Faith, Family and Fatherhood on BlogTalkRadio

Fathers Incorporated Announces

A BlogTalkRadio Event

"Faith, Family and Fatherhood" 

With Bestselling Author Rick Johnson

Hosted By Kenneth Braswell 

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012

8:00 PM

How does Faith, Family, and Fatherhood inter-relate with both men and women? This session will discuss the impact of father absence and fatherlessness in the family structure.

Rick Johnson has authored several books including: 

• The Marriage of Your Dreams - A Woman’s Guide to Understanding Her Man [New!]
• Better Dads Stronger Sons
• That’s My Son: How Moms Can Influence Boys to Become Men of Character
• That’s My Girl: How a Father’s Love Protects and Empowers His Daughter
• That’s My Teenage Son: How Moms Can Influence Boys to Become Good Men
• The Power of a Man: Using Your Influence as a Man of Character

Rich Johnson founded Better Dads in 2001 to address an urgent need for empowering men to lead and serve their families and communities. Rick's life-changing insights for men and women on parenting, marriage, and personal growth have been transforming the lives of families for over a decade. 

To access Faith, Family and Fatherhood and for dial-in information to speak with host Kenneth Braswell, please visit www.blogtalkradio.com/theblackbar

Fatherhood and Poverty

The number of unwed mothers has increased greatly over the past several decades, particularly in low-income communities. Of course, it follows that the number of unwed fathers has increased also. Yet most people know very little about these men, note Kathryn Edin and Timothy Nelson, Kennedy School sociologists who have focused their research on this group.

Edin, a professor of public policy and management, and Nelson, a lecturer in social policy, last year coauthored (along with Jennifer March Augustine of the University of Texas) a paper titled “Why Do Poor Men Have Children? Fertility Intentions among Low-Income Unmarried U.S. Fathers,” published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political Science. Their study features interviews with 171 men from the Philadelphia area, who speak candidly about their intention to have children, their involvement as parents, and how their children have affected them and their behavior.

“Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the disadvantaged men whose narratives formed this account typically have at least an ambivalent desire to father and perceive considerable benefits in doing so,” write the authors.

Read more by clicking the link above.

Fathers as Family and Community Resources

A recent article in American Humane's Protecting Children describes the impact of fathers in the lives of families involved with the child welfare system, as well as ways to support and promote positive father involvement. The article, "Fathers as Resources in Families Involved in the Child Welfare System," focuses on the evaluation of a model program for low-income families involved with the child welfare system. 

More than 500 families with child welfare involvement were randomly divided among three interventions: a fathers-only group, a couples group, and an information-only (control) session. The fathers and couples groups received 32 hours of group training and discussion over 16 weeks, facilitated by a clinically trained couple using the Supporting Father Involvement curriculum. Before the intervention and 2 and 11 months after the intervention, parents were assessed for mental health and well-being, quality of the couple's relationship, quality of the parent-child relationship, generational transmission of expectations and behaviors, and balance of life stresses and social supports.

Results show the interventions' success in reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors:

• Parents in the couples group showed increased father involvement and decreased personal and parenting distress compared to the control condition.
• Fathers-only participants made slightly fewer gains than the couples participants but showed significant and positive effects on father involvement.
• Children of parents who participated in one of the groups had no increases in problem behaviors, unlike children in the control condition.

In addition, agencies that hosted the fathers-only groups showed improvement in father-inclusive policies and services.

The authors note that this ongoing program is still learning how to best provide parents with the skills and supports that are needed to eradicate old patterns and improve family relationships.

Read more online at:   http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewPrinterFriendly&issueid=117

Involving Dads in Group Decision-Making

Family group decision-making (FGDM), which emphasizes the importance of reaching out to and including all members of a child's family, can be a powerful tool for improving the engagement of fathers and paternal relatives in the lives of children involved with the child welfare system. To support these efforts, American Humane recently published an issue brief that describes how child welfare agencies can use FGDM to locate fathers and more effectively use paternal family members as a resource for children.

Several studies have identified potential barriers to father involvement in child welfare, including workers' biased perceptions of fathers, the perceived difficulty of engaging fathers, and the gender dynamics of a largely female child welfare workforce. The brief highlights FGDM as a way to avoid some of these barriers by using an independent coordinator to organize family meetings and work closely with both the mother and father to reach as many family members as possible. Doing so ensures more family members play a role in determining the best options for the safety and well-being of the child.

The brief pays particular attention to situations in which the mother-father relationship is strained, such as cases of domestic or family violence. Although participants may have safety concerns, the brief describes strategies to minimize those concerns through careful preparation, attention to detail, and follow-through after the meeting.

Read more online at:   http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewPrinterFriendly&issueid=117

Bridging the Child Welfare System and Father-Focused Services

Both the Child and Family Services Reviews and research have highlighted the lack of engagement of nonresident fathers in the child welfare system. The Engaging Fathers project, a collaboration between the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) and Fathers and Families Center (the Center), is taking steps to bridge this gap to improve outcomes for children in Marion County, Indiana. This project, which is one of four subgrants of the National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System (QIC NRF), utilizes a 20-week, peer-led support group curriculum for nonresident fathers that was developed by the QIC NRF.

The Center has a full-time male staff person onsite at the Marion County DCS office to serve as the initial contact for nonresident fathers. This person helps the project—and DCS—locate nonresident fathers and also helps the fathers who come into contact with the agency understand their cases and navigate the child welfare and court systems. Additionally, the staff person provides training and support to DCS staff about father engagement on the project.

Eligible fathers are invited to attend the 20-week peer support group and may also receive other services through the Center, such as job assistance, GED preparation, relationship counseling, and transportation. The project is currently on its ninth cohort of fathers attending support groups, with approximately two to eight fathers in each cohort. The project team reports that the support groups—in addition to providing information about parenting skills, the child welfare system, legal issues, and other areas—have helped empower the fathers and supply a much-needed support network. Within the groups, fathers share the successes and challenges that each has experienced in trying to become a more engaged father.

The collaboration between DCS and the Center has proven beneficial for the partnering organizations as well. The Center's staff have learned more about the child welfare system and are able to offer help in that area to fathers. Center staff now ask fathers whether their children are involved with the child welfare system (and are surprised by the number of fathers with positive responses). Similarly, DCS staff have become more familiar with fatherhood issues and the Center.

Read more online at:   http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewPrinterFriendly&issueid=117