Fatherhood Research & Practice Network

New FRPN Study Published

Pearson, J., Henson, A., & Fagan, J. (2020). What Nonresident Mothers and Fathers Have to Say About a Mother-Only Coparenting Intervention: A Qualitative Assessment of Understanding Dads^TM. Families in Society. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044389419899601

Coparenting between mothers and nonresident fathers has a direct positive impact on children's behavioral outcomes, but designing interventions with nonresident parents is challenging. Father-only interventions may have limited effectiveness; couple interventions are usually hard to achieve. Engaging mothers may be more practical and beneficial but hasn't been assessed. Our study presents qualitative reactions by mothers and fathers to a mother-only coparenting intervention and finds that a mother-only approach can improve communication, reduce conflict, and enhance mother's understanding of the father's point of view. Fathers whose parenting partners participated in the mother-only group agreed with mothers' assessments and also reported less undermining.

Office of Child Support Enforcement Funding Opportunity

The Federal Office of Child Support (OCSE) released a Request for Proposals for projects that target young adults ages 13-25 and aim to educate them about the financial, legal, and emotional responsibilities of parenthood, including child support. Proposals for the three-year awards must be submitted by a State IV-D agency or a Native American tribal organization which is expected to partner with existing public and private entities that serve a similar population. There is a required program evaluation. The maximum budget for these three-year projects is $1,000,000. Applications are due June 29, 2020.

For information on connecting with the IV-D agency in your state, contact FRPN Co-Director Jessica Pearson at: jspearson@centerforpolicyresearch.org.

View the grant application and find additional information on the funding opportunity here.

Upcoming Fatherhood Webinar

The Fatherhood Related Research Special Interest Group of the Society for Social Work Research and the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have announced the third annual summer virtual conference entitled: "Perspectives on Fatherhood: Differences, Opportunities, and Considerations for the Future". The purpose of this virtual conference is to share a diverse range of perspectives from the fatherhood field.

Speakers include David Pate, Jr., PhD, Ryan Bennett, Kimberley Dent, Michael Huesca, and Waldo E. Johnson, Jr., PhD. The virtual conference will be held on June 17, 2020 from 2-3:30 p.m. EDT. For more information or to register, visit this link.

FRPN Advisory Board Member Publishes New Book

Lost and Found: Young Fathers in the Age of Unwed Parenthood

By Paul Florsheim and David Moore. Oxford University Press, 2020

In Lost and Found, Paul Florsheim and David Moore chronicle the lives of young fathers across the transition to parenthood, weaving social history, developmental psychology, and public health into their stories. In addition to conveying the diversity of young fathers' challenges and circumstances, Lost and Found offers a model of the "good-enough father" to counter the all-or-nothing stereotypes of the deadbeat or absentee dad versus the ideal father figure popularized in old sitcoms. It also draws heavily on the perspectives of young mothers whose experiences add balance and depth to our understanding of fathers and fatherhood. In the last section, Florsheim and Moore describe an innovative strategy for helping young fathers and mothers create stable home environments for their children, whether the parents are together or not.

One important take-away from this book is that many expectant fathers are open to receiving services to prepare them for challenges of parenthood, and many prenatal providers recognize the need and are willing to provide it. The current challenge is to develop the capacity of prenatal clinics to offer father-inclusive services.

FRPN Co-Director Jay Fagan, PhD | Professor, Temple University School of Social Work
FRPN Co-Director Jessica Pearson, PhD | Director, Center for Policy Research

© 2020 Fatherhood Research & Practice Network. All rights reserved
The Fatherhood Research and Practice Network was supported by grant #90PR0006 from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents are solely the responsibility of the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network, Temple University and the Center for Policy Research and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, the Administration for Children and Families or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.