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BRINGING ABSENT FATHERS INTO CHILD MALTREATMENT PREVENTION: A LATINO EXPERIENCE

PRECONFERENCE B

Diana Rivera Viera, ED.D.
Ever Padilla
AVANCE en Puerto Rico
PMB DPTO
484 HC-01 29030
Caguas, PR 00725-8900

BRINGING ABSENT FATHERS INTO CHILD MALTREATMENT PREVENTION: A LATINO EXPERIENCE

Absent fathers affect both social and economic constraints in families. The cycle of child negligence can be influenced if contributing economic and social factors can be addressed within the family.

In an innovative collaboration among three agencies (one government and two private institutions), fathers are identified and an effort is made to incorporate them into the economic and social arenas of their children's lives. The program addresses issues concerning welfare-to-work initiative ("Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996") and the need to stave off the increasing rise in maltreatment among Puerto Rican families.

This session will describe how the collaborative program came about, its service delivery model, and some initial results. Some of the typical demographic characteristics of Puerto Rican families facing intervention from Social Services due to child maltreatment will also be presented. Discussion will revolve around Latinos and father involvement, and participants will have an opportunity to discuss their own ideas or concerns around these issues.

Updated on February 24, 2010