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Network Resources: Innovative Strategies |
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Quality Assurance/ Credentialing
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Father Engagement Strategies
We recently hired a male Family Support Worker and we are excited about this new opportunity. He has been working for about 4 months and currently has a caseload of four. All of our program staff decided it was a waste of his experiences and expertise to have him carry a regular caseload. We feel there are some special fatherhood activities that he could take on for the whole program. At our last full staff meeting, we brainstormed and have come up with a few extra activities for him to take on. He is very excited and has a few ideas of his own. Currently, we are looking at a process for him to gather input from all of our fathers in the Healthy Families program about special projects, group activities, etc. they would like to see and participate in. We are also looking at his consulting with all FSW's on tips and strategies to enable them to more effectively involve the program fathers. (This came as a result of his shadowing home visits in the beginning as part of training. The other FSWs found him to be helpful.) After gathering all of this input, we are considering adapting his job description. He will probably carry a caseload of 6-7 families and do the other activities. There are so many positives. For one thing, we are female! We can't help that but sometimes it impedes our understanding of the males we work with. It has been a breathe of fresh air to discuss situations and have a brand new perspective. The fathers he is working with are getting a wonderful role model on the important job of being a father and being involved. The only thing to consider is situations of domestic violence and/or controlling partners. We have avoided assigning some of these situations to his caseload. (Of course, those we know about from the assessment.) Angie Whitley Getting dads and father figures involved in Healthy Families' home visits and family gatherings has always been a program goal. In March 2000 we decided to hire a part-time Coordinator (now called a Fathering Involvement Specialist [FIS]) or "Dad guy" to outreach with and engage program fathers and educate program staff. In the beginning we trained staff with a male FIS and attempted to have regular meetings and disseminate a newsletter/flyer to program dads. Unfortunately, in spite of serving food at the meetings, our participation was usually zero. We then decided to have the FIS maintain a weekly contact log similar to FSWs and outreach each dad once a week using a combination of e-mail, mailing event flyers, mailing developmental flyers, telephone calls and drop-bys or scheduled home visits. Also, our FIS is available to go on home visits with FSWs for existing families and is present at almost all of the monthly family and holiday gatherings for dads to meet with. We reach out to all new fathers for whom we can obtain contact information about from the assessment. They are put on the same three-month schedule used for creative outreach for disengaged families. If no contact is made during that time then outreach is closed until a new referral comes from the FSW or family itself. The regular outreach reinforces to the dads how important we think they are, and they become more inclined to participate in home visits and family gatherings because they already feel connected and valued. In addition, all new staff attend a wrap-around training on this issue and all existing staff participate in an annual training about incorporating father-friendly values into the program by using appropriate body language and materials that include images of fathers taking an active role in their child’s life. This reinforces the importance of the father's physical presence throughout the family's participation in the program. We learned that it is important to have the FIS conduct outreach right from the beginning. It is helpful to hire an energetic person who is comfortable with door-to-door outreach. Tim Lawson I am the "Fatherhood Specialist" for the fatherhood component of the Healthy Families Program in Lake & Sumter Counties of Central Florida. Our program began in September 2001 with myself as the staff. Our mission is to train Dads to be responsible, nurturing fathers. At this point our efforts have a two-fold thrust. I do home visiting with individual fathers who are referred to our program by our Healthy Families FSWs, our Family Builders counselors, school counselors, Healthy Start caseworkers, law enforcement officers, and other social agencies in the community. Usually these dads have some specific need, problem in the home, risk-factor, or family crisis which brings them to someone's attention for a referral. I meet with the dad, do an initial psycho/social assessment, and explain to him the services we can provide. Depending on the intensity of the dad's need I will meet with him weekly, biweekly, monthly, or quarterly. Usually we begin with weekly meetings, and decrease as progress is made. The Fatherhood Specialist provides basic case management for the individual dad. We do training in parenting skills, and provide essential parenting education through various materials. If the dad needs additional help in specific areas, we make referrals to various resources in the community, i.e. mental health counseling, legal assistance, job training or placement help, housing assistance, food, clothing, furniture, medical care, spiritual needs etc. Since this home visitation program is voluntary, we will usually continue as long as the father feels a need for the services of the Fatherhood Specialist. We are also teaching a 13-week fathering skills class. We are using the Nurturing Father's Program written by Mark Perlman, M.A. This is an excellent course and leads the men in looking back at their fathering experience, and learning from other dads about how to more effectively nurture their children. The fathers who have taken this class have found it very helpful to them, no matter what stage they are in as a father, or even grandfather! We have had single dads, teen dads, middle-aged dads, step-dads, and granddads all in the same group. This makes for an interesting dynamic of intergenerational learning. The principles which Mr. Perlman presents in each session can be applied to the individual situation of each father in the group. I have personally used this curriculum in a number of different settings: in church groups, in community groups, at a faith-based drug rehab center, and in county, state and federal correctional facilities. While each one of these groups has its uniqueness, I have found the Nurturing Father's Program to be easily adaptable and well received by each audience. I would highly recommend this course for use by any Fatherhood Program. It has certainly helped me to be a better, more nurturing Dad! With groups of teen fathers in the public schools I have used some of the booklets by Channing Bete Publishers on fatherhood. They have some excellent materials, especially for younger dads. Regarding suggestions of possible topics to discuss with fathers' groups I would recommend: home safety, how to bond with your newborn, helping out in parenting tasks, male vs. female nurturing, understanding post-partum depression and psychosis and how a husband can help his wife, Shaken Baby Syndrome and male caregivers, how to listen to your child, handling stress, balancing work and family duties, and discipline without using fear and violence. If you are planning to work with younger fathers I would suggest that you look into the Boot Camp for New Dads program. This is a program which is run in conjunction with a local hospital to provide a one-day training for expectant dads, using new fathers and their newborns as the "experts". Their website is: www.bcnd.org or www.newdads.com. This is a wonderful If you have any further questions, or if you would just like some additional
information about our program, please don't hesitate to contact me. I
would love to talk with you about our fatherhood program. I am solidly
convinced as to its importance. I believe that we could still do a better
job of incorporating our fatherhood outreaches more directly into our
Healthy Families program. There aren't many models out there as it seems
to still Doug Cleeton |
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