Serving Young Fathers in Home Visiting Programs: Highlights from a Research Study.

Early childhood home visiting programs typically target pregnant women and mothers of young children, but increasing attention is being given to the practice of engaging fathers as well. The study aimed to understand how home visiting programs engage fathers, what fathers’ experiences are in those programs, and the perceived benefits of fathers’ participation. Qualitative interviews were conducted with home visiting program administrators, staff members, and participating fathers and mothers in five programs implementing strategies to engage fathers in home visiting services. The findings have implications both for home visiting programs that are interested in working with fathers, and for responsible fatherhood and healthy marriage programs that serve low-income fathers. This brief describes the unique set of challenges and the strategies staff use to serve young fathers, and is based primarily on staff interviews in home visiting programs that serve a high number of teen fathers. (Author abstract modified)