Fatherhood Research & Practice Network

FRPN Learning Community Webinar — A Conversation About State–Level Initiatives for Father Inclusion

Tuesday, November 5, 2019
2-3:30 PM ET

Moderator: Jessica Pearson, Center for Policy Research, Denver

Directors of FRPN State Planning Mini Grants:
Kentucky: David Cozart, Director, Lexington Leadership Foundation
Michigan: Richard Tolman, University of Michigan, School of Social Work
South Carolina: Richard Barr, South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families
Washington: Anne Stone, Director, Washington Frontiers of Innovation, Department of Social and Health Services

This webinar features four directors of FRPN state planning teams that received $10,000 awards in January 2019 to develop state-level initiatives for father inclusion. The featured directors will discuss their initiatives focusing on goals, activities, challenges, accomplishments and next steps.

The 11 states that received funding from the FRPN include: Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Washington and Wyoming. Patterns across all 11 sites will be highlighted in this webinar.

FRPN-funded planning efforts involved fatherhood practitioners, researchers and policymakers and were led by CBOs, universities, state agencies and fatherhood programs. If you’re interested in improving father engagement in your state, don’t miss this informative conversation.

New FRPN Study Published

Pearson, J., & Fagan, J. (2019). State efforts to support the engagement of nonresident fathers in the lives of their children. Families in Society. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044389419874172

Few states invest in programs to help nonresident fathers engage in the financial and emotional lives of their children. The present study examines 12 exemplary states that promote, fund and evaluate nonresident fatherhood engagement through an array of state agencies, policies and fatherhood programs. Our study finds that states with substantial fatherhood initiatives share some common characteristics, including strong leadership from executives of state human service agencies, funding from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant and/or child support, multiagency collaborations for service delivery, and documentation of program benefits and return on investment.

Recent FRPN–funded Reports

The FRPN has published reports outlining the findings of three of our invited small grant recipients in recent months. They include:

State Policies and Employment Outcomes among Fathers with Criminal Records
Allison Dwyer Emory, Alexandra Haralampoudis, Lenna Nepomnyaschy

Child Protective Services-Investigated Maltreatment by Fathers: Distinguishing Characteristics and Disparate Outcomes
Julia Kobulsky & Rachel Wildfeuer

Potential Monetary Value of Responsible Fatherhood Program Outcomes for Fathers and Children
Richard A. Chase

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.