pretraining - fatherhood in child welfare

pretraining -
fatherhood
in child
welfare

healthy marriage & family ku fatherhood coordinator
formation
kathleen holt
project coordinator ku school of social welfare
child welfare resource network
linda metsger
univ of denver graduate school p o box 633
cimarron ks 67835-0633
of social work
butler institute for families 620-855-2244 w/h
620-855-7075 f
2148 S. high st. [email protected]
denver, co 80208
303-871-3796 303-871-4980 f
[email protected]

K U SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE -1- DU BUTLER INSTITUTE FOR FAMILIES

FATHERHOOD IN CHILD WELFARE

8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

AGENDA

A Two Part Simulation Featuring Fathers’ Experience with Community Based Services &
Foundations for Effective Child Welfare Practice Involving Fathers

8:30 - 11:50 FathersPlace-The Simulation

1:00 – 1:30 Generalizations & Stereotypes

1:30 – 2:30 Dedicated Not Deadbeat (Fatherhood USA)
Video & Discussion
2:30: - 2:40
2:40 – 3:40 BREAK

Categorically Fathers

3:40 – 4:10 A FathersPlace Tool Box
4:10 – 4:30
Action Planning
Summary & Evaluations

COMPETENCIES

Participants will be

Competency 1 Able to support the involvement of fathers in the lives of their children.

Learning Objective 1.1 Able to identify the kinds of supports, services, and partnerships
that are available or could be developed in child welfare for
fathers.

Learning Objective 1.2 Able to identify strategies for helping mothers understand the
important role fathers play in the lives of their children.

Learning Objective 1.3 Able to identify strategies engaging non-custodial or absent
fathers.

Learning Objective 1.4 Able to identify strategies for involving non-custodial or absent
fathers

Competency 2 Able to negotiate and utilize agency or system strengths to involve
fathers.

Learning Objective 2.1 Able to identify child welfare’s and partner’s policies and practices
that support or impede father involvement..

Learning Objective 2.2 Able to articulate three strategies for making agencies more father
friendly.

Competency 3. Able to understand how personal experience and values about fathers

impact work with families.

Learning Objective 3.1 Able to explore personal values and feelings about working with

fathers in the child welfare system.

K U SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE -2- DU BUTLER INSTITUTE FOR FAMILIES

SOME HISTORY OF FATHERHOOD

Match the following quotes from popular and academic sources by drawing a line
from the quote to its sources/dates on the right. In doing so, you’ll see some of the changes in attitudes

and beliefs about fathers and their roles in families and with children.

Social scientists assumed they could understand the father’s role in child 1990s – from Levine w/
development by examining the effects of father absence, not presence. Pitt. New Expectations:
The Changing American Parent study conducted when the number of Community Strategies
father-absent families was considerably based its results on interviews for Responsible
with 582 mothers and not one single father. Many behavioral scientists Fatherhood
assumed fathers were relatively unimportant to their children's healthy
development. At the very most, fathers were thought to be peripheral to 1932 – Parent’s
the job of parenting because children spent most of their time with their Magazine
mothers. Some even argued that fathers have no biological aptitude for
childcare, though women were said to be genetically endowed for it. 1980s – from Levine w/
Pitt. New Expectations:
The roles of husbands and fathers are clear cut. The role is to maintain Community Strategies
a job, to bring in a paycheck, to work as hard as necessary to financially for Responsible
support the family, and visibly to be the authoritarian. Fatherhood

In Fatherless America, social theorist Blankenhorn says, “Fatherlessness 2003 – from Levine w/
is the most harmful trend of this generation. It is the leading cause of Pitt. New Expectations:
declining child well-being in our society. It is also the engine driving our Community Strategies
most urgent social problems, from crime to adolescent pregnancy to for Responsible
child sexual abuse to domestic violence against women. Across Fatherhood
societies, married fatherhood is the single most reliable prescription for
socializing males.” Re the 1940s in the
Sermons of Rev. David
Researchers discovered that father love sometimes explains a unique, Chadwell
independent portion of the variance in specific child outcomes, over and
above the portion of variance explained by mother love. Indeed, some 1950s – from Levine w/
studies reviewed found that father love is the sole significant predictor of Pitt. New Expectations:
specific child outcomes after removing the influence of mother love. Community Strategies
for Responsible
We are witnessing two broad but unequal trends: first, the simultaneous Fatherhood
disengagement and second, the engagement of men from their
children’s lives. And both of these trends are fueling the emerging
interest in fatherhood. In a strikingly different way, each trend has called
on our society over the last decade to examine – in an unprecedented
way – the impact that fathers, whether absent or involved, have on the
functioning of their families.

In a landmark longitudinal study of family relations after divorce, research 1970s – Gilder,
concluded that while divorce is not generally positive for child-rearing, George, Naked
there are ways for couples to have a “good divorce,” whereby the Nomads
“children continue to have two parents [and] the divorced parents
continue to have good relationships with their children. Re 1960s in
Thompson, “Role of
The unmarried male “is disposed to criminality, drugs and violence. He is Father’s Love in Child
irresponsible about his debts, alcoholic, accident prone, and venereally Development Deserves
diseased. Unless he can marry, he is often destined to a Hobbesian life More Attention
– solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”

“This is a generation of women-raised youth. . with few fathers in the
homes, with most teachers women, men are having little to say in regard
to the making of the ideals of the coming generations.”

K U SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE -3- DU BUTLER INSTITUTE FOR FAMILIES

ANSWER KEY

FATHERHOOD QUOTES:

1932 – Parents’ Magazine: “This is a generation of women-raised youth. . with few fathers in the homes,
with most teachers women, men are having little to say in regard to the making of the ideals of the coming
generations.” (Levine, James A. with Pitt Edward W. New Expectations: Community Strategies for Responsible Fatherhood.

New York. Families and Work Institute, 1995. p. 14)

1940 – The roles of husbands and fathers are clear-cut. The role is to maintain a job, to bring in a
paycheck, to work as hard as necessary to financially support the family, and visibly to be the
authoritarian. (http://www.westarkchurchofchrist.org/chadwell/1997/061597am.htm Sermons of Rev. David Chadwell)

1950 – Social scientists assumed they could understand the father’s role in child development by
examining the effects of father absence, not presence. The Changing American Parent study conducted
when the number of father-absent families was considerably based its results on interviews with 582
mothers and not one single father. Many behavioral scientists assumed fathers were relatively
unimportant to their children's healthy development. At the very most, fathers were thought to be
peripheral to the job of parenting because children spent most of their time with their mothers. Some even
argued that fathers have no biological aptitude for childcare, though women were said to be genetically
endowed for it. (Levine, James A. with Pitt Edward W. New Expectations: Community Strategies for Responsible Fatherhood.

New York. Families and Work Institute, 1995. p. 25 and Thompson, Allison. “Role of Father’s Love in Child Development Deserves
More Attention” Advance on the Web, February 11, 2002, p 1 (5/22/2004) )

1960 - Researchers discovered that father love sometimes explains a unique, independent portion of the
variance in specific child outcomes, over and above the portion of variance explained by mother love.
Indeed, some studies reviewed found that father love is the sole significant predictor of specific child
outcomes after removing the influence of mother love. (Thompson, Allison. “Role of Father’s Love in Child

Development Deserves More Attention” Advance on the Web, February 11, 2002, p 2 (5/22/2004) )

1970 – The unmarried male “is disposed to criminality, drugs and violence. He is irresponsible about his
debts, alcoholic, accident prone, and venereally diseased. Unless he can marry, he is often destined to a
Hobbesian life – solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” (Gilder, George, Naked Nomads, 1974)

1980 – In a landmark longitudinal study of family relations after divorce, research concluded that while
divorce is not generally positive for child rearing, there are ways for couples to have a “good divorce,”
whereby the “children continue to have two parents [and] the divorced parents continue to have good
relationships with their children. (Levine, James A. with Pitt Edward W. New Expectations: Community Strategies for
Responsible Fatherhood. New York. Families and Work Institute, 1995. p. 25)

1990 – In Fatherless America, social theorist Blankenhorn says, “Fatherlessness is the most harmful
trend of this generation. It is the leading cause of declining child well-being in our society. It is also the
engine driving our most urgent social problems, from crime to adolescent pregnancy to child sexual
abuse to domestic violence against women. Across societies, married fatherhood is the single most
reliable prescription for socializing males.” (Levine, James A. with Pitt Edward W. New Expectations: Community
Strategies for Responsible Fatherhood. New York. Families and Work Institute, 1995. p. 15)

2003 – We are witnessing two broad but unequal trends: first, the simultaneous disengagement and
second, the engagement of men from their children’s lives. And both of these trends are fueling the
emerging interest in fatherhood. In a strikingly different way, each trend has called on our society over the
last decade to examine – in an unprecedented way – the impact that fathers, whether absent or involved,
have on the functioning of their families. (Levine, James A. with Pitt Edward W. New Expectations: Community Strategies
for Responsible Fatherhood. New York. Families and Work Institute, 1995. p. 22)

K U SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE -4- DU BUTLER INSTITUTE FOR FAMILIES

THE MYTHS & FACTS OF FATHERHOOD

Mark your responses and then check your perceptions against the sources on the next page.

STATEMENT MYTH FACT

1 Low expectations are self-fulfilling and tend to preclude change. High
expectations, while not a guarantee of change, set the stage for change.

2. Though single motherhood has been common in American history, in
previous periods it was largely caused by death from war or illness.
Nearly one third of infants born today are children of unmarried mothers.

3. Of the children born to married parents, about 45% are expected to
experience their parents’ divorce before reaching age 18. In nine out of
ten cases, separation will be from the father.

4. Between 1950 and 1994, the % of American children living in mother-only
families climbed from 6 to 24%. Between 1985 and 1992, the shared
increased in every state and among all racial groups.

5. Patterns repeat. One study showed less than half of non-custodial
fathers behind on their child support payments has lived with their own
fathers at age 14.

6. In 1993, as families increased their use of out-of-home care for
preschoolers, one of every six preschoolers under the age of five had
primary care by a father.

7. In 1991, a majority of men, 59%, said that they approved of men in a
house- husband role. 80% of their wives believed that mean were just as
capable as women of being good parents.

8. Adolescents who have lived apart from one of their parents during some
period of childhood are twice as likely to drop out of high school, twice as
likely to have a child before age twenty and one-and-a-half times as likely
to be out of school and out of work in their late teens and early twenties.

9. Children in father-absent families are five times more likely to be poor and
about ten times more likely to be extremely poor.

10. Father absence is not the only factor or even the major cause of child
poverty, school failure, or juvenile delinquency.

11. A recent study found that – irrespective of the reasons for father absence
or of the resulting economic circumstances – those children who
possessed adequate and favorable information about he absent parent
fared better on emotional well-being, academic achievement, and
behavior.

12. According to a report from the National Academy of Sciences, service
providers, parents and teens themselves have traditionally regarded
adolescent pregnancy and childbearing as a female problem. This report
was issued back in 1987.

13. Out-of-wedlock births tripled from 1970 to 1993, rising from 11 to 33% -- a
jump from 400,000 children to one million born with no legal establishment
of paternity.

14. The involvement of a father in the life of a family is associated with lower
levels of child neglect, even in families that may be facing other factors,
such as unemployment and poverty, which could place the family at risk
for maltreatment

15. Legally, paternity establishment and child support have only been linked
since 1968.

K U SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE -5- DU BUTLER INSTITUTE FOR FAMILIES

THE MYTHS & FACTS OF FATHERHOOD

Check your responses against these sources.

STATEMENT MYTH FACT
FACT
1 Low expectations are self-fulfilling and tend to preclude change. High expectations, FACT
while not a guarantee of change, set the stage for change to take place.1 FACT
FACT
2. Though single motherhood has been common in American history, in previous periods it FACT
was largely caused by death from war or illness. Nearly one third of infants born today FACT
are children of unmarried mothers. FACT
FACT
3. Of the children born to married parents, about 45% are expected to experience their
parents’ divorce before reaching age 18. In nine out of ten cases, separation will be FACT
from the father. FACT
FACT
4. Between 1950 and 1994, the % of American children living in mother-only families
climbed from 6 to 24%. Between 1985 and 1992, the shared increased in every state FACT
and among all racial groups.2 FACT
FACT
5. Patterns repeat. One study showed less than half of non-custodial fathers behind on FACT
their child support payments has lived with their own fathers at age 14.3

6. In 1993, as families increased their use of out-of-home care for preschoolers, one of
every six preschoolers under the age of five had primary care by a father.

7. In 1991, a majority of men, 59%, said that they approved of men in a house- husband
role. 80% of their wives believed that mean were just as capable as women of being
good parents.4

8. Adolescents who have lived apart from one of their parents during some period of
childhood are twice as likely to drop out of high school, twice as likely to have a child
before age twenty and one-and-a-half times as likely to be out of school and out of work
in their late teens and early twenties.

9. Children in father-absent families are five times more likely to be poor and about ten
times more likely to be extremely poor.5

10. Father absence is not the only factor or even the major cause of child poverty, school
failure, or juvenile delinquency.

11. A recent study found that – irrespective of the reasons for father absence or of the
resulting economic circumstances – those children who possessed adequate and
favorable information about he absent parent fared better on emotional well-being,
academic achievement, and behavior.6

12. According to a report from the National Academy of Sciences, service providers,
parents and teens themselves have traditionally regarded adolescent pregnancy and
childbearing as a female problems. This report was issued back in 1987.7

13. Out-of-wedlock births tripled from 1970 to 1993, rising from 11-33% -- a jump from
400,000 children to one million born with no legal establishment of paternity.8

14. The involvement of a father in the life of a family is associated with lower levels of child
neglect, even in families that may be facing other factors, such as unemployment and
poverty, which could place the family at risk for maltreatment

15. Legally, paternity establishment and child support have only been linked since 1968.

1 Levine, James A with Pitt, Edward W. New Expectations: Community Strategies for Responsible Fatherhood, Family and Work

Institute. New York:, 1995. p. 8.
2 Questions 2 – 4 p. 17
3 P. 17 – Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation study.
4 P. 21
5 p. 23-24
6 p. 25
7 p. 53
8 Questions 13 - 16 p.99 - 101

K U SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE -6- DU BUTLER INSTITUTE FOR FAMILIES

SELF REFLECTION – FATHERS IN CHILD WELFARE
INVOLVING FATHERS IN PERMANENCY PLANNING

First, write your first name or initials at the top of Column B.

Second, thoughtfully consider each statement in Column B & rank yourself “almost never” to “almost always” in Column C.

Third, provide an example that demonstrates the reason you ranked yourself as you did. Providing the example will link
the item to your experience and then to consider it at a future date to identify changes to support on-going self reflection
and action planning.

When you’re ready for action planning, refer to Column E, review your comments and select two or three areas for action
planning. Under each create an action step and “do date” to guide your continued insight, learning and skill building.

B C D E
YOUR NAME:
ITEM
ALMOST
NEVER
ALMOST
ALWAYS
ATTITUDE, KNOWLEDGE, DESCRIBE A SITUATION OR GIVE AN ACTION PLANNING AND “DO DATE”
OR SKILL 1 2 3 4 5 EXAMPLE TO SUPPORT THE NUMBER

THAT YOU SELECTED.

001A I think about the ways my
personal family experiences
influence my work with
fathers.

002A I seek to understand the
stereotypes and biases that I
may have and how those
affect my work with fathers.

003A I counsel children whose
fathers are not involved in
their lives to adjust and move
on. I think that is best.

004A I feel relieved when I learn
that the bio-dads are absent
and won’t be involved in a
case.

005A I believe that the mother’s
role and continued presence
is far more important than the
father’s.

006A I believe that it is important
for children to have some
connection to non custodial
fathers even if they are
incarcerated.

007K I am familiar with the
statistics regarding the
incidence of abuse and
neglect perpetrated by
fathers.

008K I make decisions about when
and how to nurture
relationships between absent
fathers and children based
on research and best
practice rather than
assumption and stereotypes.

K U SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE -7- DU BUTLER INSTITUTE FOR FAMILIES

2 PAGE TWO 2

B SELF REFLECTION – FATHERS IN CHILD WELFARE E
YOUR NAME:
CD

ITEM ACTION PLANNING AND “DO
ALMOST DATE”
NEVER
ALMOST
ALWAYS
ATTITUDE, KNOWLEDGE, DESCRIBE A SITUATION OR GIVE AN
OR SKILL EXAMPLE TO SUPPORT THE NUMBER
1 2 3 4 5 THAT YOU SELECTED.
I understand that fathers
009K parent differently than
mothers.

010K I can articulate the legal
requirements for and best
practice benefits of
establishing paternity at birth.

011K I know which resources and
services in my community are
father-friendly.

012K I can articulate agency and
institutional barriers that
prevent fathers from
remaining involved in
children’s lives.

013K I can list several strategies
that qualify as “diligent
search” when it comes to
locating absent fathers.

014S I seek out education,
consultation and training to
improve my effectiveness in
working with fathers.

015S I know how to communicate
with mothers so that they
share accurate information
about absent fathers and I
help them to understand the
importance of fathers in the
lives of their children.

016S I use different skills to engage
fathers than I use to engage
mothers.

017S I assist fathers in negotiating
system barriers.

018S I advocate for changes which
will better serve fathers and
their families.

019S I educate the fathers with
whom I work regarding the
child welfare system, goals,
expectations and legal rights.

020S I facilitate the involvement of
extended family and fictive kin
in case planning regardless of
whether a father is
incarcerated, remote or
otherwise removed.

K U SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE -8- DU BUTLER INSTITUTE FOR FAMILIES

WELCOME TO FATHERsPLACE

FathersPlace features a simulation in which participants interact
in a mock community with families who are involved in some
way with the child welfare system. During FathersPlace you will
be walking in the shoes of various family or community
members. You’ll experience a slice of life from the perspective
of families from very diverse backgrounds and circumstances.
The families selected are in no way meant to represent all
families involved with child welfare. The FathersPlace families’
stories are drawn from actual child welfare case files and, as
would be true regarding any family, each has many strengths as well as challenges.
Best practice in FathersPlace will require getting to know each family’s strengths as well
as understanding the difficulties that may be encountered during the simulation.

SIMULATION OBJECTIVES

As you move through a day, you will . . .

• Understand the ways that one’s attitudes and beliefs, both acknowledged and
unacknowledged, can help or keep him or her from doing his/her best.

• Understand the ways that the system can help or hinder efforts at trying to do
what’s best.

• Feel empathy for fathers have lost connection with their children.
• Experience the impact of institutional bias regarding fathers.
• Experience the various roles and responsibilities of the people in the system.
• Know how difficult and complex it is to operationalize best practice.
• Understand and value the components of effective teaming between agency

staff, community partners, and placement resources.
• Experience the impact of extended family networks, kinship care, and family

group decision-making when it comes to involving fathers.
• Experience the impact of community services designed to work effectively with

fathers.

K U SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE -9- DU BUTLER INSTITUTE FOR FAMILIES

Children with Noncustodial Fathers

Reprinted from "Getting Noncusodial Dads Involved in the Lives of Foster Children" (Malm, 2003)

Foster Children Served Children in
Children by General

Child Welfare Population
Agencies

Children with 80% 72% 28%
noncustodial fathers
81% 85% 60%
Paternity known a
54% 66% 72%
Contact with father in
past year 16% 40% 42%

Father contributed to
child's support

Sources: Urban Institute tabulations of 1994 National Study of Protective, Preventive,
and Reunification Services data, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and
tabulations of Urban Institute's 1999 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF).

Data on children in the general population are from the 1999 NSAF which asked if
paternity had been "legally established." Data on foster children and children served by
child welfare agencies are from the 1994 National Study of Protective, Preventive, and
Reunification Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and are
based on a caseworker's response to the question, "Is paternity of child known?"

(from Fuentes, F. “Hispanic Healthy Marriage Initiative.” Administration for Children, Youth and Families, 2003.)

K U SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE - 10 - DU BUTLER INSTITUTE FOR FAMILIES