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Home > The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children > Preface
The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children
User Manual Series (2006)
Preface Each day, the safety and well-being of some children across the Nation are threatened by child abuse and neglect. Intervening effectively in the lives of these children and their families is not the sole responsibility of any single agency or professional group, but rather is a shared community concern. Since the late 1970s, the Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual Series has provided guidance on child protection to hundreds of thousands of multidisciplinary professionals and concerned community members. The User Manual Series provides a foundation for understanding child maltreatment and the roles and responsibilities of various practitioners in its prevention, identification, investigation, assessment, and treatment. Through the years, the manuals have served as valuable resources for building knowledge, promoting effective practices, and enhancing community collaboration. Since the last update of the User Manual Series in the early 1990s, a number of changes have occurred that dramatically affect each community's response to child maltreatment. The changing landscape reflects increased recognition of the complexity of issues facing parents and their children, new legislation, practice innovations, and system reform efforts. Significant advances in research have helped shape new directions for interventions, while ongoing evaluations help us to know "what works." The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN) within the Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), has developed this third edition of the User Manual Series to reflect the increased knowledge base and the evolving state of practice. The updated and new manuals are comprehensive in scope while also succinct in presentation and easy to follow, and they address trends and concerns relevant to today's professional. This new manual, The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children, is a result of increased recognition of the vital role that fathers play in all aspects of their children's lives. While the User Manual Series addresses the issues of child abuse and neglect, this manual extends that context by examining how to strengthen the roles of fathers within their children's lives and their own. Readers of The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children may also be interested in A Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect: The Foundation for Practice and Child Protective Services: A Guide for Caseworkers. The Foundation for Practice, which is the keystone for the series, addresses the definition, scope, causes, and consequences of child abuse and neglect. It also presents an overview of prevention efforts and the child protection process. Because child protection is a multidisciplinary effort, The Foundation for Practice describes the roles and responsibilities of different professional groups and offers guidance on how the groups can work together effectively to protect the safety, permanency, and well-being of children. A Guide for Caseworkers provides the fundamental information that child protective services (CPS) professionals must know to perform essential casework functions. This new manual builds on the information presented in those earlier manuals as it relates specifically to fathers. It is primarily intended to help CPS caseworkers work effectively with fathers and thereby support families as fully as possible.
This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway. |
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