program, the mission, duties and responsibilities, meetings and reporting requirements, agency contact, and activities to date. Findings from the survey indicate several States reported that administration and implementation of all, or at least part, of their fatherhood activities were contracted to…
