Nurturing Responsible Families Project Description

Nurturing Responsible Families Project

Project Description

Welfare reform has provided states with the opportunity to focus on revitalizing families by helping fathers to become and sustain the emotional and financial providers that their children deserve. Children who grow-up in poverty are at increased risk for early pregnancy, school dropout, substance abuse and juvenile delinquency. The absence of a responsible father increases this risk. Many low-income fathers lacked the involvement of their own their fathers-leaving them without an example of what a father is supposed to provide. These low-income fathers often lack the necessary skills or education that allow them to be a financial provider. Gradually, states are beginning to recognize these fathers as "deadbroke dads", different from the deadbeat dads who choose to ignore their families.

The Nurturing Responsible Families Project at NCSL can help policymakers develop informed policy solutions to help ensure children grow up with the support of both mothers and fathers. Project activities are designed to educate states about ways to facilitate father involvement and remove systemic barriers to their involvement. Our strategy works at two levels: widespread distribution of information about programs and services, and providing on-site assistance to states to help them design strategies that best fit with their individual needs.

More specifically, the goals of the project are to:

Educate state legislators and other state policymakers about the importance of fathers in the lives of their children;
Provide states with new informational resources and ideas to increase child well-being through the involvement of fathers;
Increase awareness of non-legislative entities about the role of legislators in policymaking;
Provide connection points between research findings and policy alternatives;
Prepare state policymakers for issues related to family formation and marriage within the context of TANF reauthorization.

Through a National Advisory Committee consisting of policymakers, state agency officials, program practitioners and research experts, the project has produced the first of its kind tool-kit designed with the particular needs of policymakers in mind-Connecting Low-Income Fathers and Families: A Guide to Practical Policies. Other project resources and services include:

Information clearinghouse
Website-www.ncsl.org/statefed/welfare/fatherhood.htm
Tracking legislative developments
Educational workshops for legislators and staff
Publications targeted to policymakers, including the forthcoming Program Assessment Guide
On-Site technical assistance
Policy/Legislative Analysis

For more information or to arrange a technical assistance, please contact Nina Williams-Mbengue at 303/364-7700 x1559.

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