Reaching and Engaging Non-Resident Fathers in

Child Welfare

Steps for Startup and Quality Improvement Center Products

Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident 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

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Resource Web Site

• www.fatherhoodQIC.org

• www.engagingfathers.org

(Under Construction)

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I. Leadership and Organizational Philosophy

• Focus organizational attention

• Rationale and fit

– CFSR results and PIP

– Title IVE utilization

– Family Connections Act

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I. Leadership and Organizational Philosophy - Part 2

• 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

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II. 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

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III. 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

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IV. 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

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IV. Parent and Family Involvement Practices - continued 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

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IV. Parent and Family Involvement - continued Father Specific Services

• Father curriculum

• Size of dad’s service plan – number of expectations matters – relevant, practical, and concrete services that make sense and are reasonable.---Gender tailored

• Does Dad want to see kids?

– If yes move forward

– If no, ask about child support enforcement, criminal charges or civil action, feeling inadequate – dead broke and no hopes, can’t stand mother of child, don’t know what to do with child when they do have contact. Always ask the next question and don’t take NO for a final answer. Take time to explore dads needs and insecurities.

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V. Program Physical Environment

• Pictures

• Magazines

• Color schemes

• Chairs instead of couches

• Diaper changing stations in

men’s restrooms

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VI. 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

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Case/social worker training

Michelle Howard, Training & Technical Assistance Specialist, American Humane Association

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Case/social worker trainingPrimary Objectives:

• Recognize worker bias and presumptions about men and fathers

• Understand the benefits and overcome the barriers to engaging non-resident fathers

• Promote the development of collaborative partnerships with non-resident fathers by incorporating the needs and the cultural lens of men and fathers

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Value Voting

Father of the Year

Father Friendly Check Up- Staff training and

professional development

Recognize worker bias &

presumptions about men and

fathers

Case/social worker training continued

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Understand the benefits and overcome the barriers to engaging non-resident fathers

“I think it is challenging to

engage fathers in their child’s case

because…”

“I think it is important to involve fathers in

their child’s case because…”

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Case/social worker training continued

Promote the development of collaborative partnerships with non-resident fathers by incorporating the needs and the cultural lens of men

and fathers

Video clips that prompted an examination and discussion of the socialization of men and fathers.

Barriers to men seeking help – “why it may be how men are socialized rather than resistant men”.

Strategies to encourage help –seeking behaviors – through the cultural lens of men.

Strategies to support relationship development (i.e. principles of partnership, conflict management).

Approaches to engage the non-resident father.

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Case/social worker training continued

VII. 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.

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VII. Collaboration and Organizational Networking - continued

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

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VIII. 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

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IX. Information and Data Support Systems

• Assessment of current data structures

– Are there data structures that are designed to capture information about fathers?

• 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

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X. 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?

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Michelle Howard, Training & Technical Assistance Specialist

American Humane Association

Phone: 816-503-8428

michelleh@americanhumane.org

Project Officer: Jason Bohn, Child Welfare Program Specialist

Administration for Children and Families

Phone: 816-426-2260

Jason.Bohn@acf.hhs.gov

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