This Office on Trafficking in Persons fact sheet provides an overview of community resources and highlights programs assisting with job training, food, energy bills, housing, childcare, and recovery services for those affected by trafficking. Support for disaster recovery and access to social services such as substance use treatment and mental health care are also included.

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’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.

Earlier this year, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) convened in Georgia for the 2024 National Fatherhood Summit and brought together fathers; fatherhood practitioners and advocates; federal, state, and local government leaders; tribal representatives; social services agency representatives; researchers; and representatives from institutions of higher learning from across the nation to share knowledge, best practices, and innovative strategies for engaging and supporting dads. Over two and a half days, participants immersed themselves in a community of passionate changemakers as they explored cutting-edge research, impactful program models, and policy recommendations. Participants uncovered ways to enhance services and systems that empower fathers to be an active, loving presence in their children's lives and pillars of strength in their communities.

OFA has released this webpage that reflects the agenda for the 2024 Summit and contains materials and recordings (as available, with permission) for sessions

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 address the critical need for support for Native American people who have experienced human trafficking, the Administration for Children and Families’ Office on Trafficking in Persons established the Demonstration Grants to Strengthen the Response to Victims of Human Trafficking in Native Communities (VHT-NC) Program. The program aims to build, expand, and sustain organizational and community capacity to deliver services to Native American people who have experienced human trafficking. In 2020, six VHT-NC projects received awards to provide culturally responsive and trauma-informed participant outreach and identification, comprehensive case management and service provision, and training to respond to human trafficking in their communities. This Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation brief provides examples of the culturally responsive approaches the VHT-NC projects took with regard to project staffing, education and training, outreach, and case management and supportive services. Within these four programming components, the brief describes the culturally responsive approaches used, identifies the challenges the projects encountered and potential suggestions to address them, and highlights the potential benefits and strengths of these culturally responsive approaches.

Incentive-based strategies can significantly enhance participation in fatherhood programs, particularly when they are tailored to meet the specific needs of the program’s target population. However, these strategies must be carefully designed to combine immediate rewards with strategies that balance the use of incentives with efforts to foster intrinsic motivation and personal autonomy. This National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse resource discusses the impact of fatherhood programs that integrate incentives into program activities and regular assessments of the incentive strategies.

This Office of Research, Planning and Evaluation report describes the design of the NextGen Project, which is evaluating the effectiveness of four programs that provide services for people with physical, mental, or emotional health challenges. Many of the people are potential applicants for Supplemental Security Income. The four programs highlighted are:
• Bridges from School to Work;
• Individual Placement and Support for Adults with Justice Involvement;
• Philadelphia Workforce Inclusion Networks; and
• Western Mass Mental Health Outreach for MotherS PartnershipSM.