Federal and state governments are increasingly focusing on father involvement. There has been little focus, however, on how the legal community can better engage nonresident fathers in child welfare cases. This book, commissioned by the QIC NRF, is devoted to representing this population and is a much needed resource for public defenders' offices and solo practitioners representing parents. The authors offer practical strategies to lawyers and judges to help them protect father's constitutional rights; advocate for and engage fathers in and out-of-court; overcome barriers to father participation such as child support, incarceration, immigration status, and criminal history; and address unique ethical issues.

To download a free copy, click here. To have a hard copy sent to you, please contact the ABA Service Center at 1-800-285-2221 and ask for product code 3490004B.(Shipping and handling charges will apply.)

A free training curriculum based in part on this book is available here.

Read individual chapters from the book:

1. Introduction
2. Advocating for the Constitutional Rights of Non-Resident Fathers by Vivek S. Sankaran
3. Understanding Male Help Seeking Behavior by Mark S. Kiselica
4. Ensuring Quality Out-of-Court Advocacy by Richard Cozzola and Andrya S. Soprych
5. Representing Non-Resident Fathers Inside the Courtroom by Andrew L. Cohen
6. The Judge’s Role in Engaging Fathers in Child Welfare Court Cases by Judge Leonard P. Edwards (ret.)
7. Addressing Special Advocacy Issues by Andrew L. Cohen
8. Addressing Child Support Obligations by Daniel L. Hatcher
9. Representing Incarcerated Fathers by Kathleen Creamer
10. Addressing Ethical Issues by Jennifer L. Renne
11. Appendices

To download copies of checklists from the book for attorneys representing non-resident fathers, click here.

For more information about this book, contact Jessica Kendall or Lisa Pilnik