Responsible Fatherhood 101: Fundamentals of Programming and Philosophy

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Responsible Fatherhood 101 Fundamentals of
Programming and Philosophy
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Presentation Overview

• Evolution of Fatherhood
• Effects of Policy on Fatherhood
• Parenting Philosophy and Style
• Impact of Fatherlessness
• Solutions

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Evolution of Fatherhood

• National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) 1994
• To improve the well-being of children by
  increasing the proportion of children growing up
  with involved, responsible, and committed fathers
  in their lives.
• Statement on Responsible Fatherhood 2001

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Evolution of Fatherhood

• A NEW Societal Issue? No
• Research, Articles, Books
• Before they reach the age of eighteen, more than
  half of our nations children are likely to spend
  at least a significant portion of their
  childhoods living apart from their fathers.
  Bumpass, 1984
• Moynihan Report, 1965
• The difference? Governmental Recognition and
  Media Attention

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Media Campaigns

• Drugs a
• Guns a
• Poverty a
• Crime a
• Health Care a
• Fatherlessness ?

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Policy Changes

• Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities
  Act of 1996
• Mandated in-hospital paternity establishment
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1997
• Welfare-to-Work, funds to enroll fathers in
  training and employment services
• Ended in 2004

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Philosophy

• Parenting is a Learned Set of Skills
• Men and Women Parent Differently
• Desired Outcomes are the Same
• How we Get There May Look Different

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Parents Job Description

• Provide basic physical needs
• Keep child healthy and safe
• Care
• Encourage
• Communicate
• Discipline
• Instill values
• Educate
• Two adults are better than one

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Involved fathers bring positive benefits to
their children that no other person is likely to
bring. Popenoe, 1995

• Protector and provider (evolutionarily speaking)

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Sons Learn How to Be

• Responsible
• Assertive
• Independent
• Achievers
• Appropriate with the opposite sex
• Without adult males around, teenage boys will
  necessarily turn excessively to their peers and
  to the antisocial behavior that male teenage peer
  groups often engender. Popenoe, 1995

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Daughters Learn how to Relate to Men

• Heterosexual trust
• Intimacy
• Love-worthiness
• Preparation for a male-dominated world
• Assertiveness
• Independence
• Achievement

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Fathering in Style

• The Work of Play
• Physically stimulating
• Exciting
• Involves teamwork and skill
• Teaches self-control

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Fathering in Style

• Male Parenting stresses
• Competition
• Challenge
• Initiative
• Risk-taking
• Independence

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Fathering in Style

• Discipline
• Rule-based
• Justice
• Fairness

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Fathering in Style

• Intellectual Benefits
• Quantitative abilities
• Mathematical abilities

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Well-Being

• More empathetic
• Happier
• More satisfied
• Less physically aggressive toward other children
• More competitive without resorting to aggression

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So Why is This Important?

• 27 of children in America live without their
  father
• White 21
• Hispanic 28
• Black 57
• Nationwide 24 million children

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How can these fathers not want their children in
their lives?They keep having babies that
theyll never take care of.Theyd rather spend
their money on flashy cars and jewelry than take
care of their kids.
Myths
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Barriers

• Fatherless boys are
• Less likely to graduate high school
• Less likely to obtain gainful employment
• More likely to be incarcerated
• The average parent leaving prison owes 23,000 in
  child support

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Barriers

• Fatherless boys are
• Less likely to marry
• More likely to father a child out of wedlock
• Non-essential
• Households
• Communities

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Failures

• Teen Pregnancy
• Teen Violence
• Juvenile Crime
• Incarceration
• Poverty
• Drug and Alcohol Abuse
• Child Abuse
• Education

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Continuing Challenges

• Race
• Youth
• Anger/Pain
• Gender Relations
• Child Support
• Unemployment/Underemployment
• Wages

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What Works

• Case Management and Referrals
• Legal Assistance
• Parenting Education
• Relationship Counseling
• Literacy Services
• Job Training

Continued
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What Works

• Job Search Assistance
• Advocacy
• Criminal History Counseling
• Participant Education
• Community Education
• Mediation

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Moving Forward

• Community Re-entry
• Workforce Development
• Court-ordered Mediation
• Gender Relations and Communication
• Fathers Support Groups
• Child Support

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QUESTIONS?
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Contact Information KENNETH BRASWELL, Director
[phone] ANN-MARIE YEATES, Program
Outreach Specialist 2 [phone] New York
State Fatherhood Initiative Office of Temporary
and Disability Assistance 40 North Pearl Street
Albany, New York 12243 [phone] fax
www.dads.ny.gov