Father Friendly Check-Up Case Studies:
The Children’s Institute (Pittsburgh, PA)

Leadership Development

• Identified decision makers within the agency to increase their father friendliness—specifically managers, supervisors, vice-presidents, president.
• Identified “fatherhood champions” within the organization.
• Had staff complete the Father Friendly Check-Up™; compiled and discussed responses/results with staff.
• Conducted a S.W.O.T. analysis to identify strengths and weakness regarding father friendliness.

Organizational Development

Policies, Procedures, and Processes

• Required Institute’s case worker to follow-up with the female client’s county caseworker after referral of client to Institute regarding identity and location of father, and barriers to father involvement.
• Through the assessment of father friendliness identified a lack of awareness among case workers of the importance of fathers. Decided to track the following activities as a result:
  • Case workers’ efforts to involve the father
  • Fathers’ attendance at court hearings and planning meetings
  • Level of father involvement with the child
• Developed a specific letter to fathers to engage them in visitation that included father facts on the benefits of father involvement with children
• Provided fathering brochures to fathers at first meeting.

Staff Development and Training

• Staff trained on Doctor Dad™ and National Family Preservation Network’s guidelines on involving fathers in child welfare
• Presented to leadership the information and materials from the Doctor Dad™ training to increase their awareness of the workshop
• Scheduled a kick-off event for all staff to inform them of the fatherhood programs.

Physical Environment

• Displayed posters in waiting room of fathers with children.
• Placed a fatherhood resource kiosk in the waiting room with brochures and information on services and programs.

Program Development

• Identified/specified the types of fathers to serve (as opposed to “all fathers”).
• Identify appropriate programs and resources for those fathers including Doctor Dad™, Boyz2Dads™, and fathering brochures.
• Developed an implementation plan for integrating programs and materials into current services. Instituted a plan to collect data to support program outcomes.

Community Engagement

• Communicated about fatherhood programs and resources with agency partners.
• Included articles on fatherhood in the Institute’s magazine.
• Presented to county contract monitors on efforts and programs to involve fathers.
• Added the fatherhood initiative to the Amazing Wish List. (This list includes requests of varying amounts to support items not typically funded through a department’s regular budget. Wishes may include equipment, staff development and training, items for children, or any wish that could be fulfilled with a single gift ranging from $100 to $5,000.)
• Presented on involving fathers at the 2010 Pennsylvania Permanency Conference.
• Discussed barriers to father involvement with leaders of state agencies to increase their awareness of the issue.