How To Build a Father Friendly Child Welfare System Pre-Conference Seminar at the
How To Build a Father Friendly Child Welfare System Pre-Conference Seminar at the 18th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect April 17th, 2012 Washington, DC Lead Presenter Myles Edwards, Ph. D. Research Director, National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System US DHHS, ACF, ACYF, 2006-2011 [email protected] Framing Question: How to effectively facilitate the involvement of fathers in the children’s lives when Child Welfare has intervened? John Fluke Ph.D. American Humane Association [email protected] Howard Davidson, JD Director ABA Center on Children and the Law [email protected] Rebecca (Becky) Graham, RN, MS Senior Director, National Programming National Fatherhood Initiative Framing Question: How to integrate best practice with fathers into the child welfare system? Eliana Loveluck JBS International (Standing for Sonia Velazquez, JBS International) MSW, Program Area Lead for Women, Children, and Family Treatment Program [email protected] Where Do You Stand? • Four groups: – Strongly Agree – Agree – Strongly Disagree – Disagree Knowledge Development Context for NonResident Fathers and the Child Welfare System: The Framework 1. How do Child Welfare Systems Identify, locate, contact and engage fathers? 2. How do fathers work with Child Welfare and Interconnected Systems and the Courts to be involved in their children’s lives? Knowledge Development Efforts to Assist States, Tribes, the Legal Community, the Courts, and Community-Based Programs to Enhance NonResident Father Engagement with Child Welfare •What About the Dads: Child Welfare Agencies’ Efforts to Identify, Locate, and Involve NonResident Fathers. (Malm, Murray, Geen) US DHHS •More about the Dads: Exploring Associations between Nonresident Father Involvement and Child Welfare Case Outcomes (ASPE) US DHHS Quality Improvement Center on NonResident Fathers in Child Welfare: •Began in 2006 with a Children’s Bureau award •Knowledge development •Product development •Field test of engagement in four sites •Program development recommendations •National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System, US DHHS, ACF, ACYF – American Humane Association, American Bar Association, National Fatherhood Initiative •Four QIC NRF Research Sites: •Indiana Fathers and Families Center and Indiana Department of Child Services (Marion County) •The Division of Children and Family Services (Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, King County) and Divine Alternatives for Dads •El Paso County (Colorado Springs, CO.) and the Center on Fathering •Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (Tarrant County; Ft. Worth) and the Fatherhood New Day Services •National Advisory Board •National and Local Fathers’ Councils Resource Web Sites: •www.fatherhoodQIC.org •www.engagingfathers.org Accessing Resources for Fatherhood: • Guides for: – Fathers in CPS – Children’s Attorneys and Lawyer Guardians ad Litem – Court Appointed Special Advocates • Checklists for practice • Judges Bench Cards • Father Friendly Check-UpsTM (for Child Welfare and Courts) • Diligent Search Guide • Curriculums (social worker, coaching and Bringing Back the Dads) • Father stories and tip sheets The Quality Improvement Center for Non-Resident Fathers: Web Site Resources: www.fatherhoodQIC.org Barriers and Resources to Engaging Fathers in Child Welfare: “I think it is important to involve fathers in their child’s case because….” What’s In It For… Child Welfare: •Broadens circle of family support by including fathers and potentially their family/friends •More “eyes” to survey the well-being of the child •Increased informal supports and resources •Positive well-being outcomes for child •Promotes family and cultural connection What’s In It For… Child Welfare: •Helps meet the expectations of the CFSR (permanency, safety, well-being and family involvement) •Facilitates concurrent planning — more than one goal •Supports required reasonable or diligent efforts •Engages paternal relatives as possible permanency options What’s In It For… Mothers & Families: • Overall positive outcomes for children’s well-being • Additional support from father & paternal family • Commitment to family modeled for children • Increase in mother’s patience, flexibility and emotional responsiveness toward child • Successful co-parenting sends consistent messages to child about right and wrong What’s In It For… Children: – Fathers provide unique support • Emotional • Financial • Physical – Involvement of paternal kin • Expanded cultural & family ties • Knowledge of family medical history What’s In It For… Children: • Significantly more likely to exhibit healthy self-esteem & pro-social behavior • Better educational outcomes • More friendships & fewer behavioral concerns • Both parents act as partners in raising them • Increased family support that can ensure safety, emotional well-being & connection to caring adults Evans, G. D., & Fogarty, K. (2008). The hidden benefits of being an involved father. Retrieved May 21, 2009, from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HE137 Ferguson, G. (2009). Questions about kids: Do dads really make a difference? Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. Retrieved May 21, 2009, from http://cehd.umn.edu/ceed/publications/questionsaboutkids/dadenglish.pdf Fatherhood Toolkit: 1. Leadership and Organizational Philosophy 2. Program Management Policies and Procedures 3. Organizational and Community Assessment 4. Parent and Family Involvement Practices 5. Program Physical Environment 6. Staff Training and Professional Development 7. Collaboration and Organizational Networking 8. Community Outreach 9. Information and Data Support Systems 10. All Fathers are Important Leadership and Organizational Philosophy: • NRF-QIC Products – Problem statement • Non Resident Fathers are not seen as a resource for their children in Child Welfare • Non Resident Fathers are not present in virtually all child welfare cases • Gender matters in parenting and service delivery – Father Friendly Check Up – Partnership with Courts as decision makers Organizational and Community Assessment: • Father Advisory Committee • Videos – fathers’ stories www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fcYfYAl REk • Newsletters—fathers’ stories • Collaboration with other organizations – systems integration – particularly Child Support Enforcement • Transportation, Job training, substance abuse and mental health services Leadership and Organizational Philosophy: QIC NRF Rationale and Fit for Child Welfare Agencies: •CFSR results and PIP •Title IVE utilization •Family Connections Act Community Outreach: • Father Advisory Council and other resources- we used the National Advisory Board to stay connected to the national community of father related programs and services • Findings on multiple needs of fathers points to the range of pertinent resources – A range which extends beyond the child welfare system Program Management Policies and Procedures: • “Parent” equals code word for mother • “Visitation”* might not be the same as “Parenting Time”** – *Philosophy regarding frequency, location, etc. – ** What does a Dad or Mom do when face to face with children • Incarcerated fathers and visitation policy – Child welfare services and prison policy • Do policies present conflicting motivations for fathers and so create barriers? • Father recruitment data from the four QIC-NRF field sites • Child Outcomes on CFSRs Parent and Family Involvement Practices: •Courts - Child and Family Attorneys •Father’s legal guidebook •FGDM or other family engagement practices •www.fgdm.org •QIC NRF facilitated peer fatherhood curriculum •www.fatherhoodQIC.org •Bringing Back the Dads curriculum and male helping seeking behaviors •Service availability Parent and Family Involvement Practices: Bringing Back the Dads modules: •Dad as Part of the Solution: Overview of the child welfare system •Dad as Planner: Service planning in the child welfare system •Dad as Provider: Supporting your children •Dad as Team Player: Shared parenting •Dad as Parent: Understanding your children •Dad as Community Member: Identifying and accessing resources •Dad as Part of the Juvenile Court Process: Legal advocacy and court etiquette •Dad as Part of Children’s Placement: Visiting with your children •Dad as Healthy Parent: Taking care of you •Dad as Cultural Guide: The role of culture in parenting •Dad as Worker: Workforce readiness Program Physical Environment: • Pictures • Magazines • Color schemes • Chairs instead of couches • Diaper changing stations in men’s restrooms Staff Training and Professional Development: • Family finding training – www.senecacenter.org • Social worker training – www.fatherhoodQIC.org • Social worker coaching/mentoring training • Attorney training • Bench cards • ABA green book - Advocating for Nonresident Fathers in Child Welfare Court Cases Collaboration and Organizational Networking: Results of the Policy Roundtable • Require collaboration between community partners. • Increased funding must include a strong research component. • Address barriers such as unemployment and its root causes, such as lack of training, education and supports. • Full implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. • Child support flexibility should extend to child welfare. In recent years, states have been able to use flexibility in child support rules and the TANF program to encourage greater connection between fathers and their children. The same flexibility in child support forgiveness and incentives should apply to Title IV-E foster care funds. Collaboration and Organizational Networking: Results of the Practice Learning Summit • Non-resident Fathers with children in the Child Welfare System are fragile • Non-resident Fathers present as different stages of readiness and emotional availability • Understanding differences in gender are key to effectively engaging Non-resident Fathers • Cross-system collaboration is critical • Know your data • Provide relevant concrete resources up front • Strategies for engagement may need to be creative and unconventional Information and Data Support Systems: •National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) •Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) •Assessment of data quality •Level of missing data about family structure, i.e. AFCARS item “Caretaker Status” •Level of missing data on Mothers •Level of missing data on Fathers •Kinship information •Updates after initial assessment – time intervals •County level data on the presence of nonresident fathers of children in foster care •Assessment of current data structures •Are there data structures that are designed to capture information about fathers? All Fathers are Important: • Fathers are at different stages of emotional availability • Respect for relationship father has with children – As many different relationship types as there are fathers – Different views of what family should be – How to help fathers clarify values? – How to help fathers develop a plan? • What are aspirations of child and of father? • What is practical? • What is the safety assessment philosophy? Understanding the Socialization of Men: Socially constructed ideas cultivate: • Emotional conflict • Behavioral problems • Emotional pain, often resulting in an emotional trauma causing men to present as: Stoic Firm Detached emotionally Link retrieved by American Humane June 16, 2009 Men have traditionally found it difficult to acknowledge their feelings and the effect they have on their lives and the lives of family members. Gender Roles: Societal Factors That Influence the Development of Manhood & Fatherhood: • Discouraging the expression of emotions — “real men don’t cry” • Anger is an acceptable male emotion • Dominant, disconnected and dangerous • Being physically strong • Ambition and competition • Good occupational functioning • Athletic ability • Economic success • Sexual conquests The section was adapted from Shears, J., & Furman, R., Working with fathers: A review of the literature. University of North Carolina- Charlotte; and Hofferth, S. L. (2001, February). Race/ethnic differences in father involvement in twoparent families: Culture, context, or economy. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Retrieved May 21, 2009, from http://ceel.psc.isr.umich.edu/pubs/papers/ceel019-01.pdf Strategies to Encourage Help-Seeking Behaviors: • Normalize their experience • Minimize reflection on affect & emotions • Provide direct feedback and actionoriented steps • Use metaphors to make problems concrete and relatable • Use approaches that focus on logic and behavior Developing the Relationship: A desire to develop a positive and authentic relationship with your client requires that you remain sensitive to the CULTURAL and GENDER differences. • Take the time to get to know them and how their experiences have shaped who they are today. • Remain attentive to your verbal and non-verbal responses and how they may be interpreted from their cultural lens. • Check things out and ask questions. Approaches to Engaging Non-Resident Fathers: • Assume the non-resident father wants to be involved • Restore the non-resident father in the child's life • Individualize each case • Suspend judgments • Make room for expressions of anger Approaches to Engaging Non-Resident Fathers: • Seek first to understand • Recognize and acknowledge previous experience with child welfare • Transparency regarding agency’s involvement and the non-resident father’s role in the case process • Acknowledge the power in your position along with empowering the non-resident father Approaches to Engaging Non-Resident Fathers: • Identify the non-resident father’s strengths • Increase his understanding of how important he is to his child • Encourage opportunities for change, particularly if he is the person that caused the harm Where are the Non-Resident Fathers ? • Differences between communities based upon geography, transportation, economics and demographics - Results from four cities, handout - • Local assessment from existing families • Practicality of strategies • Family Finding • Costs of not reaching fathers – well-being and monetary Research Findings from QIC NRF: • Of the homes from which children are removed, 75% are homes in which the fathers did not reside. • Eighty per cent of children of program fathers are in foster homes, half of these with relatives. • Twenty five per cent of program fathers had had their first child as teenagers. • Fifty seven per cent of program fathers reported receiving fewer than 12 years of education Research Findings from QIC NRF: • Twenty per cent of program fathers are employed full time; an additional 15% are employed part-time or selfemployed. • More than half of program non-resident fathers report they have been fairly treated. • Children of program non-resident have more than one third fewer placement moves than other children [ but they are much younger than the general foster care child population]. Father-Friendly Check-Up: •Tool to help agencies create an environment that involves non-resident fathers and foster the healthy development of children •Seven Assessment Areas 1. Leadership & Organization Philosophy 2. Program Management Policies & Procedures 3. Parent Involvement Program 4. Program Physical Environment 5. Staff Training & Professional Development 6. Collaboration & Organizational Networking 7. Community Outreach Where is the 97.9%? Not Relevant Ineligible Not locatable ______ Declined Enrolled 835 Fathers with children entering care during the project 513 Minus outside jurisdiction Excluding resident fathers, fathers with rights terminated and deceased 353 314 Minus incarcerated Minus serious domestic violence 304 296 Minus NRF with child abuse history Minus other disqualified 273 Minus no name for father 164 Minus could not locate 81 Minus contact, no Minus response declined 46 25 17 Attended Sustaining A Father-Friendly Child Welfare System: • • • Practice Recommendations • Father friendliness (Agencies, Workers, Courts) • Child-focused, father-centered interventions • Engaging mothers • Social workers training • Attorney and court training Research Topic Recommendations • Family structure, family finding, outreach to NRF • Barriers to father engagement and services and needs of fathers • Development of paternal kin as resources • Long term impact of father engagement on children in child welfare Policy Recommendations • Identify and eliminate structural engagement barriers and disincentives • Child support flexibility and TANF incentives extended to Title IV-E child welfare • Full implementation of the Fostering Connections Act Family Structure Planning Example • Assessment as the Child of a Single Mother is the best approximation for nonresident father in the AFCARS • Using the files obtained from the states with IRB approval two questions were addressed • Do children of single mothers have more previous removals? • Do children of single mothers have longer length of stay? • Do children of single mothers have more placement changes? Do children of single mothers have more previous removals? • Yes, for all sites • There is a significant effect between sites and for family status • With the Unmarried Couple group present, there is no significant difference for Single Mothers • If only Marion and King Counties are tested, there is a significant difference Do children of single mothers have longer length of stay than children of Married Couples? • Yes, there is a significant difference between children with caretakers of different family status • The three tests of the KM Survival procedure (Breslow, Tarone-Ware and Log Rank are all at .001 or more) • The effect appears most pronounced in the first year of placement Do children of single mothers have more placement changes? • Yes, for half the sites • AGAIN, there is a significant effect between sites and for family status • With the Unmarried Couple group present and all the sites tested, there is no significant difference for Single Mothers • If only Marion and King Counties are tested, there is a significant difference Engaging Fathers in Child Welfare Proceedings Overcoming Legal Barriers to NonCustodial Father and Paternal Kin Engagement for Children in Foster Care: • Assure that there is statutory language and policy/procedure requiring prompt action to identify, locate, contact, and engage NCFs (even though federal law is clear on the requirement to do so) • Address biases against involving nonresident fathers in a child welfare case, particularly if the father was not, or was minimally, involved in the child’s life before the case’s inception (or is out of state, incarcerated, or a non-citizen) • Don’t inappropriately use the family or domestic violence” exception to providing father and paternal kin notice, as contained in the 2008 federal Fostering Connections Act • Address mothers’ inability or unwillingness to identify or help locate the non-resident father • Target new resources for conducting adequate and an ongoing diligent searches for NCFs and paternal relatives (including using Parent Locator Services through the child support enforcement agency) • Address father fears of sanctions when coming forward, especially being “socked” with past and new child support obligations • Assure early appointment of attorneys for all parents, including non-custodial fathers • Assure that parents’ attorneys do not have inordinately high case loads, and that they receive adequate compensation for diligent representation • Take advantage of new specialized training developed by ABA on representing non-custodial fathers A Common Concern We Hear: Fathers Needing to “Jump Through Hoops” to Perfect Their Rights • Some states will compel both parents (not just the parent committing the abuse/neglect) to fully engage in mandated services and mandated substance abuse testing, even when there’s a fit, non-offending non-custodial father who requests custody • Also, some out-of-state fathers seeking custody have found themselves subjected to home study scrutiny and other delays related to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) • But, does the ICPC apply to an out-of-state dad? Best Practices for Lawyers: • Identify and Locate Fathers Early • Use Family Group Conferences/Family Team Meetings for Father Engagement • Encourage Father Visitation and Involvement in Agency Case Planning • Understand Male-Help Seeking/Learning Styles Identify and Locate Fathers Early: • If you don’t… – It prevents the child from maintaining or establishing an important connection with a parent – It may prevent the child from maintaining or establishing connections with paternal relatives – It deprives the child, court and parties of important information about the father’s and his relatives’ capacity to parent or be involved in the child’s life – It may delay permanency for the child if adoption is the goal • Lawyers should get Judges to: – Ask the mother and other relatives (under oath or via an affidavit) about the father’s identity and location at the first hearing – Explain to the mother the importance of establishing paternity early – Require paternity testing where there is a question about who the biological father is (and ensure the agency pays for it) – Be clear in court orders once paternity and “legal” fatherhood is established – Request, at every hearing, information about progress being made to identify/locate the father and/or establish paternity – Consider imposing deadlines for searches or filing affidavits detailing search efforts – Make sure the record reflects efforts being made to locate the father Locating the Father: • Access Child Support resources! (see 45 CFR 302, 303) • Searching public records (DMV, SSA, courts) • Review the agency’s file for details that could lead to the client or other information sources (and contact any friends or relatives who may be able to put you in touch) • Check Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator and Department of Homeland Security locator if believed to be in immigration detention • Ensure that the agency is also pursuing these options • Sending a letter to the last known address • Sending letters to any of the client’s relatives • Consulting the phone book covering the area of the last known address • Consulting web sites that focus on addresses and phone numbers • Consulting state Department of Revenue to determine address for the father Attorneys should: – Remind the agency to continue efforts to find the father – Request in court reports that the judge inquire about the father’s whereabouts at every hearing – Ask the child about their dad and relatives on their dad’s side Encourage Visitation • Judges should be encouraged to: – Determine what the child’s relationship with the father has been and how frequently they saw each other before court proceedings commenced – Encourage frequent visitation (if it is not going to be harmful to the child) – Consider allowing other family, mentors, friends or siblings to be present during visitation (particularly if the father has limited experience with the child or parenting) – Consider asking the case worker to report back to the court regarding how visits have gone and the connection between father and child – Encourage and allow visits with incarcerated dads (where appropriate) Encourage Case Planning: • Judges should be encouraged to: – Find out why the father is not appearing in court and try to overcome barriers (Transportation? Time of hearings? Incarceration?) – Ensure the agency includes the father in case planning meetings – Require a service plan be developed for both parents – Examine whether services required in the service plan are “father-friendly” Tips for Engaging Dads: • Judges should be encouraged to: – Reaffirm the importance of fatherhood to dads and moms who come before them – Ensure required services are appropriate and meet reasonable efforts requirements (e.g., not sending dads to all female parenting classes) – Appoint counsel for dads as soon as possible to give them a voice in court • Attorneys should be encouraged to: – Be clear about their role and who they represent – Assess both mothers’ and fathers’ capacity to parent child equally (as well as their relatives) Resources developed by the QIC-NRF: All products at: www.fatherhoodqic.org • Father-Friendly Check Up for Child Protection Courts • Lay CASA/GAL, Child’s Lawyer, and Agency Attorney Practice Briefs • Finding Your Way: Guides for Fathers in Child Protection Cases (also in Spanish) • Set of Three Judicial Bench Cards • Book and Curricula for Attorneys Representing NRFs (including a chapter for judges) Includes Instructor’s Guides, Power Point Slides, Handouts, and Post-Training Tests Entire content available on CD-ROM Checklists for fathers’ lawyers are also available at: www.fatherhoodqic. org/checklists.shtml Peer Learning Activity: •In your experience, what aspects of child welfare efforts related to father engagement (or lack of efforts) might influence positive or negative outcomes on children? •Please discuss aspects related to fathers, mothers, children, parental kin, social workers, courts, attorneys, agency leadership, or collaboration with other systems. 15 min discussion 15 min reporting Inspiration to Implementation Goal and Objectives: • Goal: Show how critical it is to build capacity in organizations to effectively serve fathers • Objectives: – Briefly describe National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) – Describe the National Responsible Fatherhood Capacity Building Initiative (NRFCBI) model – Illustrate the need/demand among small faith and community-based organizations for capacity building – Discuss the impact of the NRFCBI on organizations National Responsible Fatherhood Capacity-Building Initiative (NRFCBI): • Funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Children and Families /Office of Family Assistance – Approximately $1M/year for 5 years – Cooperative agreement in 2006 • Objective: Build capacity in primarily grassroot faith and community-based organizations to effectively serve fathers • Funds cannot be used for direct services, only to build capacity/infrastructure NRFCBI Logic Model • Select 20-25 organizations (Sub-awardees) via RFP to receive 25k grant • Intensive training and technical assistance (T&TA) – Week-long Certification College – 2-day Mini-Camp – Site visits – Webinars – On-demand T&TA via phone and e-mail • Build capacity in four areas – Leadership Development – Organizational Development – Program Development – Community Engagement Impact Evaluation • Quantitative – Comprehensive 111-item assessment/questionnaire – Measures short term and long-term impact in each of the four capacity-building areas and overall – Measure at three intervals: 1) before start of grant, 2) end of grant, 3) and 1 year after grant ends – Year 1 & Year 2 sub-awardees (44 in total) • Qualitative – In-depth interviews with 20* sub-awardees – Provides richer data on impact of the NRFCBI in each of the four capacity-building areas Impact – Quantitative • NRFCBI increased capacity in the short and long-term – In each capacity-building area and overall • 67 of 68 (98%) showed an increase at the end of their grant • 65 of 68 (96%) maintained their capacity 1 year after the end of their grant. • 34% saw overall increase of 20% or more – Community Engagement saw largest increase in Y1-Y2, and Organizational Development in Y3. Impact – Qualitative • Leadership Development Focuses on influencing the attitudes, beliefs, and values held by the organization’s employees on the importance of serving fathers—the culture of the organization – Increased staff knowledge and skills – Raised awareness in organizations’ need for: • fatherhood-specific programs and services • making programs and services a priority instead of an add-on – Culture change in organization positioned them as leaders in their community – Relationship with NFI increased credibility in the community related to working with fathers – Improved the organizations’ willingness to seek funding to fill gaps in local fatherhood programming Leadership Development “We are starting to get a sense that people are coming to us to ask us how can you help us be better, what kind of insight can you provide us, where are we missing the mark? So I think we are starting to become recognized as an organization [that serves fathers]. Though we’re small, we have the capacity to provide input to help effect change in other organizations, which is exactly what we want to do.” R. Thompson Family Comes First Impact – Qualitative • Organizational Development Involves how the “nuts and bolts” of an organization ensures that it carries out its mission through better organizational capacity as reflected in areas such as: 1) policies and procedures, 2) processes, and 3) physical environment. – Father-friendly makeovers to physical environment – Discussions between and among staff on the research on father absence and involvement – Recognized importance of assessing staff attitudes and beliefs about fathers – Value of getting entire organization to engage fathers proactively – Power of networking with organizations across the country that have the same desire to serve fathers – Better positioned and successful in fundraisingreported over $3M *in additional/sustained funding in past 3 years Organizational Development “So the staff has been trained in how to be father friendly. And now that the 60 or so staff that we have on board know that when a father’s coming in the door, they ask certain questions; that if they need additional help, they have a resource that they can use; and then they have a contact within the building that they can send that father to, which has increased the numbers [of fathers] that we saw. Because before that, they weren’t even asking [fathers] whether they had children, whether they were a father or not. So they weren’t even addressing the need.” K. Sears CTE, Inc. Impact - Qualitative • Program Development The foundation of an effective program relies on: quality staff and resources, and effective strategies to recruit and retain fathers. • Acquisition and creation of unique fatherhood resources. • Reduction and, in some cases, elimination of recruitment and retention barriers by: – Array of programs and services that addressing unique needs of fathers in community – Linking new programs and services to other programs and services within the organization – Focusing on captive audiences (e.g. incarcerated or court ordered fathers) where many fathers continued to engage beyond “required” period once they recognized the value of the program or service – Development of multi referral networks linking to other organizations (social services, churches, and schools) Impact- Qualitative • Community Engagement It is the essential ability to engage the communities, increase awareness of the impact of absent/involved fathers to their community and of resources available to help fathers become more involved, responsible and committed. • Increased capacity most dramatically in this area! • Many held community gatherings and forums to mobilize their communities around the issue • Helped organizations step out of their “silo” and increase social capital available to engage fathers • Increased community awareness of personal and societal costs associated with absent fathers and of fatherhood resources Impact- Qualitative Community Engagement (Cont.) Capacity building in first three areas led to sub-awardees’ providing T&TA to other organizations—a magnifying effect that led to even greater return on investment • Connected with “influencers” via local and statewide coalitions and forums • Formed creative collaborations (e.g. with law enforcement) • Generated free press Community Engagement “ It helped us build better relationships with Support Enforcement Services and the court system, the district attorney, [and] public defenders. [That] in turn led us to take part in a fatherhood and family policy forum, which allowed us to network with other responsible fatherhood education providers in the state.” Cheryl Breaux Fill the Gap Program Impact – Programs and Services • Ultimate goal of capacity building is to provide programs and services that increase number of fathers and families served • Since end of grants, sub-awardees continue to offer and expanded programs and services with following outcomes – More fathering education and “wrap-around” services (e.g. job training) – More fathers served – More involved, responsible, committed fathers – Improved relationships with children Programs and Services "We were able to help a number of fathers and it was the only such service available in the Cambodian community, so [we were able to help] lot of people who don't speak English. I don't know that there are any other fatherhood-specific services available, but specifically it was the only thing available for Cambodian people who wouldn't be able to communicate in another language." K. Trefflich, Cambodian Association of America "What we overwhelmingly hear from [fathers] is they start the program talking about a lot of excuses for why they are not doing more—that they would do more except A, B, C, D—and by the end they start to realize that while there might be a lot of obstacles for them—which is the reality for most of these men—they get some creative ideas for how to get around [those obstacles]." R. Starnes, Family Life Counci Conclusion • “I truly do have a message I would love for you to send to your funders because in the 10 years that I’ve been here, and we’re 25 years old, God has really chosen to use this opportunity to make a dynamic difference in the future of our organization, and it is directly due to your funders believing in something like this and taking a risk. I mean it’s been a huge blessing to our organization…this is unprecedented…the support is phenomenal…this was so well thought through .’ Susan Lear, Pregnancy Crisis Center of Wichita Y3 Significant Impact on One Family Conclusion “From the loving example of one family, a whole state becomes loving.” —the Great Learning (c.500 B.C) JBS International Briefing on Father Engagement Resources - Literature Review - Content Validity Panel - Cross-Site Evaluation Literature Review Content Validity Panel Cross-Site Evaluation JBS International Briefing on Father Engagement Resources can be found at: Fatherhood and Child Welfare: What Are the Research Gaps? Other Questions?
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