Working with Fathers to
Strengthen Families:
Promising Practices and
Resources
Nigel Vann
Community Action Partnership Annual Convention
August 26, 2015
Notable Quotes
1. “Remember that children, marriages and
flower gardens reflect the kind of care they
get.”
H. Jackson Brown Jr., A Father’s Book of Wisdom
2. The closer the connection between father
and child, the better off they both are now
and in the future.”
Kyle Pruett, Fatherneed
3. People don’t remember what you said.
People don’t remember what you did. But
they do remember how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou
Our Goals Today
 Learn about resources available from the National
Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse.
 Hear about “what works” to engage fathers,
strengthen families, and improve child well-being
through family support and anti-poverty programs.
 Take away ideas for implementing
promising practices and developing
programs for fathers in your
Community Action Agency.
Expectations
 Why did you choose to attend this workshop?
 What would you like to get out of this workshop?
(e.g. take away messages, lessons learned, tools to
use)
National Responsible Fatherhood
Clearinghouse - www.fatherhood.gov
 Office of Family Assistance (OFA) funded national
resource for fathers, practitioners, researchers, policy
makers, the public at-large, and all who are serving or
interested in supporting strong fathers and families.
 Join us for:
 Bi-monthly webinars (next up: “Working with Latino Dads”
on September 16, 2015).
 “Fatherhood Buzz” events at local barbershops.
 For more info or to join listserve: [email protected]
 Parent Help line – fathers, mothers, and fatherhood
practitioners can call our national call center toll-free
at 1-877-4DAD411 (877-432-3411)
 Facebook: Fatherhoodgov Twitter: @Fatherhoodgov
Recent Webinars
www.fatherhood.gov/webinars
 Let’s Talk about Mental Health
 Working with Child Support
 Strengthening Literacy and
Father-Child Relationships
through Reading
 How can fathers address bullying issues with their
children?
 Addressing Domestic Violence
 Outreach and Recruitment: Best Practices
 Working with Fathers to Identify and Resolve
Substance Abuse Problems
Other Resources
 State Profiles
 DadTalk Blogs
 Library
 Media Campaign - Public Service Announcements
NRFC’s Responsible Fatherhood Toolkit:
Resources from the Field www.fatherhood.gov/toolkit
 Strategies for effectively recruiting, serving,
connecting, and reconnecting dads to their
children and families.
 Tips and suggestions from experienced
practitioners.
 Interactive/downloadable activities
you can use with fathers in one-on-one
or group work.
 Links to other resources.
 A “living document” – we invite input and
suggestions for additional tips and resources.
Content – Volume One
 Start a Program
 Planning & Design – needs assessment, community
mapping, partnerships, logic model, services
 Staffing
 Budgeting and Fundraising
 Documentation & Sustainability
 Build a Program
 Outreach – Communications,
working with media
 Recruitment
 Work with Dads
 One-on-One – creating trust, case management
 Groups – tips for successful facilitation
 Activities to download – Reflection & Awareness,
Parenting & Communication Skills, 1-on-1 activities
Content – Volume Two
 Working with fathers of
special needs children.
 Working with the child
welfare system.
 Addressing Domestic
Violence.
 Managing and Supporting
Frontline Staff.
 Enhancing Cultural
Competence.
- coming soon!
 Helping incarcerated and
re-entry dads and their
families.
 Working with nonresidential dads.
 Working with fathers to
enhance relationship
skills.
 Working with young
fathers.
Promising Practices – Start a Program
 Identify needs of fathers and families in your
community.
 Identify existing services and potential partners.
 Develop MOUs to strengthen partnerships.
 Use a logic model to help develop a service plan.
 Inputs, activities, outputs, short- and long-term goals.
 Evaluate outcomes to adjust program delivery and
enhance fundraising and sustainability.
 You need key staff members with a deep passion for the
work and “champions” who can overcome initial barriers
and forge strategic alliances in the community.
 Direct service staff: flexibility, listening skills, ability to
serve as positive role models, sensitivity to the needs of
men and fathers.
Some typical needs of dads who
come to fatherhood programs
 Child support
 Employment
 Parenting skills –
preparation for birth,
child development,
discipline
 Relationship and coparenting skills
 Children with special
needs
 Absence from kids – due to
divorce, separation,
incarceration.
 Mental health/depression
 Substance abuse problems
 Domestic violence
 Financial and general
education
 Housing assistance
Promising Practices – Outreach and Recruitment
 Printed brochures and materials should be simple, easy
to understand, and tailored to those you want to reach.
 Utilize traditional and social media.
 Hire recruitment staff who can relate to target
population and forge connections based on mutual
respect and caring.
 Go to where the dads are. Listen to what they have to
say and respond to their current life needs.
 Don’t oversell your program – focus on what you can
realistically offer, DO NOT make promises you can’t
keep.
 Provide meaningful services – this will become your best
recruitment tool through word-of-mouth marketing.
Promising Practices – working with dads in groups
 Facilitators play four basic roles that require different
skills: engaging, informing, involving, and applying.
 Use opening and closing rituals to reflect on takeaway
messages and encourage application of knowledge and
skills.
 Effective facilitators offer varied activities, respond to
individual group member needs, listen to and learn from
the group, and manage problem behaviors to ensure
everyone can participate in learning opportunities.
 Facilitators should complete facilitation/curriculum
training prior to leading group.
 Utilize role-play and other hands-on activities to engage
participants during group sessions.
Sample of other key takeaways
 Help and support staff with their own self-improvement
process.
 Practice cultural humility, which involves a process of
self-awareness and reflection.
 Rather than imposing values, listen to and respect
participants’ cultural beliefs and practices.
 Create an environment of mutual learning and respect.
 Help fathers reflect on lives and customs of their
ancestors to enhance personal growth and focus on
positive cultural values, principles, and traditions.
 Fathers of special needs children can understand they
are not alone when they connect with other fathers and
exchange ideas.
Enhancing Relationship Skills
 Understand and address variety of household and
relationship structures.
 Focus on key relationship skills for fathers, such as
effective communication, active listening, and
empathy.
 Emphasize importance of effective co-parenting
for the benefit of the child.
 Offer healthy parenting and communication tips to
minimize the effects on children of any tension,
stress, or conflict.
 Include tips on when and how to introduce a new
partner to children.
 Focus on importance of developing cordial,
empathetic relationships with co-parents.
Sample Activities to Enhance
Relationship and Parenting Skills*
 IALAC – I Am Loveable and Capable
 Understanding Children’s Ages and Stages
(Pamela Wilson)
 Reading With Your Child (Parents as Teachers)
 Dealing With Children’s Behaviors
(MDRC – Responsible Fatherhood Curriculum)
 Looking Back, Looking Ahead
 Punishment or Discipline?
 What Do You Do?
*These and other curricula activities can be downloaded from the
online toolkit: https://www.fatherhood.gov/toolkit/activities
Understanding Ages and Stages*
 Birth – 14 months (newborn/infant)
 14 - 36 months (toddler)
 3 - 5 years (preschool)
 6 - 8 years (early school age)
 9 - 12 years (preteens)
 13 -18 years (teens)
*from NRFC Responsible Fatherhood Toolkit – www.fatherhood.gov/toolkit
Reflection
 For me this workshop has been …
 Something I learned is …
 Group members have given me …
 One thing I’ll do differently as a result of this
workshop is …
More Information
 National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse
(NRFC) website: www.fatherhood.gov
 www.fatherhood.gov/toolkit for Responsible Fatherhood Toolkit
 www.fatherhood.gov/webinars for archives of all our webinars
 Nigel Vann: [email protected]
 General NRFC inquiries: [email protected]
 Facebook: Fatherhoodgov Twitter: @Fatherhoodgov
 Please encourage parents or practitioners to
contact our toll-free hotline: 1 (877) 4DAD-411
 Join our list-serve at www.fatherhood.gov