Fatherhood

Too many of America’s children, both inside and outside of the child welfare system, are growing up today without a father in their lives. In fact, reports suggest that the proportion of men aged 25 to 29 living with their children has decreased by over 50 percent since 1965. Recent Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSRs) have also found a lack of involvement by fathers and paternal relatives in case planning and connection. What does that mean about the quality of life of our children? How are positive outcomes for kids and families being impacted and how is the child welfare system that supports them being affected? These are just a few of the questions American Humane has asked and is presently committed to answering.

American Humane is seeking to understand fathers’ engagement in child welfare, the reasons for increased absence and deterioration of relationships, the impact of non-resident fathers on the success and quality of life of their children and other family members, and the effect of their absence on child protective services and child welfare.

American Humane is committed to expanding knowledge and developing supportive resources so children regain important and lasting connections with their fathers and paternal relatives, so fathers have new ways to redefine and embrace their role, and so the systems that support children and families are invigorated with new knowledge and practices that help achieve positive outcomes. Please watch this website for updates detailing our work, resources and links to an additional collaborative effort on a newly launched project on non-resident fathers.

Fathers and their Families: The Untapped Resource for Children Involved in the Child Welfare System August 2003 (PDF)

National Quality Improvement Center

ON Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System

The Children’s Bureau funded the American Humane Association and its partners, the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, and National Fatherhood Initiative, to create a quality improvement center on non-resident fathers. The focus for the project came as a result of the Federal Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) and the What About the Dads? report (available here). Both the CFSRs on state child welfare systems and the What About the Dads? report indicate there is very little meaningful engagement occurring between the child welfare system and fathers. Using this information as a foundation, the Quality Improvement Center (QIC-NRF) was designed to promote additional knowledge development regarding the engagement of non-resident fathers and their children who are involved in the child welfare system.

The purpose of this project is to determine, through a research design, the impact of non-resident father involvement on child welfare outcomes. Child welfare outcomes include child safety, permanence and well-being. Included in this design is the examination of the relationship between child and non-resident fathers or paternal relatives. Throughout the five years of this project, information gained from the QIC-NRF will be disseminated to the Children’s Bureau, sub-grantees, child welfare agencies, private service providers, the courts and legal systems, and other stakeholders.

The QIC-NRF goals are:

• To promote and support a research-based and outcome-focused approach to inform best practices related to the engagement of non-resident fathers and paternal family in the public child welfare system.
• To promote and support a research-based and outcome-focused approach to determine the impact of father involvement on child safety, permanence and well-being outcomes.
• To facilitate a collaborative information-sharing and problem-solving national network among sub-grantees, the Children’s Bureau, public child welfare agencies, private service providers, the courts and legal systems, and other stakeholders.

The official site of the Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System is located at http://www.fatherhoodqic.org/.

National Advisory Board for the QIC NRF

A very important component of the QIC NRF is its National Advisory Board. This board brings together representatives from numerous disciplines, including: law, fatherhood, child welfare and child protection services, courts, frontline practice, research, policy and academia. Ten people have been selected to join the board and have been approved by the Children’s Bureau. The experience and knowledge board members bring helps guide the QIC NRF through both phases of its project and provides critical perspectives to the examination of issues, field experimentation, and dissemination plans. Board members assist the QIC NRF in identifying issues and barriers to involving non-resident fathers in child welfare cases, guide the selection of research focus, requests for proposal and site selection, and act as a resource regarding multi-disciplinary issues and methods that may contribute to comprehensive assessment and experimentation.

Scott E. Cade
Director of the Division of Child Support Enforcement
New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance

John Chacon
Independent Community
Programming Consultant

Richard T. Cozzola
Supervisory Attorney of the Children’s Law Project
Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago

Susan Dreyfus
Executive Vice President of Strategy
Rogers Behavioral Health System Inc.

Michael Hayes
Director of Family Strengthening Initiative
Office of Family Initiatives

Mark Kiselica, Ph.D., HSPP, NCC, LPC
Fellow and Former President
Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity:
American Psychological Association
Professor, Department of Counselor Education
College of New Jersey

Erwin McEwen
Director
Illinois Department of Child and Family Services

Fernando Mederos
Director of Special Projects, Fatherhood
Massachusetts Department of Social Services

Maurice Moore
Program Associate
Annie E. Casey Foundation

Honorable Stephen M. Rubin
Judge Pro Tempore
Pima County Superior Court