Fatherhood Research & Practice Network

Upcoming FRPN Webinar: State Policies and Practices to Promote Father Involvement

Thursday, April 18, 2019
3 – 4:30 p.m. EST

There’s still time to register for the next Fatherhood Research & Practice Network (FRPN) webinar which will highlight innovative state policies and practices to engage fathers in key family programs. Through an engaging discussion, we will address such questions as:

What are innovative state policies and practices to engage fathers in key family programs?
How are some child support agencies passing through more child support to families, adjusting orders for fathers with low incomes, engaging fathers to avoid court involvement and using debt forgiveness and driver’s license reinstatement to promote father engagement in workforce and parenting programs?
How are some child welfare agencies locating fathers whose children are in child welfare cases, including fathers in prevention, case planning and treatment services, staffing father outreach efforts and adjusting child support collection to promote family reunification in foster care cases?
How are some maternal and child health agencies engaging fathers in prenatal and post-partum care, efforts to improve infant health and reduce mortality, initiatives on vaccinations and nutrition, home visiting, family preservation services and early learning experiences?
What type of fatherhood research is needed to move the policy agenda forward in these areas?

Webinar presenters include:

Frances Pardus-Abbadessa, Executive Deputy Commissioner, HRA/Office of Child Support Services, New York City, NY
Sasha Rasco, Associate Commissioner, Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Division, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, TX
Fernando Mederos, Simmons College School of Social Work, MA and Ann Ream, Director of Community Relations, Summit County Children Service, OH
Cynthia Osborne, Associate Dean for Academic Strategies and Director, Child and Family Research Partnership, TX

This webinar is approved for .15 CEUs for Certified Family Life Educators by the National Council on Family Relations.

FRPN Measurement Resources

The FRPN has developed several measures to be used specifically with low-income, nonresident fathers. These rigorously validated measures can be used to assess fathers’ coparenting relationships with mothers, fathers' engagement with children and decision-making responsibility. All measures are available for free in English and Spanish.

Coparenting Relationship Scale
Fathers’ Engagement
Measuring Fathers’ Decision Making Responsibility

Upcoming Events

Fanning the Fatherhood FIRE: A National Fatherhood Summit
June 2019

HHS’ Administration for Children and Families is committed to supporting fathers from all walks of life because fathers are essential to the healthy social, emotional and economic well-being of their children and families. This National Fatherhood Summit will focus on ways to support fathers across a range of programs. This inaugural event is designed to support and expand fatherhood efforts across the country.

Learn more about this event.

21st Annual International Fatherhood Conference
June 2019

The National Partnership for Community Leadership's International Fatherhood Conference is one of the nation's premiere annual fatherhood events promoting responsible fatherhood. The conference brings together parents (both married and unmarried), practitioners, policy makers and researchers from across the U.S. and foreign countries to discuss current and future efforts to improve the well-being of children through increased father engagement and improved family functioning. This year’s event theme: “Collaboration and Partnerships: Building Blocks for Fragile Families”, was selected to emphasize the importance of collaboration/partnerships among local, state and federal agencies.

Learn more about this event.

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

© 2019 Fatherhood Research & Practice Network. All rights reserved
The Fatherhood Research and Practice Network is 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.