FATHER Project Presentation

2009 Summary
 Child
Well-being

Promoting
Healthy
Fatherhood
Men’s Family
Development Context

Community
Development
The Crisis of Fatherhood:
Low-Income Communities
 Incarceration rates are increasing for men in
communities of color
 More children born to never-married parents: grew to
3 of 10 births overall
 Among African American children: 7 of 10
 Among Hispanic children: 4 of 10
 Among Native American children: 6 of 10
 Individual and Family Issues: Domestic violence,
alcohol/drug abuse, mental health, child welfare/child
protection, and teen pregnancy
 The Crisis of Fatherhood:
Socio-economic and political
crises faced by young men of
color
 Low educational attainment
 High rates of unemployment and under-
employment
 High rate of arrest and incarceration
 Intergenerational poverty; structural racism
Positive Father Involvement:
Benefits for children and
youth
 Children learn more and exhibit higher levels
of academic achievement
 Greater empathy, self esteem, and creativity
 Higher verbal skills and higher scores in
cognitive competence
 Results hold true for both resident and non-
resident fathers and across social class
Positive Father Involvement:
Protective / Preventive
factors for children and youth
 Lower rates of truancy
 Lower rates of juvenile delinquency
 Decreases in substance abuse and criminal
behaviors among adolescents
 Lower frequency of disruptive behavior,
depression, sadness, and dishonesty
Positive Father Involvement:
Benefits for men and
women
 Men gain heightened expression of emotion
 Men experience expanded ability for caring and
nurturance
 Men demonstrate higher civic engagement
 Mother-child attachment increases
 Opportunities for enhanced relationships, co-
parenting and and mutual family support are
increased.
FATHER Project Partners
 Hennepin County Child Support
 Central Minnesota Legal Services
 Parents as Teachers/Meld
 African American Family Services
 Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES)
 The Division of Indian Work
 Way To Grow
 Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)
 William Doherty, PhD, The University of Minnesota
 Minneapolis Public Schools / Adult Basic Education
 Project for Pride in Living
 Minnesota Fathers and Families Network
“Empowering fathers to overcome barriers
that prevent them from supporting their
children economically and emotionally”
 The FATHER Project:
Solution-Focused

We believe that the positive involvement of

both parents is important to the healthy
development of children and increases their
chances of leading a safe, happy childhood.
 The FATHER Project
What services are offered?
 Intensive Case Management
 Parenting and Empowerment Groups
 Child Support Services
 Legal Services
 Employment Services
 GED Services/Education
 Mental Health Services
 Father and Family Activities
 Citizen Father Project / Community Action
FATHER Project:
Description of Participants
(2009)
 Average Age = 29 Years
 44% lack High School Diploma
 31% are ex-offenders; majority have criminal
background
 All are low-income, more than 90% are non-
custodial parents
 African American (57%),Latino (20%), Native
American (14%), Caucasian (9%)
 Residence: Hennepin (80%), Ramsey (10%),
Other (10%)
Located in the heart of the Phillips neighborhood,
South Minneapolis
A welcoming environment for dads and families…
 FATHER Project Team: Randy Johnson, Guy Bowling,
Carmen Otero (CLUES), Michelle Bell, Robert Wesley, Ira
Dixon and Dwight Vinson
 FATHER Project On-Site Service Providers

Judie Haughton and Nicole Martin, Samuel Simmons

Hennepin County Child Support African American Family Services

Walter Burk Kathy Dobovsky & Willie Lorsung

Central Minnesota Legal Services GED Preparation Services
In 2009, 229 fathers enrolled in the FATHER Project’s
intensive program.
In 2009, FATHER Project reported 70 job placements with
an average wage of $10.38/hour
In 2009, FATHER Project participants, despite significant
barriers to employment, paid 51% of child support owed.
195 participants attended the child support orientation.
Percentage of Child Support Paid: FATHER Project and
Hennepin County "JOBS" Participants (2007 - 2009)
 In 2009, FATHER Project offered 90 “Meld” parenting
support groups to 246 fathers; 34 fathers completed the
curriculum
Parenting Group Impact: Item Results (pre & post)
In 2009, in partnership with CLUES, FATHER Project offered
46 Latino Parenting Group sessions, 62 dads and 11 moms
attended; 27 participants completed the curriculum
FATHER Project: Latino and Native Enrollments
(2006 – 2009)
In 2009, in partnership with African American Family Services,
the FATHER Project offered 44 Empowerment Groups to 102
fathers; 9 participant completed the curriculum
 2009 was a record-breaking year for our GED Program:
195 students completed the intake, students passed a total of
126 subtests, and 19 students earned their GED Degree.
In 2009, the FATHER Project implemented 27 “Play and
Learn” sessions, a skill-building parenting group.
18 dads, 6 moms, and 57 children attended.
In 2007, the Citizen Father Project was created. Since then,
this group of high achieving fathers has contributed over 700
hours to this emerging community action project.
 FATHER Project History:
Fundamentals of the Model
 Built around responding to real needs of fathers
 Reflects a maturating fatherhood field: economic and
emotional support, positive father involvement, and co-
parenting
 The model connects public/private systems
 Grounded in an approach that honors women and focuses
on early childhood development
 Collaborative approach, molded to fit the context of different
communities
The FATHER Project
A vision for the future
 FATHER Project
Shaping the Future: Beyond
2011
 Meet grant goals of the Federal Responsible
Fatherhood Initiative (ongoing)
 Sustain, expand and replicate the FATHER
Project’s holistic model (in progress)
 Train and educate staff across agencies
 Disseminate evaluation results and promising
practices
 Integrate services within other fields, such as
Early Childhood, Re-Entry and Co-Parent Court
 FATHER Project
Evaluation Results /
Dissemination
 Standard measure of Parenting Attitudes
(AAPI-2)
 Impact of Parenting Groups and Employment
Readiness Training (Retrospective Surveys)
 Child Support data (aggregate annual data)
 Father – Child Interaction (internal form)
 Return on Investment Project (Wilder
Research Center)
 Replication manual (completed)
FATHER Project:
Timeline for ongoing
collaboration
New Opportunities (2011 – beyond)
Sustain, expand, and replicate services.

Building for the Future (2009 – 2010)

Solidify partnerships; secure funding.

Planning for the Future (2008 – 2009)

Strategic planning process.

Current Federal Grant (2006 – 2011)

Increased collaboration and diversified enrollment.
Guy Bowling, Program Manager
gbowling@goodwilleasterseals.org

Andrew Freeberg, Program Director

afreeberg@goodwilleasterseals.org