Parental Responsibility in Portland

In response to last summer’s mob scenes and starting at spring break 2007, Portland police will start enforcing a seldom-used state law, Failing to Supervise a Child. The police will write citations for parents to appear before a juvenile court judge. The judge will urge parents and their children to attend a course taught by police officers. A second offense by the child and the parents will be sent to adult court.

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Preschool for Dads

Fathers and fathers-to-be in Chicago will be able to attend evening preschool with their kids and get instruction on parenting and child development through a $2.5 million federal grant. The program will reach about 200 men.

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NIH Study on the Link Between Child Care and Child Development

Findings reveal that a child’s family life has more influence on the child’s development through age four and a half than does a child’s experience in child care. The study shows only a slight link between child care and child development. The study’s findings are available online in a 62 page downloadable booklet.

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Building Bridges Between the Healthy Marriage, Responsible Fatherhood, and Domestic Violence Movements: Issues, Concerns, and Recommendations

This CLASP (Center for Law and Social Policy) Policy Brief is the seventh publication in the Couples and Marriage research and policy brief series. It explores how the healthy marriage, responsible fatherhood, and domestic violence communities can work together to promote the well-being of families and children. 12 page pdf file.

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The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children

A user manual for CPS caseworkers working with fathers and their impact on children’s well being. Includes a section on fatherhood programs and federal fatherhood initiatives and appendices with resource listings and tips for dads. Downloadable by section, which tells me this is a fairly long document.

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Raising a Thinking Child

Primary prevention program for use by parents of 4-to-7-year-old children that has been recognized as an evidence-based parent training program by the OJJDP Model Programs Guide. The program focuses on developing a set of interpersonal cognitive problem solving skills that relate to overt behaviors as early as preschool.

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Three National Model Programs for Parental Skill-Building

The Center for the Improvement of Child Caring presents these three programs:

• The Confident Parenting Program – for use with all parents. Teaches a positive parenting philosophy and a series of very practical parenting skills.
• Effective Black Parenting and Los Niños Bien Educados Programs – Culturally-adapted versions of the Confident Parenting Program. They teach all the skills in Confident parenting in a culturally-sensitive manner and frame skills within the values and cultural goals of each group.

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The Family Environment and Adolescent Well-being: Exposure to Positive and Negative Family Influences

Child Trends and the National Adolescent Health Information Center report data on teens’ experiences in their families with a focus on differences across social groups to identify where disparities exist and where needs for intervention are greatest. Highlights from the report:

• Over three-quarters of all parents report very close relationships with their adolescent children.
• Many 15-year-olds report difficulty talking with their mothers and fathers about things that really bother them.
• Adolescents who live with two parents are more likely to have parents who know their whereabouts after school.
• Hispanic parents are less likely than white and black parents to know who most of their adolescent’s friends are.
• Foreign-born adolescents are more likely than their native-born peers to eat meals with their family.
• Adolescents with better-educated parents are less likely to be exposed to smoking and heavy drinking by their parents.
• Adolescents whose parents exercise are less likely to be sedentary themselves.
  Downloadable 12 page pdf file.

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National Family Preservation Network Father Links

Click on the link above to go to a series of links for involving fathers in their children’s lives, teaching parenting skills, and a Native American Fathers curriculum. Also on this page, the Working With Fathers Institute, a resource for practitioners working with fathers.

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The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children

This new User Manual from the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect addresses the effective engagement of fathers with their children and the profound impact of fathers on their children. Contains practical guidance on engaging fathers in assessment, case planning, and services when children suffer maltreatment. Downloadable 125 page pdf file. Can also be ordered in hard copy.

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Girl Scouts Meet in Prison With Their Fathers

The regular monthly meeting of Girl Scout Troop 884 takes place at the Allen Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison in northwestern Ohio. On Wednesday afternoons girls from six to 12 years old arrive for the two-hour meeting with their dads, most of them imprisoned for drug trafficking. The goal is to establish a relationship between parent and child. Parents learn how to lead by example, how to set goals and how to simply spend time with their children. The girls learn how to deal with the burden of having a parent in prison, how to respect themselves, and how to be a responsible kid.

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Mothers to Serve Prison Sentences While Caring for Their Young Children

In early 2008, Our Children’s Place will be located in a state-owned building with a nursery, classrooms, and group living accommodations for 20 mothers and their children. To be eligible, the women must be charged only with nonviolent crimes, serving sentences of no longer than five years. Up to two children, age six or younger, may live with each mother.

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Returning Soldiers and Their Families

When soldiers return home there are adjustments to be made. Children have grown and changed, soldiers bring PTSD home with them, and the entire family may have struggled with depression. This article from Connect for Kids examines soldiers and their families, the resources the military has for them, and a has special section on children and reconnection.

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