Resources for Supporting Healthy Relationships in Fatherhood Programs

Many fatherhood programs aim to or are required to include programming that supports healthy coparenting and romantic relationships through skill building and other services. However, despite the importance of supporting these healthy relationships, it can be difficult to do so in practice. This brief identifies three barriers fatherhood programs often face when addressing healthy relationships with fathers: engaging fathers in romantic relationship content, determining and implementing approaches for coparent engagement in relationship education, and providing support for fathers navigating legal systems and agencies that can affect their coparenting relationships. It also provides three resources that offer strategies fatherhood programs can use to address these barriers and better support fathers’ healthy relationships.