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Article
Do Dads Matter? Child Welfare Outcomes for Father-Identified Families
Journal of Child Custody (2012)
  • Scott W. Burrus
  • Beth L. Green, Portland State University
  • Sonia Worcel
  • Michael Finigan
  • Carrie Furrer
Abstract

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched the Fatherhood Initiative to facilitate increased fatherhood engagement. To understand how fatherhood identification in child welfare care planning influences outcomes, a secondary data analysis study was conducted to answer the following questions: Are cases that identify fathers associated with decreased time in foster care, shorter time to permanent placement, more reunifications, and increased use of kinship permanency? The children in cases that identified fathers spent more time with a parent during their child welfare case and therefore less time in foster care. These cases more often resulted in reunification with a parent.

Keywords
  • Child welfare -- United States,
  • Social work with children -- United States,
  • Child welfare -- United Sates --States -- Case studies
Publication Date
August, 2012
Publisher Statement
Copyright (2012) Taylor & Francis
Citation Information
Scott W. Burrus, Beth L. Green, Sonia Worcel, Michael Finigan, et al.. "Do Dads Matter? Child Welfare Outcomes for Father-Identified Families" Journal of Child Custody Vol. 9 Iss. 3 (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/carrie_furrer/11/