This highly interactive workshop will help participants uncover strategies to approach and engage fathers of children involved in child welfare.
Federal and State law and policy require that the Dependency and Delinquency Courts, Child Welfare Agencies and Probation inquire about, locate, and involve fathers. These laws outline additional mandates to locate and involve fathers’ relatives. However, research continues to show that fathers are often excluded in court hearings, case planning activities, placement opportunities and reunification efforts. Paternal relatives tend to be excluded as well. Research also continues to show that when fathers are involved, children and youth have much better outcomes, including positive overall safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes.
After attending this training, participants will be able to:
- Examine the federal and state laws that protect fathers’ due process rights
- Describe strategies to identify, locate and meaningfully engage fathers
- Create a strength-based process that embraces fathers around information gathering and case planning
- Interpret how personal biases will impact the ability to effectively involve fathers
- Illustrate strategies to approach and engage fathers to build a more trusting working relationship that benefits both the father and his child(ren)
- Assess current agency practice in inviting and welcoming fathers and their relatives
- Value the importance of maintaining and supporting relationships between children and their fathers and paternal relatives