The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children

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The Fathers Network
Working With Fathers of Children with Special Needs

The Fathers Network promotes collaboration between family members and health professionals in health care systems at the Federal, State, and local levels in order to develop and enhance the male caregivers' roles and responsibilities in parenting children with special needs. In Washington State, the program broadened the scope of outreach to fathers, especially those from minority backgrounds, so they could actively participate in health care decisions at the Federal, State, and community levels by partnering with Tribal services, pediatric AIDS programs, Head Start, and the Washington State Migrant Council. Additionally, the program created and expanded existing networks of support for men by developing statewide forums and replicating The Father's Network model in two States. It also provided information, materials, expertise, and support for fathers and the professionals who serve them through the program's Web site.¹¹³

The Washington State Fathers Network (WSFN) has served over 1,000 families in the past 20 years. Founded on the belief that men are crucial in the lives of children, WSFN is a powerful voice for increasing the involvement of men in all aspects of family life, and provides support and resources for all men involved in the life of a child with special health care needs or developmental disabilities. It recently received a 3-year grant from the Washington Council for the Protection of Children from Abuse and Neglect to serve men from inner city, rural, and culturally diverse settings in the following ways:

• Clarifying the needs of fathers raising children with special needs and responding to those needs whenever possible;
• Developing father support and mentoring programs;
• Building upon a 2,000+ member statewide database of fathers and providers interested in promoting and participating in activities for men;
• Developing and maintaining a statewide steering committee and regional coordinators committed to making the network a vital organization;
• Sponsoring evening and weekend programs specifically designed for men involved in the lives of children with special needs; fathers serve as facilitators, organizers, speakers, and panelists;
• Providing scholarships for men to attend conferences, workshops, and activities that speak to their unique concerns;
• Developing and maintaining an award winning Web site (http://www.fathersnetwork.org) with extensive family resources, links, a photo album, current news, materials in Spanish, and articles for families and providers;
• Presenting at regional and statewide parent and professional conferences;
• Assisting organizations in reviewing their current services and making their offerings increasingly "father-friendly;"
• Networking through Connections, a tri-yearly newsletter;
• Sponsoring programs that bring men and families together from existing fathers' programs (i.e., social events, weekend campout);
• Sponsoring statewide and regional conferences to provide places for men to meet and exchange ideas with other men facing similar challenges;
• Making appropriate written materials available in English and Spanish.¹¹⁴

For more information and other materials, contact:

Washington State Fathers Network
James May, Program Director
16120 N.E. Eighth Street
Bellevue, WA 98008
Phone: 425.747.4004, ext. #4286 & 206.284.2859
Fax: 425.747.1069 & 206.284.9664
Email: jmay@fathersnetwork.org
Web site: http://www.fathersnetwork.org

¹¹³ U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, and Labor. (2001). back
¹¹⁴ May, J. (n.d.). Washington State Fathers Network: A powerful voice for fathers and families of children with special needs. Bellevue, WA: Washington State Fathers Network. back

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