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Vol. 11, No. 1
Dec. 2005

Father Involvement in Child Welfare

Much of this issue is adapted from material that first appeared in Best Practice/Next Practice (Summer 2002), the newsletter of the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice. We encourage interested readers to obtain this excellent, 40-page publication at <http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/downloads/newsletter/BPNPSummer02.pdf>

Contents

Forgetting Fathers

Father Involvement in Child Welfare

Study of Father Involvement in Kinship Care

Finding Fathers

What Can Child Welfare Workers Do to Involve Fathers?

Will MRS Have a Positive Effect on Father Involvement in North Carolina?

Assessing Father Involvement in Your County

Fatherhood Resources

References for this Issue

Click here to read or print the entire issue as a pdf file

Additional resources related to this topic:

  • HHS PUBLISHES FATHERHOOD MANUAL
    Find out the Top-Ten Tips to Be a Better Dad

    The Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today released a guide for child welfare workers to help fathers have a positive impact on their children’s lives. “The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children” is the first guide for professionals that focuses specifically on how they can more effectively engage fathers whose children come to the attention of the child welfare system.

    “Fathers play a crucial role in the healthy development of their children,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, Wade F. Horn, Ph.D. “This manual gives fathers practical advice about their responsibilities to their children as providers, protectors and mentors.”

    The guide includes practical advice about these topics and more:

    • Tips for dads: caring for new moms
    • How to handle a crying baby
    • Ten ways to be a better dad
    • Twenty long distance activities for dads living at a distance
    • How to work with special needs children

    To view this manual, along with others in the User Manual Series, available from the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information, log on to: http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/profess/tools/usermanual.cfm.

  • Training Opportunities for Fathers
    The National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) has developed a series of curricula for teaching fathering skills. Each program offers all the materials needed to present the course to individuals or small groups. The topics covered include in-depth fathering skills, healthcare and home safety for fathers of infants and toddlers, and programs for incarcerated fathers and fathers deployed in the military.

    NFI also offers capacity building workshops for organizations looking to create or expand their programs and services to fathers. The cost of the curricula and workshops vary. Details and ordering information are available on the NFI website, Fatherhood Online, at www.fatherhood.org/training.asp

  • The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children
    This manual discusses what is known about a father's connection to his child's well-being, including his role in the occurrence and prevention of maltreatment. Also included are practical guidance for starting and running a fatherhood program, examples of existing programs, and information on Federal fatherhood initiatives. CPS agencies can also use this information to ensure that they are providing a father-friendly environment.

    HTML: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood
    PDF:    http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood/fatherhood.pdf