This 2024 National Fatherhood Summit workshop discussed the myth of “Build it and they will come." There were discussions around strategies and best practices on how to engage young black fathers. This innovative strategy and approach to working with black fathers helped beginning and experienced practitioners learn new ways to assess challenges and solutions when working with this population.

This 2024 National Fatherhood Summit session featured an update on the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS’s) priorities for the national child support program and its aim to help fathers successfully navigate child support services when needed to care for their children. Attendees learned how OCSS activities directly support the Administration for Children and Families' fatherhood initiatives and whole-family strategies.

As part of the 2024 National Fatherhood Summit, this engaging and insightful plenary session was specifically designed for young fathers. This session provided a dynamic platform for young dads to share their experiences, challenges, and triumphs as they navigated the journey of fatherhood. Drawing inspiration from the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse’s new “Driver’s Guide for Young Fathers,” this session aimed to equip young fathers and fatherhood practitioners with practical tools, advice, and support to drive their fatherhood journey with confidence and purpose.

The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) is a sizeable repository of fatherhood resources and activities funded by the Office of Family Assistance. It was established for two main purposes: (1) to develop, promote, and distribute a national responsible fatherhood media campaign and (2) to be a resource for fathers, fatherhood practitioners, fatherhood programs, federal responsible fatherhood grantees, states, human services providers and agencies, and the public at large. The target audience includes fatherhood stakeholders who are serving, researching, or interested in supporting healthy fathers and families. This 2024 National Fatherhood Summit session provided an overview of the NRFC resources that can help practitioners enhance their fatherhood services.

The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse’s Dadication is the idea that involved fathers make essential contributions to their children’s wellbeing, even when they are parenting during tough times and circumstances. This 2024 National Fatherhood Summit session included a viewing of the DADication documentary, followed by a compelling panel discussion focusing on the transformative campaign. This session delved into the significant achievements and learning experiences derived from the campaign’s efforts to promote responsible fatherhood. Panelists, including key contributors and experts from the campaign, shared their firsthand experiences, discussed the challenges faced, and explored the strategies that led to successful outcomes. Participants gained valuable insights into how targeted initiatives can effectively support and engage fathers, thereby enriching family dynamics and community well-being. This discussion aimed to inspire other organizations and individuals by showcasing actionable models and practices that can be adapted to their own fatherhood support efforts.

This 2024 National Fatherhood Summit session included leadership from the federal Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) programs who reflected on some of the important lessons learned over the past five years and discussed potential fruitful directions for the next five years. Then leadership engaged in a Q&A with the audience to answer attendees' questions and hear ideas on how HMRF programming can be adapted to contexts across the country. Federal HMRF programs will use discussions like this to inform the anticipated 2025 Notices of Funding Opportunity.

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) sponsors the National Responsible Fatherhood Alliance (NRFA), an initiative aimed at equipping exemplary participants in OFA-funded responsible fatherhood programs to transition successfully to the role of fatherhood practitioners and emerging leaders in the field. Once fathers are selected for participation in the NRFA, they undergo capacity building and training, receive individualized training from highly qualified coaches, and gain opportunities to contribute to national practice, policy, and research discussions. Attendees of this 2024 National Fatherhood Summit session learned more about this initiative from fatherhood practitioners who span the spectrum of program roles.

This 2024 National Fatherhood Summit workshop shared the story of the Michigan Action Plan for Father Involvement (MAP-FI) and the collaboration between fatherhood practitioners and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. MAP-FI is a model for other locations interested in expanding support for father involvement and establishing permanent structures that support policies and programs benefiting fathers and their families. This session offered ideas and guidance about how to create similar coalitions in other localities, what initiatives these coalitions can take on, and the impact and importance of bringing these groups together.

With institutional cultures that are rooted in family, community, and holistic supports, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) are uniquely positioned to catalyze the systemic change needed to better support Black and Native student parents. Ascend at the Aspen Institute established the Black and Native Family Futures Fund to provide funding and expert technical assistance to eight HBCU and TCU partners. Ascend is hosting a webinar on November 14, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. ET where student parents and leaders from some of the Fund partners will discuss key themes including the importance of family-like environments, student parent expertise, and the support of leadership.

To better understand families’ circumstances, their resources, and the costs of fully participating in the society and economy, the Urban Institute developed a “true cost of economic security” measure. They designed the measure with accuracy and replicability in mind, using high-quality publicly accessible data collected regularly to capture variations across states and all areas to explore differences by age, family structure, and race and ethnicity. The Urban Institute is hosting a webinar on November 20, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. ET to discuss their new measure and how to leverage insights from this research to improve American families’ well-being.