This chapter describes the theoretical foundations of the Positive Paternal Emotional Responsiveness (PPER) subscale of the Fatherhood Scale, which was designed to assess the childhood paternal bonds of adults. The PPER contains 13 questions that focus on the role of the father in the development of a healthy perception of self. Clients are asked to rate their experience with their father as a caring person and the frequency of paternal expressions of praise and love. The results can be used to identify areas for further exploration in therapy, such as strengths in the relationship between…
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Journal Article This article is based on an in-depth qualitative study of efforts by an Early Head Start program to include fathers in program activities with the aim of supporting and strengthening their involvement in their children's lives. Since this program employs a home-visiting model of service delivery, our focus is on the work and experiences of home-visiting staff. Our key findings concern the evolutionary development of program thinking and practice regarding fathers and father involvement; barriers or challenges to father involvement; and successful strategies for engaging fathers on both a…
This tool kit has been created for the Annie E. Casey Foundation to help promote early childhood development and school readiness. The purpose of this tool kit is to provide guidance, resource materials and references that will assist communities in working with families as primary partners in their child's development and school readiness. By recognizing and building the capacity of parents as their child's first educator and engaging parents as decision makers for their child and leaders in the agencies and organizations that serve them, communities can strengthen families and support young…
By reading this particular volume in The Intermediary Development Series, intermediary organizations will learn the key elements necessary to effectively design and deliver training and technical assistance (T/TA) in order to build capacity in faith-based and community-based organizations as evidenced by: increased funding; increased effectiveness; increased efficiency. This guidebook will help organizations answer these key questions: How do we develop a training and technical assistance plan? What is the best way to deliver training to nonprofit organizations? What technical assistance…
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Journal Article This study sought to describe fathers' participation in a statewide home-visiting program to prevent child abuse and to assess program impact on their parenting. This randomized trial followed 643 at-risk families for 3 years. Data were collected through program record review, staff surveys, and annual maternal interviews. Participation in visits varied by the parents' relationship and paternal employment, violence, and heavy drinking at baseline. Overall, the program had no apparent impact on fathers' accessibility to the child, engagement in parenting activities, and sharing of…
Plans to ensure the safety of children in homes affected by domestic violence must include interventions with batterers to alleviate the threat to all family members. This guide produced by the Massachusetts Department of Social Services Domestic Violence Unit describes strategies for interviewing and working with abusers. Emphasis is placed on holding offenders accountable for their behavior and providing motivations for change. A system for assessing dangerousness and risk for the social worker and nonabusive parent is discussed. Chapters review the influence of race, class, culture, and…
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The Amachi initiative was implemented in Philadelphia to reduce risks for children of incarcerated men and women. Research has found that these children are vulnerable because of the instability of their living situation as well as the feelings associated with having a parent in prison. Depression, poor academic achievement, substance abuse, and juvenile delinquency are more likely among the children of incarcerated parents than in the general population. Amachi seeks to provide a positive influence in these children's lives with adults recruited from faith-based communities. Big Brothers Big…
The Department of Health and Human Services Peer Technical Assistance Network sponsored a roundtable discussion to share ideas about programs to strengthen families who are separated by parental incarceration. Government officials, service providers, and practitioners from Tennessee, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma reviewed trends in incarceration and discussed solutions to common challenges. Prisoner re-entry, recidivism, and the impact of incarceration on children and parents specifically were discussed. Attendees noted the need to focus on nurturing stability in dysfunctional…
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Journal Article Scott and Crooks (authors of another article in this issue) provide an accounting of the characteristics that are more typical among maltreating than nonmaltreating fathers. Despite the merit in the suggested guidelines for intervention programs, questions may be raised about the relative utility of interventions rather than prevention programs with at-risk males. The effectiveness of one such prevention program (home visiting) is described. (Author abstract modified)
