Young Dads & The Family

How to Work Effectively with

Young Dads Within Their

Family Systems

Roberta Wells; ECECoordinator of Services for Young Dads

Karen Caine; RSW, BHSASenior Manager

Agenda

• Who are ‘Young Dads?’• Environmental and Societal Context• Who is Part of the Family?• Terra’s Perspective• Engaging Young Dads• Strategies for Engaging the Family• Questions and Comments

Parking Lot

• We will endeavor to answer your questions as we go through our presentation.

• If you have questions not directly related to the current topic, please jot them down on a sticky note and add them to the parking lot.

• If there is time, we will look at these questions at the end.

Who are Young Dads?“When a child is born, a father is born” (Frederick Buechner)

• Expectant• Single • Co-parenting• Cohabitating• Reunifying• Pursuing Access• Adoptive• Non-Biological• Placing for Adoption

What are some of the Strengths of Young Dads?

“…teen parents are trying to make the best out of something we didn’t expect to happen so soon. We want what every parent wants, the best for our children.” – Terra Client

Environmental ContextHow Terra Works with Families

• Agency commitment to be working with all members of the family

• Father inclusivity and integrated programming• Main priority is what is best for the child• Individual focus on client strengths and needs • Address needs of the family unit• Partnerships within the community

Environmental ContextCommunity and Societal Perspective

“For too long, our culture has treated boys who become fathers . . . as detached misfits who are the architects of many of our nation’s problems,

rather than seeing these youth for who they really are: young men trying to navigate a

complex array of difficult life circumstances that place them at a tremendous disadvantage.”

(Kiselica, 2008: When Boys Become Parents: Adolescent Fatherhood in America)

Environmental ContextCommunity and Societal Perspective

• Research: children thrive with actively engaged fathers

• Moms as gatekeepers• Deficit based thinking• Young dads’ own adolescent development• Stereotypes• Marginalization of fathers• Lack of resources• Barriers to accessing services• The need for social change and advocacy

Who is “Family”?

• Introduce yourselves

• Identify 3 ideas or concepts about who ‘should’ be included in the family system of a young dad.

• 10 minutes

Family Inclusiveness

New sibling

New sibling

Agency Strategies for Engagement

• Ask dads what they want and need

• Activity based• Father-Child and

Family activities• ‘Father Inclusive’

environment• Intake Process Adapted• Employees like working

with teens

“Young dads need organizations and people who create a culture where it is assumed that fathers are involved in all aspects of fatherhood beginning with pre-conception.” STEP BY STEP: Engaging Fathers in Programs for Families, Best Start Resource Centre, Toronto ON

Engaging Young Dads: The POWER of WORDS

‘Agencies hide behind the ‘parent’ word. Use of the ‘F’ word in policy and

documentation …the "father" word.. is absolutely crucial.

It changes the whole [tone] around teenage pregnancy strategies.’

Young People in Focus website: http://www.youngfathers.info/

The Power of Words:Engaging Dad Right from the

Beginning

Expecting Dads vs. Pregnant Dads

Young Dads and Moms vs.Young Parents

Father Engagement not Positive Father Involvement

Father Inclusive vs Father Friendly

Engaging Young Dads in Programs

• Engage in the moment• Meet wherever the dad is• Relationship and Strengths based• Address immediate needs• Practical Supports• Flexible approach and times available• Multicultural needs met through partnerships• Believe in the dads’ abilities

Including Family:Why is this Important?

• Adolescent developmental needs• Increase understanding of the different

responses to the pregnancy• Help young dad understand his role• Help young dad negotiate his place in the

family• Role modeling and impact of father absence• Increase support systems• Reduce likelihood of child apprehension

Ultimately, we include all family members to:

create consistency and healthy environments for the child

• Improve communication between young dad and young mom

• Improve communication and relationship with other family members

• Understand and address generational beliefs about raising children

• Learn about and appreciate important family cultural practices

• Decrease barriers for young dad

Strategies for Engaging Families

• Identify significant “family” members• Explore strength of connections and areas of

relationship difficulty• Joint meetings• Invite family members into discussion• Engage with their baby• Share resources and practical support• Know when and how to challenge • Openness to working with extended family

Educate Family Members• Fathering roles and responsibilities• Benefits of an engaged father for child, mom

and dad• Impacts of unhealthy relationships on children• Co-Parenting strategies• Newest child development and child health

information• Fathers engage differently than mothers with

their child

Perceptions

Bringing this Back to Your Workplace

• Small groups• Come up with 2

common strategies in your group that you think would engage the families of young dads in your agency or program

• 5 minutes

How could you include family?

Questions?

Contact Information:

Roberta Wells: rwells@terracentre.caKaren Caine: kcaine@terracentre.ca

www.terracentre.ca

Resources• FIRA Young Fathers Research Cluster: Dr. Annie Devault, Social Work, University of Québec in

Outaouais. Focus: understanding the experiences and needs of men who become fathers at a young age and identifying the most effective ways to support them. http://www.fira.ca/page.php?id=25

• My Daddy Matters Because… Father Toolkit; Tim Paquette, Project Coordinator. The primary purpose of the website and the toolkit is to provide information for people who are developing and managing Father programs in their communities. http://www.mydad.ca/toolkits/nfp_toolkit_eng.pdf http://www.mydad.ca/

• National Centre on Fathers and Families Core Learnings; University of Pennsylvania. The Seven Core Learnings are at the heart of NCOFF's agenda for research, practice, and policy analysis and serve as a framework for the field of fathers and families. http://www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu/programs/core-learnings

• STEP BT STEP: Engaging Fathers in Programs for Families (2012), Best Start Resource Centre, Toronto ON; This manual is designed to give you a step-by-step guide for planning and implementing your strategy for engaging fathers. www.beststart.org www.healthnexus.ca

• Successful factors in providing services for teen dads; An exploratory case study from a Community Based Research (CBR) perspective. Nicolette Sopcak, CIHR Strategic Training Fellow, University of Alberta. http://terracentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Nicolette-paper-08.pdf

• Supporting Young Parents Practice Sheet, December 2010: Rhys Price-Robertson, Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies. CAFCA Practice sheets are brief, evidence-informed resources that provide an overview of a specific practice issue and practice considerations to help practitioners reflect upon specific issues. http://www.aifs.gov.au/cafca/pubs/sheets/ps/ps3.pdf

Questions to consider in planning and delivery of services for young dads and their families:

• If your program works predominantly or solely with young mothers, are attempts made to understand the position of the father?

• Does your service encourage the involvement of fathers?• Can you offer alternate activities or services that will engage

young dads?• How would finding out from individual young parents about their

family of origin, their major life experiences, and their use of social supports and health services assist with planning the services you are able to provide?

• Does your program make efforts to understand both the family processes and the family structure of young parents?

• Are there family members or other individuals who play important roles in the lives of the young parents engaged in your program?

• If appropriate, is there an option to include family members or other important people in any of your program’s activities?Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia: Supporting Young Parents Practice Sheet, December 2010; Rhys Price-Robertson, Research Officer; Australian Institute of Family Studies. http://www.aifs.gov.au/cafca/pubs/sheets/ps/ps3.pdf

References• Bade, Emily (2012); Teen Dad: Young Fathers and Identity Integration; School of Social Work, St. Catherine

University/University of St. Thomas, Saint Paul, Minnesota.• Devault Annie; Young Fathers Cluster Executive Summary, (2006); Father Involvement Research Alliance

CURA, Centre for Families, Work and Well-being, 17 University Ave. E., University of Guelph, Guelph ON, N1G 2W1.

• Kiselica, Mark S. (2008); When Boys Become Parents: Adolescent Fatherhood in America Rutgers University Press, USA.

• Price-Robertson, Rhys (2010); Supporting Young Parents Practice Sheet; Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies; Level 20 South Tower485 La Trobe Street, Melbourne Vic 3000, Australia. http://www.aifs.gov.au/cafca/pubs/sheets/ps/ps3.pdf

• Sopcak, Nicolette (2008); Successful factors in providing services for teen dads, An exploratory case study from a Community Based Research (CBR) perspective. Terra Centre and University of Alberta, Edmonton AB. http://terracentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Nicolette-paper-08.pdf

• Fatherhood Institute Research Summary: Young Fathers, (2010); http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/2010/fatherhood-institute-research-summary-young-fathers/

• Healthy Teen Network Advocacy Resource Guide, Supporting Young Fathers (2006); 1501 Saint Paul St., Ste. 124, Baltimore, MD, 21202; www.HealthyTeenNetwork.org

• National Centre on Fathers and Families Core Learnings; University of Pennsylvania, 3440 Market Street, Suite 450, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3325; http://www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu/programs/core-learnings

• STEP BT STEP: Engaging Fathers in Programs for Families (2012), Best Start Resource Centre, Toronto ON; www.beststart.org; www.healthnexus.ca; beststart@healthnexus.ca

• Strengthening Families through Parenting Partnerships (2012); Centre for Child Well Being, Mount Royal University, 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T3E 6K6

Thank You!