The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. The Caring Dads: Helping Fathers Value Their Children program has been reviewed by the CEBC in the area of: Father Involvement Interventions, but lacks the necessary research evidence to be given a Scientific Rating.

• Types of Maltreatment: Physical Abuse, Physical Neglect, Emotional Abuse, Exposure to Domestic Violence
• Target Population: Fathers (including biological, step, and common-law) who have who have physically abused, emotionally abused, or neglected their children; exposed their children to domestic violence; or who are deemed to be at high-risk for these behaviors. The program also involves contact with mothers and coordinated case management to contribute to the safety and well-being of children.

The Caring Dads program combines elements of parenting, fathering, and child protection practice to address the needs of maltreating fathers. Program principles emphasize the need to:

• enhance men’s motivation
• promote child-centered fathering
• address men’s ability to engage in respectful, non-abusive co-parenting with children’s mothers
• recognize that children’s experience of trauma will impact the rate of possible change
• work collaboratively with other service providers to ensure that children benefit (and are not unintentionally harmed) as a result of father’s participation in intervention.

The program uses a combination of motivation enhancement, parent education (including skills training and behavioral practice), and cognitive behavioral therapy to:

• improve men’s recognition and prioritization of children’s needs
• improve men’s understanding of developmental stages
• improve men’s respect and support for children’s relationships with their mothers
• improve men’s listening and using praise
• improve men’s empathy for children’s experiences of maltreatment
• identify and counter the distortions underlying men’s past, and potentially ongoing, abuse of their children and/or children’s mothers.

The overarching goal of Caring Dads is to ensure the safety and well-being of children who have been impacted by men’s abuse or neglect, including domestic violence. This goal, along with the following specific goals, is hoped to be achieved through fathering group intervention, as well as through mother contact and coordinated case management:

• to develop sufficient trust and motivation to engage men in the process of examining their fathering.
• to increase men's awareness and application of child-centered fathering
  
• to eliminate fathers’ use of abuse and neglect towards their children and to promote respectful and non-abusive co-parenting with children’s mothers.
  
• to promote men’s appreciation of the impact of their past abuse on their children and family and help men take responsibility for these behaviors
  
• to provide supportive outreach to children’s mothers to provide information about the program, safety planning, and referral, as necessary.
• to work with other professionals to plan for the future safety and well-being of children who have been impacted by abuse, neglect, and/or domestic violence