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| Promoting Responsible Fatherhood | Federal Resource Site |
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New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands
Mary Ann Higgins
Regional Administrator
Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
26 Federal Plaza, Room 4114
New York, NY 10278
Phone: 212-264-2890, ext. 103
Fax: 212-264-4881
HHS/ACF AAHMI - Meeting the Fatherhood Challenge Conference
The HHS/ACF African American Healthy Marriage Initiative (AAHMI) co-sponsored,
along with the Apollo Theatre and Joseph Media, this day-long event at the
Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York — February 2007. Hundreds attended
the conference which focused on the importance of being an active father
and a positive role model.
The event featured celebrities, and community leaders as speakers. The participants also got a chance to see the Will Smith film, "the Pursuit of Happyness" (happiness is intentionally misspelled in the title) and a sneak peak at Tyler Perry's "Daddy's Little Girls." Both movies highlight two black men who are strong role models for their children.
HHS/ACF Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Demonstration Grants
Through the HHS/ACF initiative to promote responsible fatherhood, funding
has been awarded to a variety of programs to help fathers establish positive
relationships with their children, provide financial and emotional support,
and develop responsible parenting skills. Most of the money was awarded in
competitive grants to faith-based and community organizations for skill-based
marriage and parenting education, job training, and other services that help
fathers provide emotional and financial support to their children.
Eight programs located in region II have been awarded a total estimate of $3 million per year for 5 years under the HHS/ACF Responsible Fatherhood Initiative. They are listed as follows:
New Jersey Department of Corrections
NJDOC Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Project
Target Population: Underserved incarcerated fathers who max-out (complete
their sentence) while behind bars; the spouses and children of these incarcerated
men
Puerto Rico Family Institute, Inc.
Building Pathways for Latino Fathers
Target Population: 160 fathers or expectant fathers in the Bronx,
Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and Hudson County, New Jersey; 140 low-income
at-risk Latino couples, and 375 Latino adolescents
The Osborne Association
The Osborne Association's Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Project
Target Population: Fathers incarcerated at Sing Sing, Fishkill, and
Wallkill Correctional Facilities and their partners
The Family Works Program
Target Population: Men released from confinement who are fathers and
have been, or are current participants, in any of the Osborne Association's
fatherhood or marriage education programs.
Child Find of America, Inc.
Parent Help
Target Population: 780 estranged couples
Family Services of Westchester, Inc
Parent Help
Target Population: 200 men (incarcerated and on probation) involved
with the Westchester County criminal justice system
The Fortune Society
The Fortune Society Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Project
Target Population: Primarily African American and Latino fathers involved
in the criminal justice system in New York
New York Youth, Inc.
Promoting Responsible Fatherhood
Target Population: Disadvantaged teenage fathers from the Bronx,
Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island
The Daddy Pack™ A National Fatherhood Initiative Project
The Daddy Pack™ is one of the many tools NFI provides to build knowledge and fathering skills for new and expectant dads. This creatively packaged tool includes a comprehensive set of resources that help fathers not only prepare for fatherhood, but also realize how important they are in their child's life. The pack is available in English and Spanish. Each Daddy Pack™ includes a survey fathers can complete and return to NFI. Data from the returned surveys provides NFI with valuable insight into the benefits fathers receive from using the pack.
NFI has provided hospitals in New York City and Northern New Jersey with 8,850 packs. Results from returned surveys demonstrate the packs are having a positive impact. 93% of fathers responded "yes" when asked whether the information in the pack helped them feel more connected to their child.
New Jersey Department of Corrections has launched their Responsible Parenting Program (RPP) which is provided through ACF funding and is renewable annually for 5 years. This year the program will incorporate expanded services that in addition to Parenting Skills Education, Child Support Education, Aftercare Services and Vocational/Employment assistance, will also include Child Support Resolution assistance which will be administered at the men's Northern State and Riverfront State prison facilities. Each of these two locations will have a dedicated RPP social worker/case manager on site to provide individual child support case assessment and assistance to inmates who require paternity establishment, case modification and enforcement resolution assistance.
Inmates at the Edna Mahan Women's Correctional Facility and New Jersey State prison will continue to receive the Responsible Parenting Program services of Parenting Skills training, Parental Rights Education, Child Support education and Aftercare community support services.
Early Head Start / Head Start continue to promote fatherhood in a variety of ways:
In support of this initiative NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has funded five pilot programs and created the first, in the nation, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for non-custodial parents. In addition, OTDA is supportive of a variety of outside fatherhood initiatives and community organizations that have programs and activities aimed at providing fathers with leadership and guidance to help them become better parents. This support extends to the four Healthy Marriages initiatives and seven Responsible Fatherhood initiatives that were awarded grants through the Administration for Children and Families.
Using a multi-faceted approach, the initiative will create incentives for non-custodial parents to remain in or consider marriage, increase their earnings, overcome legal barriers, seek appropriate treatment or counseling, overcome employment barriers, pay child support, and become actively involved in their children's lives. It is expected that by using this multi-faceted approach NYS can help low-income non-custodial fathers overcome obstacles and barriers that prevent them from being effective and nurturing parents.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for Non-Custodial Parents
Employment and welfare programs generally focus on assisting families with children to become self-sufficient. Child Support policies generally focus on ensuring that non-custodial parents assist financially to support their children. The NYS Strengthening Families through Stronger Fathers initiative bridges the gap between these employment programs, welfare programs and child support policies through a newly created, first in the nation, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for non-custodial parents.
The combined federal and state EITC has proved to be one of the nation's most effective tools at increasing labor force participation of low skilled workers, as well as an efficient means of supplementing the low wages paid to such workers.
The new EITC for non-custodial parents will reward those fathers already working to augment their wages. It will provide a substantial work incentive for those not working or working only intermittently. Most important, it will encourage greater involvement by fathers who may have avoided contact with their children due to their limited resources.
Pilot Programs
As part of their "Strengthening Families through Stronger Fathers" initiative the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) awarded funding for five pilot programs across the state that will work with non-custodial parents providing guidance and training on healthy marriage activities, responsible parenting and enhancing economic stability. This initiative will provide: marriage education and counseling activities; parent education services; and employment, training, and placement services to low-income fathers. The pilot programs are listed as follows:
Erie County Department of Social Services
Dedicated, Accountable, Dependable and Self-Sufficient (DADS)
Program
95 Franklin Street
Buffalo, New York 14202
Frank DeCarlo / 716-858-1053 /
DecarloF@erie.gov
OCM BOCES
The Parent Success Initiative
4500 Crown Road
Liverpool, New York 13090
Mike Irwin, Project Coordinator
315-453-4421 / MIrwin@ocmboces.org
STRIVE/East Harlem Employment Service, Inc.
Dads Embracing Fatherhood (DEF)
240 East 123 Street
New York, New York 10035
Lizzette Hill Barcelona, Executive Director
212-360-1100 /
LBarcelona@StriveNewYork.org
Chautauqua County Department of Social Services
Strengthening Fathers Initiative
Hall R. Clothier Building
7 North Erie St.
Mayville, NY 14757-1027
Don Nadeau, Project Coordinator
716-753-4576 /
NadeauD@co.chautauqua.ny.us
Seedco
Parent Support Pilot (PSP)
915 Broadway, 17th Floor
New York, New York 10010
Linda Rodriguez
(212) 204-1335 /
lrodriguez@seedco.org
In September 2006, OTDA brought the pilot program leaders together with other key policy players on fatherhood issues in New York and held a roundtable discussion in Albany to discuss issues and strategies related to promoting responsible fatherhood. Participants were able to connect and share ideas and solutions to the complicated issues surrounding this population.
To build on the success of this meeting, OTDA hosted an expanded follow-up roundtable discussion at New York University in New York City in December 2006 entitled "Responsible Fatherhood: The New Frontier of Welfare Reform." The roundtable brought together research and policy experts, academics, non-for-profit organizations, minority organizations, faith-based organizations and State/local agencies to discuss these complex issues.
Other Responsible Fatherhood Programs Supported by NYS OTDA
Harlem Men Stand Up
The organization Harlem Men Stand Up, in partnership with Harlem Neighborhood
Based Service Providers, Proud Poppa Publication, The CHANGE Institute, Center
Care Health Plan and Mid-Town Community Court, hosted its quarterly Education
& Employment Empowerment Summit in March of 2007 at the Harlem Children's
Zone, Inc. Close to 200 men, women and youth attended the summit to share
success strategies and action steps to improve educational and employment
outcomes for Black men and boys. The agency provides information and support
to organizations all over the New York State who support the strengthening
of families through stronger fathers.
Fathers in Training for Fatherhood, Inc.
Parenting Workshops for Young Fathers
Gershwin JHS
800 Van Siclen Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Phone; (718) 759-6961
This organization conducts on-going parenting workshops for young fathers who are invited, along with their children, to group sessions that explore numerous topics such as, anger management, domestic violence awareness, and child custody and visitation.
New York State and Clear Channel Radio Celebrate Fatherhood
The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA),
in conjunction with Clear Channel Radio, hosted a community celebration of
fatherhood at The Trinity Institute in Albany, New York.
The festive event marked the culmination of a five-month long radio outreach program by OTDA and Clear Channel Radio asking area kids and dads to submit personally performed and written songs, lyrics and poems that celebrate the joys of having or being a great dad. To highlight the creative efforts of contest participants, five of the songs were selected to appear on a CD professionally produced by Cotton Hill Studios that will be used by OTDA as part of its outreach efforts throughout the state.
The local contest was part of OTDA's statewide efforts to encourage fathers to become more active in their children's lives by being financially and emotionally supportive dads. As part of the project radio spots ran statewide and posters highlighting the importance of involved dads were produced for use by counties, state agencies and community groups.
Early Head Start / Head Start continue to promote fatherhood in a variety of ways:
Early Head Start / Head Start continue to promote fatherhood in a variety of ways:
The Virgin Island has a very innovative program called Dial-A-Dad, which is sponsored by the IV-D program (the Paternity and Child Support Division of the VI Dept of Justice), the Access and Visitation grantee and ATT. The program offers $10 calling cards (distributed at the IV-D office) to any parent in an inter-jurisdictional IV-D case, free of charge, to be specifically used for communications between a parent and a child if both are not residing in the VI. The recipient parent is required to keep a calling card log to verify proper use of the card. Upon expiration, the parent may request additional cards (no limit) if the calling card log is presented and verified by IV-D staff (IV-D is working with ATT on automatic verification). ATT is a co-sponsor by virtue of providing the $10 cards at a discount. The program was implemented in FY03 and is very popular with parents, children and IV-D staff. Current plans call for a continuation of the program and development of an automated "proper use" verification system using ATT in-house technology.
Last Revised: July 10, 2007
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