The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children

About the Course:

To carry out their responsibilities of protecting children at risk of maltreatment, CPS caseworkers must effectively engage families that often both present and face great challenges. These can include substance abuse, mental health problems, economic stress, unemployment, separation and divorce, inadequate housing, crime, and incarceration. Figuring out how best to work with and engage these families, always with the safety of and permanency for the child as the goal, is not easy. The manual upon which this course is based speaks to both the opportunities and challenges presented by one participant in the family sagas that CPS caseworkers deal with everyday: the father.

Journal/Publisher:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Publication Date:

2006

Authors

Wilcox, W. Bradford, Ph.D.; Rosenberg, Jeffrey

About the Authors:

W. Bradford Wilcox, Ph.D., is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Virginia and a member of the James Madison Society at Princeton University. His research focuses on religion, fatherhood, marriage, and parenting. Dr. Wilcox is the author of Soft Patriarchs, New Men: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands. His research has been featured in the Boston Globe, The Washington Post, USA Today, and other media outlets.

Jeffrey Rosenberg is the founder of Rosenberg Communications, a full-service public relations firm. For the National Fatherhood Initiative, Rosenberg Communications designed and implemented a media relations strategy designed to educate the public about the issue of absentee fathers, created a media kit, and planned a nationwide event on the issue of fatherhood. Mr. Rosenberg was previously the Communications Director at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Recommended For:

This course is recommended for health care professionals, especially psychologists, counselors, social workers, and nurses who seek knowledge about the important roles fathers play in the healthy development of children. It is appropriate for all levels of participants’ knowledge.

Course Objectives:

1. Recognize the many ways in which fathers can be of great value to their children.

2. Explain the important role fathers should have in the case planning and service provision process.

3. Cite examples of issues that are unique to working with fathers.

4. Identify how CPS caseworkers can involve fathers in all aspects of case management, keeping in mind considerations of culture.

5. Apply information presented to the successful inclusion of fathers in a wide range of family situations and structures.