New Expectations: Community Strategies for Responsible Fatherhood

• NCJ Number: 175434
• Author(s): J A Levine; E W Pitt
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 232 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Ford Foundation; Danforth Foundation
• Corporate Author: Families and Work Institute
• Sale Source: Families and Work Institute
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This book offers a new way of thinking and acting to promote responsible fatherhood, including a review of research, state-of- the-art review of community-based strategies, tips from leading practitioners, and a guide to more than 300 programs nationwide and to the 100 most useful publications.

Abstract

The new paradigm for thinking about fatherhood presented in this book emphasizes the importance of connecting men to their children, regardless of their marital status; the shared responsibility of individual fathers and mothers and of those who work with families; and the opportunities that community agencies have to foster those connections. The book offers a systematic way for community organizations to conceptualize both objectives and strategies for increasing the involvement of men with their children. Five strategic objectives for programs and policies are identified. The first objective is to prevent men from having children before they are ready for the financial and emotional responsibilities of fatherhood; the second objective is to prepare men for the legal, financial, and emotional responsibilities of fatherhood; the third objective is to promote paternity establishment at childbirth, so that every father and child have, at a minimum, a legal connection; the fourth objective is to reach out to men who are fathers, whether married or not, to foster their emotional connection to and financial support of their children; and the fifth objective is to support fathers in their roles and in their continuing connection with their children, regardless of their legal and financial status. Further, the book offers hands-on tips from practitioners who are demonstrating promising approaches to support the involvement of fathers with their children. It offers the most complete list currently available of local initiatives throughout the United States to support fathers. Each listing includes a brief description. Finally, the book offers a select guide to the literature on fatherhood, designed to be of particular use to practitioners.