This toolkit from the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse provides fatherhood programs with resources to address domestic violence and promote safe environments for children and families. Some of the strategies covered include: establishing partnerships with local domestic violence organizations to share goals; working with a domestic violence prevention partner to create protocols for ensuring domestic violence issues and guiding service delivery; and facilitating cross-training for fatherhood and domestic violence agency staff.

On October 17, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) issued a joint Information Memorandum (IM) to all ACF programs emphasizing the importance of meaningful father involvement to better serve children and families. In particular, this memorandum highlights research findings that demonstrate the value of fathers’ involvement in the lives of their children and families, as well as identifies promising practices to promote and sustain fathers’ engagement, regardless of their physical location or extent of custodial participation.

This blog post from Clarence H. Carter, Director, Office of Family Assistance, announces the release of an information memorandum that details efforts to prioritize and enhance father engagement in ACF-funded programs. The memorandum was signed by the leadership of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, including the Children’s Bureau, the Family and Youth Services Bureau, the Office of Child Support Enforcement, the Office of Family Assistance, the Office of Child Care, and the Office of Head Start. ACF affirms its commitment to fathers and families and encourages paternal involvement in family support and child welfare programs.

This Urban Institute policy brief reviews the extent that children’s negative behavioral outcomes continue after their fathers have been released from incarceration. The brief compares negative outcomes, such as outward displays of aggression or internalized expressions, including withdrawal or anxiety, among children when their fathers are incarcerated and when they are released with outcomes of those children whose fathers have never been incarcerated.

This brief from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families explores who Latino fathers are and how this affects their engagement with their children. For this brief, data from the National Survey of Family Growth was analyzed; a sample of Latino fathers was separated into immigrant and non-immigrant categories because the immigrant experience has been found to have a significant impact on all facets of a father's life. The brief shares key findings about who Latino fathers are and their interaction with the labor market and their children and offers points for discussion and future research.

This PACT issue brief discusses a study of father social support networks from interviews with four responsible fatherhood grantees. Researchers sought to understand the size and composition of family and friendship groups, the type of support provided, and organizations where fathers receive services. Authors found that fathers had small social networks, used their networks for emotional, financial, in-kind, and housing support, and received support from religious organizations, community service agencies, and community-based organizations.

This resource from the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse highlights a rural community partnership between a fatherhood program and local child support agency. In this case study, authors describe the development of a partnership in Merced County, California and lessons learned.

This MEF Associates evaluation report prepared for the City of Seattle evaluates their Career Bridge program. Career Bridge was developed as an alternative means of addressing recent gun violence in the city by addressing employment barriers of low-income men of color. The report focuses on the implementation of the program and the employment outcomes for the first three program cohorts that completed the program in 2014.

This study from the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network provides the final evaluation results of a randomized controlled trial of a culturally tailored fatherhood curriculum for low-income fathers residing in Baltimore, Maryland. The program is called “Developing all Dads for Manhood and Parenting” (DAD MAP); study results showed some gains in desired outcomes in the short term, but the gains waned as time passed after program completion.

This blog post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services highlights the work of the Transitions Clinic Network, a national network of clinics that serves previously incarcerated individuals with chronic health conditions. The network is staffed by community health workers who have their own incarceration histories. The model has been adopted in 10 cities, and the post contains a link to learn more about the program.