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Promoting Responsible Fatherhood
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The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 provides funding of
$150 million each year for healthy marriage promotion and fatherhood.
Up to $50 million each year may be used for
activities promoting fatherhood, such as counseling, mentoring,
marriage education, enhancing relationship skills, parenting, and
activities to foster economic stability. |
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Healthy marriage services help couples, who have chosen marriage for
themselves, gain greater access
to marriage education services, on a voluntary basis, where they can
acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain a
healthy marriage. |
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Involved fathers provide practical support in
raising children and serve as models for their development. Children with
involved, loving fathers are significantly more likely to do well in school,
have healthy self-esteem, exhibit empathy and pro-social behavior compared to
children who have uninvolved fathers. Committed and responsible fathering
during infancy and early childhood contributes emotional security, curiosity,
and math and verbal skills. |
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Resources for helping
fathers improve their economic status by providing activities, such as
Work First services, job search, job training, subsidized employment,
job retention, and job enhancement; and encouraging education, including
career-advancing education. |
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About half of all children spend some part of their life apart from one
or both of their parents, and most often the parent that does not live with the
child is the father. The laws that cover these relationships are the
responsibility of the state (Family Law), but the Federal Government
does provide states with funding to assist in the development of
programs that help establish paternity, collect child support, and
provide non-residential parents with access to their children. |
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The Department of Justice has estimated that over 7.3 million children
under age 18 have a parent who is in prison, jail, on probation, or on
parole. Given these numbers, it is important to understand how children and
their caregivers are affected by the criminal activity of a parent and
their subsequent arrest, incarceration, and release. Additionally, it is
important to know which services and assistance might be available to
those under criminal justice supervision to help them be better parents
and to return successfully to the community. |
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Good research and program evaluations assess program performance, measure
outcomes for families and communities, and document successes. Information on
previous and current research and evaluation efforts can help programs
and researchers to direct limited resources to where
they are most needed, and most effective, in assessing results.
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The principal implication for fathering programs is that these programs
should involve a wide range of interventions, reflecting the multiple
domains of responsible fathering, the varied residential and marital
circumstances of fathers, and the array of personal, relational, and
environmental factors that influence men as fathers. |
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ASPE is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services on policy development, and is responsible
for major activities in policy coordination, legislation development,
strategic planning, policy research, evaluation, and economic analysis.
Pertinent Fatherhood topics found there include:
Child Welfare, Employment, Family and Marriage Issues, and Violence.
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Federal information relating to fatherhood is spread throughout multiple departments and
agencies. This area includes the home pages of many of these
agencies, related activities in the Regions around the country,
and other miscellaneous resources. |
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Disclaimer:
This website contains links
to fatherhood and related websites created and maintained by other
public and private entities. This information is provided
for the reader's convenience. The Department of Health and Human
Services does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance,
timeliness, or completeness of this outside information.
Further, these links do not intend or imply endorsement of any views expressed
or products or services offered.
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