Strong Fathers Program Funded by the Federal Violence Prevention and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Strong Fathers Program

Funded by the Federal Violence Prevention and Services Act, the North Carolina Department of Administration’s Council for Women, and Family Services, Inc. of Winston-Salem

Program History

— 2004 - Child and Family

Services review

— 2008 - Request for

proposals and curriculum development

— 2009 – 2014 – Pilot

testing and evaluation

— 2015 – Present -

Refinement of curriculum and replication

“There’s someone to confide in, someone to challenge you and to encourage you, and I think that this program is so necessary for fathers…. There are so many fathers that I know that would benefit from this program.

• -Michael, Strong Fathers graduate

A Strengths-Based Approach

The Strong Fathers Program is rooted in the belief that all dads want to be good fathers and that their motivation should be recognized, rewarded, and reinforced without minimizing the effects of their violence or excusing their actions.

“If you’re uninformed, you ain’t gonna’ be that good at it.”

• -John, Strong Fathers graduate

Program Format

— Referral and intake — Twenty weekly sessions — Closed group — Dinner provided — Manualized curriculum — Experienced facilitators — Process and outcome

evaluations

— Knowledge and practice

sessions

“…seeing them acknowledge that there are different ways of thinking, and that their way is not always right, and that there are better ways to parent and interact with their children…”

• - Toina Coley, Child Welfare Social Worker,

Durham County DSS

Curriculum Content

— Intergenerational

Transmission of Violence

— Child Development 101 — Dealing with Thoughts

and Feelings

— Impact of Violence on

Child Development and Parenting

— Non-coercive Parenting

Skills

— Co-parenting — Repairing Relationships

Example Exercise: Children’s Drawings

“How I See My Father”

— “…on one of those

pictures, there was a dad with the face of a devil, and it made me think, ‘How would my kids see me?’ And it made me understand no matter what I do, I need to make sure that I’m cognizant of the behavior I’m practicing around my family…”

• - Bobby, Strong Fathers graduate

http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/breaking-the-cycle-tools/

Evaluation Findings

— Dr. Joan Pennell, NC State University Center for Family

and Community Engagement

— Data sample included the children of 177 men enrolled in

Winston-Salem and Durham programs

— Statistically significant reductions in

¡ Number of families with investigated child protection reporting ¡ Median level of highest family risk assessed during investigations ¡ Number of families with child protection findings (substantiations,

services needed)

¡ Number of families with household domestic violence as a

contributory to child maltreatment

Pennell, J. (2015) Child Maltreatment and Domestic Violence: Before and After Enrollment in Strong Fathers. Retrieved from Center for Family and Community Engagement Website: http://cfface.chass.ncsu.edu/documents/ Strong_Fathers_Evaluation_Report_2015.pdf

Collaboration

— Successes

¡ DSS social workers and

• ther referrers

¡ Community organizations

— Growth Area

¡ Greater access to local

data to demonstrate effectiveness

More Information

— Please visit strongfathersprogram.org