Including Fathers in Programs and Policies for Children and Families

The Fatherhood Research and Practice Network (FRPN) examined state approaches to supporting fatherhood programs and including fathers in state agencies, departments, programs, and policies that affect children and families. The goal of the investigation is to stimulate replication of effective approaches in state settings. Our review covered four large-scale federal grant or demonstration programs dealing with fatherhood that operate in multiple and, in one case, every state; four statewide fatherhood commissions (in Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois, and Hawaii); and seven fatherhood engagement initiatives at the state level (in Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Maryland, and Georgia). While most of the initiatives focus on providing direct services to fathers in the child support system to increase their employment, child support payments, and parental involvement, a few also aim to create system-level change across multiple public agencies. FRPN’s investigation also examined four studies of the benefits of fatherhood programs (in Minnesota, South Carolina, Colorado, and Texas). The following describes some cross-state patterns that emerged from FRPN’s analysis.

NCSEA Child Support Communique. October 2018.