Young Dads & The Family
How to Work
Effectively with
Young Dads
Within Their
Family Systems
Roberta Wells; ECE
Coordinator of Services for Young Dads
Karen Caine; RSW, BHSA
Senior Manager
Agenda
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Who are ‘Young Dads?’
Environmental and Societal Context
Who is Part of the Family?
Terra’s Perspective
Engaging Young Dads
Strategies for Engaging the Family
Questions and Comments
Parking Lot
• We will endeavor to answer your questions
as we go through our presentation.
• If you have questions not directly related to
the current topic, please jot them down on a
sticky note and add them to the parking lot.
• If there is time, we will look at these
questions at the end.
Who are Young Dads?
“When a child is born, a father is born” (Frederick Buechner)
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Expectant
Single
Co-parenting
Cohabitating
Reunifying
Pursuing Access
Adoptive
Non-Biological
Placing for Adoption
What are some of the Strengths
of Young Dads?
“…teen parents are
trying to make the best
out of something we
didn’t expect to happen
so soon. We want what
every parent wants, the
best for our children.”
– Terra Client
Environmental Context
How Terra Works with Families
• Agency commitment to be working with all
members of the family
• Father inclusivity and integrated
programming
• Main priority is what is best for the child
• Individual focus on client strengths and needs
• Address needs of the family unit
• Partnerships within the community
Environmental Context
Community and Societal Perspective
“For too long, our culture has treated boys
who become fathers . . . as detached misfits
who are the architects of many of our
nation’s problems, rather than seeing these
youth for who they really are: young men
trying to navigate a complex array of difficult
life circumstances that place them at a
tremendous disadvantage.”
(Kiselica, 2008: When Boys Become Parents: Adolescent Fatherhood in America)
Environmental Context
Community and Societal Perspective
• Research: children thrive with actively
engaged fathers
• Moms as gatekeepers
• Deficit based thinking
• Young dads’ own adolescent development
• Stereotypes
• Marginalization of fathers
• Lack of resources
• Barriers to accessing services
• The need for social change and advocacy
Who is “Family”?
• Introduce
yourselves
• Identify 3 ideas
or concepts
about who
‘should’ be
included in the
family system of
a young dad.
• 10 minutes
New
sibling
New
sibling
Family Inclusiveness
Agency Strategies for Engagement
• Ask dads what they
want and need
• Activity based
• Father-Child and
Family activities
• ‘Father Inclusive’
environment
• Intake Process
Adapted
• Employees like
working with teens
“Young dads need
organizations and
people who create a
culture where it is
assumed that fathers
are involved in all
aspects of
fatherhood beginning
with pre-conception.”
STEP BY STEP: Engaging Fathers in
Programs for Families, Best Start
Resource Centre, Toronto ON
Engaging Young Dads:
The POWER of WORDS
‘Agencies hide behind the ‘parent’ word.
Use of the ‘F’ word in policy and
documentation
…the "father" word..
is absolutely crucial.
It changes the whole [tone] around
teenage pregnancy strategies.’
Young People in Focus website: http://www.youngfathers.info/
The Power of Words:
Engaging Dad Right from the
Beginning
Expecting Dads vs. Pregnant Dads
Young Dads and Moms vs.Young Parents
Father Engagement not Positive Father
Involvement
Father Inclusive vs Father Friendly
Engaging Young Dads in
Programs
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Engage in the moment
Meet wherever the dad is
Relationship and Strengths based
Address immediate needs
Practical Supports
Flexible approach and times available
Multicultural needs met through
partnerships
• Believe in the dads’ abilities
Including Family:
Why is this Important?
• Adolescent developmental needs
• Increase understanding of the different
responses to the pregnancy
• Help young dad understand his role
• Help young dad negotiate his place in the
family
• Role modeling and impact of father absence
• Increase support systems
• Reduce likelihood of child apprehension
• Improve communication between young
dad and young mom
• Improve communication and relationship
with other family members
• Understand and address generational
beliefs about raising children
• Learn about and appreciate important
family cultural practices
• Decrease barriers for young dad
Ultimately, we include all family members to:
create consistency and healthy
environments for the child
Strategies for Engaging
Families
• Identify significant “family” members
• Explore strength of connections and areas
of relationship difficulty
• Joint meetings
• Invite family members into discussion
• Engage with their baby
• Share resources and practical support
• Know when and how to challenge
• Openness to working with extended family
Educate Family Members
• Fathering roles and responsibilities
• Benefits of an engaged father for child, mom
and dad
• Impacts of unhealthy relationships on
children
• Co-Parenting strategies
• Newest child development and child health
information
• Fathers engage differently than mothers with
their child
Perceptions
Bringing this
Back to Your
Workplace
How could
you include
family?
• Small groups
• Come up with 2
common strategies
in your group that
you think would
engage the families
of young dads in
your agency or
program
• 5 minutes
Questions?
Contact Information:
Roberta Wells:
Karen Caine:
rwells@terracentre.ca
kcaine@terracentre.ca
www.terracentre.ca
Resources
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FIRA Young Fathers Research Cluster: Dr. Annie Devault, Social Work, University of Québec in
Outaouais. Focus: understanding the experiences and needs of men who become fathers at a
young age and identifying the most effective ways to support them.
http://www.fira.ca/page.php?id=25
My Daddy Matters Because… Father Toolkit; Tim Paquette, Project Coordinator. The primary
purpose of the website and the toolkit is to provide information for people who are developing and
managing Father programs in their communities. http://www.mydad.ca/toolkits/nfp_toolkit_eng.pdf
http://www.mydad.ca/
National Centre on Fathers and Families Core Learnings; University of Pennsylvania. The
Seven Core Learnings are at the heart of NCOFF's agenda for research, practice, and policy
analysis and serve as a framework for the field of fathers and families.
http://www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu/programs/core-learnings
STEP BT STEP: Engaging Fathers in Programs for Families (2012), Best Start Resource
Centre, Toronto ON; This manual is designed to give you a step-by-step guide for planning and
implementing your strategy for engaging fathers. www.beststart.org www.healthnexus.ca
Successful factors in providing services for teen dads; An exploratory case study from a
Community Based Research (CBR) perspective. Nicolette Sopcak, CIHR Strategic Training
Fellow, University of Alberta. http://terracentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Nicolette-paper08.pdf
Supporting Young Parents Practice Sheet, December 2010: Rhys Price-Robertson,
Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies. CAFCA
Practice sheets are brief, evidence-informed resources that provide an overview of a specific
practice issue and practice considerations to help practitioners reflect upon specific issues.
http://www.aifs.gov.au/cafca/pubs/sheets/ps/ps3.pdf
Questions to consider in planning and delivery of
services for young dads and their families:
• If your program works predominantly or solely with young
mothers, are attempts made to understand the position of the
father?
• Does your service encourage the involvement of fathers?
• Can you offer alternate activities or services that will engage
young dads?
• How would finding out from individual young parents about
their family of origin, their major life experiences, and their use
of social supports and health services assist with planning the
services you are able to provide?
• Does your program make efforts to understand both the family
processes and the family structure of young parents?
• Are there family members or other individuals who play
important roles in the lives of the young parents engaged in
your program?
• If appropriate, is there an option to include family members or
other important people in any of your program’s activities?
Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia: Supporting Young Parents Practice Sheet, December 2010; Rhys
Price-Robertson, Research Officer; Australian Institute of Family Studies.
http://www.aifs.gov.au/cafca/pubs/sheets/ps/ps3.pdf
References
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Bade, Emily (2012); Teen Dad: Young Fathers and Identity Integration; School of Social Work, St. Catherine
University/University of St. Thomas, Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Devault Annie; Young Fathers Cluster Executive Summary, (2006); Father Involvement Research Alliance
CURA, Centre for Families, Work and Well-being, 17 University Ave. E., University of Guelph, Guelph ON, N1G
2W1.
Kiselica, Mark S. (2008); When Boys Become Parents: Adolescent Fatherhood in America Rutgers University
Press, USA.
Price-Robertson, Rhys (2010); Supporting Young Parents Practice Sheet; Communities and Families
Clearinghouse Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies; Level 20 South Tower
485 La Trobe Street, Melbourne Vic 3000, Australia. http://www.aifs.gov.au/cafca/pubs/sheets/ps/ps3.pdf
Sopcak, Nicolette (2008); Successful factors in providing services for teen dads, An exploratory case study
from a Community Based Research (CBR) perspective. Terra Centre and University of Alberta, Edmonton AB.
http://terracentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Nicolette-paper-08.pdf
Fatherhood Institute Research Summary: Young Fathers, (2010);
http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/2010/fatherhood-institute-research-summary-young-fathers/
Healthy Teen Network Advocacy Resource Guide, Supporting Young Fathers (2006); 1501 Saint Paul St., Ste.
124, Baltimore, MD, 21202; www.HealthyTeenNetwork.org
National Centre on Fathers and Families Core Learnings; University of Pennsylvania, 3440 Market Street,
Suite 450, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3325; http://www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu/programs/core-learnings
STEP BT STEP: Engaging Fathers in Programs for Families (2012), Best Start Resource Centre, Toronto ON;
www.beststart.org; www.healthnexus.ca; beststart@healthnexus.ca
Strengthening Families through Parenting Partnerships (2012); Centre for Child Well Being, Mount Royal
University, 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T3E 6K6
Thank You!