What fathers need: A countywide assessment of the needs of

fathers of young children

CityMatCH Annual Urban MCH Leadership ConferenceSeptember 13, 2004

Anand Chabra, M.D., M.P.H. San Mateo County Health Services Agency

Thanks to … First 5 San Mateo County – funded the needs

assessment Peninsula Community Foundation – funded

the Fatherhood Coordinator position for ~ 3 years

Herb Pierrie, RN, MS (Fatherhood Coordinator) – conducted data collection and expanded the text of needs assessment

Sara Buckelew, MD, MPH (preventive medicine resident at the time) ran and analyzed data, and wrote initial paper

Why work with fathers? Nearly twenty-five million children

in the United States, 36%, live apart from their biological fathers.

Forty percent of children who live in households without a father never visited their father’s home.

Why work with fathers?Children who live without contact with

their biological father, in comparison to children who have such contact are:

Five times more lively to live in poverty Twice as likely to drop out of school More than twice as likely to abuse drugs and

alcohol More likely to commit suicide Twice as likely to commit crimes More likely to exhibit learning difficulties More likely to become pregnant as teenagers

The Fatherhood Collaborative

Started in October 1998 Consists of over 40 countywide

agencies, community based organizations and individuals

Mission: To engage parents, providers, employers and the broader community to better understand the importance of men and fathers as they relate to children

Top 5 Needs of FathersAs Previously Identified by the Collaborative

Legal Assistance Personal Development Parenting Skills Family Health Employment and Job

Readiness

Composition of Governing Board

Non-Profit Entities * Founding members

Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County (child care R & R agency) *

Family & Children Services (family counseling) Los Prados Neighborhood Partnership

(neighborhood group) * Peninsula Library System (county and city

libraries) San Mateo Perinatal Council (education and

training for perinatal providers) * Service League of San Mateo County (services

for incarcerated population) * Concerned Community Members *

Composition of Governing Board

Government Organizations

Board of Supervisors * Child Support Services * Health Services Agency * Human Services Agency * Office of Education * Probation Department Superior Court

* Founding members

Fatherhood Needs Assessment

Goal: To identify current services and

programmatic strengths in the county To identify service gaps and barriers

in the county To use this information to develop a

strategic plan for the Collaborative

Needs Assessment Next Steps

Use Data to Identify

Problems And Needs

High Risk Groups

Areas of Service Deficiency

Target Resources

Develop Interventions

Fatherhood Needs Assessment 4 Main Strategies were used to collect

primary data regarding fathers in San Mateo County in order to gain a better understanding of community assets and needs. These included: Focus Groups Key Stakeholder Interviews Case Reviews Fatherhood Surveys

Methods and Data Sources 9 focus groups were conducted

with approximately 80 participants including fathers, and agency staff serving fathers and families.

20 case management records were reviewed

16 key informant one hour interviews were conducted

Fatherhood Survey 35 item confidential survey was

developed and pilot tested About 1200 Surveys were distributed

to 16 agencies across the county 240 surveys were returned from 12

agencies (response rate of approx. 20%)

Data entered in Excel and analyzed in Intercooled Stata 7.0

Survey Results

Demographics White 33.3% Hispanic 26.7% Asian 18.8% Multi/Other 10% Black 8.3% Native American

0.4% No Response 2.5%

According to the 2002-2005 San Mateo County Child Care Strategic Plan, the child population in SMC is 41% White 30% Hispanic 23% Asian/Pac.

Islander 5% Black 1% Native American

Survey Results

Demographics Age >39 30.4% Ages 35-38 22.9% Ages 30-34 14.6% Ages 26-29 10.4% Ages 22-25 6.3% Ages 19-21 2.1% Ages 14-18 1.2% No response 12.1%

Survey Results The majority were married (76.7%) The majority live with their children

(80%) Approximately 85% of those fathers

surveyed had at least one child under the age of five

Almost half (47%) of those surveyed had graduated from college

Family Health 78% Dads had

private insurance, 10% had Medi-Cal, 9% were not insured

10% Dads had health conditions

7% Dads were in need of health care

79% Children had private insurance, 13% had Medi-Cal, 2% were not insured

9% Children had health conditions

3% Children were in need of health care

Mental Health

16% of Dads indicated that they were sad, depressed or overly stressed Only 22% of these indicated that they

had seen a mental health specialist 12% of these indicated they were

currently in need of counseling 5% of all Dads indicated that they

currently were in need of counseling

Health 5% indicated that they were in need

of family planning services 4% indicated they were in need of

smoking cessation services 0% indicated they were in need of

alcohol or drug counseling although 5% indicated that the community

needed substance abuse services

Legal Assistance 5% of all Dads indicated that they

currently were in need of legal assistance

Among Dads who were not (or were sometimes) living with their children 9% needed legal assistance 19% needed child custody assistance 25% needed child support assistance

Personal Development

15% of Dads indicated that they were having current problems with their wife, partner or girlfriend

19% of Dads indicated that they currently had financial needs

Top 5 Prioritized Needs Financial (35%) Health Care (20%) Shelter/Housing (20%) Food (19%) Employment (18%)

Primary Role as Father Parenting (75%) Role Model (50%) Pay the Bills (43%) Disciplinarian (39%) Caregiver (38%) Head of the House (38%) Teacher (35%) Mother’s Support (28%) Provides Transportation (27%) No Role (3%)

The County 50% of Dads surveyed rated the

county — the community — “excellent” or “good” as a place that supports fathers in raising children

29% rated it “fair”, and 10% rated it “poor”

Needed Support Services in the Community

Father-Child Activities (47%) Parks or Recreational Activities

(37%) Better Schools (35%) Parenting Classes (33%) Support Groups (25%) Violence Prevention (22%)

Bias Greater response rate from County

employees than from non-profit agencies

Sample probably not representative of lower-functioning fathers

Next Steps Implementation of the work plan

developed in late 2003 Continual assessment of the needs

of fathers in San Mateo County Continued efforts to develop new

services for fathers (specifically case management and support groups)

Final Thoughts and Questions

“The supreme test of any civilization is whether or not it can teach men to become good fathers.”

-Margaret Mead