Bringing Fatherhood into View in Child Welfare Systems
Fathers are often overlooked by the child welfare system, which can discourage them from engaging with the Court and other professionals. They may face many of the same systemic barriers as mothers or other system-involved caregivers. However, fathers, and especially young fathers with very young children, experience unique challenges to engagement because of societal and cultural biases surrounding fatherhood. It is critical to meaningfully engage fathers not only to connect them with resources to address their own needs, but also to support the development of healthy attachment relationships with their very young children.
The following strategies were drawn from discussions at Steering Committee meetings in each of the six counties where Strong Starts has a presence to help overcome some of these barriers and promote the wellbeing and engagement of system-involved fathers with young children. These strategies are intended for professionals who work with child welfare involved families. However, many of these strategies can be applied broadly across disciplines and they should be modified as needed according to one’s role and relationship to the parent.
