Why was Father Involvement Interventions chosen as a topic by the Advisory Committee? (Click for Answer)

The Advisory Committee selected Father Involvement Interventions because to truly create a system that supports the best interests of children in out-of home care, states and counties need to prioritize strategies that create equal access for fathers to be meaningfully involved in the lives of their children, and thus maximize the likelihood that the goals of safety, permanency and well-being are reached. Historically, mothers have been the primary focus of attention in the child welfare system.  This has been mostly due to the fact that a large number of primary caretakers that come to the attention of child welfare are mothers and are seen as the identified client and the target of case plans.  Thus, permanency planning has often been limited to targeting mothers and the maternal side of the families.   In this mother-centric environment, the child welfare system has been increasingly recognizing the potential of missed opportunities for effective case and permanency planning when they are not actively involving the father and his side of the family. Several reports have revealed the lack of meaningful father engagement by child welfare workers. In response to this, the Children’s Bureau, through its Child and Family Services Review (CFSR), now includes an assessment of the degree of father involvement as part of their review process of state child welfare systems. As other studies reveal, when fathers become positively involved, the likelihood of better outcomes increases.

Jorge Cabrera
Senior Director
Casey Family Programs
San Diego, CA