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RESEARCH GAPS AND FINDINGS

The benefits and challenges of engaging non-resident fathers involved in the child welfare system are reflected in several federal studies, the Child and Family Services Review data, and day-to-day practice. Many children are not living with their fathers at the time they are removed from their homes and once in foster care, these children may experience less contact with their non-resident fathers. Engaging fathers to participate in the child welfare process, when safety and child well-being are not jeopardized, could be critical to developing or maintaining the parent-child relationship, making placement or permanency decisions, and gaining access to resources for the child.

A copy of the QIC NRF's literature review and first year report of findings can be downloaded here. A copy of the executive summary of the literature review can be found here. Included in this review is an extensive list of existing literature and resources on father identification, location and engagement in child welfare systems.

Research on Father Absenteeism

Today more American children are growing up without their biological father in the home than at any other point in American history. Trends such as divorce and remarriage, as well as more children being born outside of marriage, result in a diminishing role of fathers in the daily lives of their children. Over twenty-five million American children (or 33.5 percent of children in the U.S.) live absent their biological father. (Krieder, 2005). Click here for more information.

Research on Non-Resident Fathers and Child Welfare Systems

Father absence is also common in the child welfare system. When multiple children are system-involved, there is a high frequency of cases that involve multiple non-resident fathers. Sometimes fathers are unknown or legal paternity has not been established. Moreover, available statistics show that a large percentage of children in the foster system have non-resident fathers. Click here for more information