Engaging and Supporting Fathers in Child Welfare

Father involvement has numerous benefits to child development and well-being, family dynamics, and society. However, child welfare systems have historically viewed fathers through a stereotypical lens with narrow gender role expectations, leading to them being undervalued in their children's lives. While mothers are often viewed as primary caregivers, fathers involved with child welfare face layered, nuanced barriers to engagement and inclusion. Some fathers face additional challenges in the form of discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.

Improving father engagement in child welfare begins with recognizing how organizational culture and individual attitudes and actions perpetuate biases, create barriers, and enable inequities. This publication is designed to help child welfare leaders improve policies, programs, and practices. The strategies and information included can be used to create environments that welcome and champion fathers as a vital part of promoting safety, permanency, and well-being for their families.

This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.