Transcript What About the Dads? Recognizing Fatherhood and Connecting

What About the Dads?
Recognizing Fatherhood: Connecting
Dads with Their Families
With Thanks to Our Sponsor
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
“Partnership for Families”
 Identify the paradigm shift on involving fathers in
childcare.
 Understand the scope and negative effects of
father absence.
 Explore the benefits of father involvement in child
development.
 Consider opportunities to involve fathers.
Why is all the attention on mothers?
Fathers are important too.
Traditionally, child-focused
programs were designed to
provide services addressing the
needs of the mother-child dyad.
These programs were often
designed, structured, and staffed
primarily by women. We now
need to focus on providing
supports to better involve fathers
in the lives of their children.
“Responsible, engaged fathers are critical to the
financial, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual wellbeing of children, and, therefore to the strength and
health of American families and communities.”
— President Barack Obama, Speech delivered Father’s Day 2008
Engaging fathers is a dynamic, ongoing process.
Effective father engagement requires consistent and
long-term commitment on the part of each one of us,
our organizations and our community partners.
A review of current research provides an overview of
key insights and data on the unique and irreplaceable
role that fathers play in the well-being of their
children. This information is meant to better equip
you to support fathers and reduce the ill effects of
father absence in our community.
A Father In His Own Words
Fathers and Their Impact on Children’s
Well-Being
Involved fathers bring positive benefits to their children that no
other person is as likely to bring. Fathers have a direct impact on
the well-being of their children. It is important to have a working
understanding of the literature that addresses this impact. Such
knowledge will help make the case for why the most effective case
plans will involve fathers.
-U.S. Children’s Bureau
Impact of the Involved Father on the Mother
and Family:
 Overall positive outcomes for
children’s well-being
 Additional support from father
& paternal family
 Increase in mother’s patience,
flexibility and emotional
responsiveness toward child
--U.S. Children’s Bureau
Premature infants whose fathers spent more time
playing with them had better cognitive outcomes
at age three.
Yogman MW, Kindlon D, & Earls FJ, (1994). Father involvement and cognitive behavioral outcomes of
premature infants. Journal of the American Academy Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34: 58-66.
At six months old, children whose fathers had been actively
involved from birth scored higher on a test of mental and
motor development than children whose fathers were not
involved during the first eight weeks. They also managed stress
better during their school years.
Pfiffner LJ, McBurnett K, and Rathouz PJ, (2001). Father absence and familial antisocial characteristics.
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29(5): 357-367.