Family Development Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What
is family development?
Answer:
Family development programs promote
healthy, self-sufficient families through the encouragement of family
formation, active involvement of fathers, and the support of healthy
marriages.
Initially, fatherhood programs grew out of concerns related to child
support payments, especially for low-income fathers, who may have more
difficulty paying child support. These programs have expanded over time
to include a focus on fathers' contributions to child well-being and
on teaching parenting skills specific to men. Fatherhood programs aim
to help fathers appreciate the unique role they can play in their children's
lives, as well as the benefits - both financial and emotional - of being
involved.
Programs that encourage healthy marriage are a more recent effort, so
less information exists about their outcomes. Healthy marriage
programs seek to create stable family environments for the benefit of
children and families by teaching communication skills and encouraging
healthy relationships among family members.
Question: What are
some of the benefits of two-parent families?
Answer:
According to the Population Reference Bureau
report, Child
Poverty in Rural America, the poverty rate among rural
children in two-parent, married families was one-fourth the rate for
children in single-parent families, and 43% of rural children living
in female-headed families in 2002 were poor. While single parents can
successfully raise healthy and happy children, children raised
in two-parent, married families, on average, fare better economically
than children raised by a single parent and may also have educational,
social and emotional advantages. For a more detailed overview of the
impact of two-parent families, see The Future of Children publication,
Marriage
and Child Wellbeing.
Question: What
is the role of fathers in rural families?
Answer:
Fathers are a vital part of the family and involved fathers can have
a positive impact on child development. In rural areas, it is becoming
more acceptable for fathers to take on caretaking and emotional support
roles for their children. Rural fathers face many of the same challenges
and experience the same rewards of fatherhood as urban fathers. Farmers
and ranchers may find it more difficult to balance their time for both
work and family than those who work a job with more regular hours.
Rural families aren’t
removed from the rise in two-income households. More mothers
in rural areas are entering the workforce, leading to a balance of
shared responsibilities inside and outside the home. Rural fathers
are helping out with household chores and contributing more emotional
support than in the past. This
is unfamiliar territory for some men as their fathers and grandfathers
never had to or had a chance to hone their fathering skills. Many
fathers have found balancing work and family rewarding, and new traditions
are being born.
Question: What
is marriage education?
Answer:
Marriage education provides information and skill-building to assist
couples in developing and maintaining successful marriages. The hope
is that these programs will strengthen marriages and thereby improve
the lives of children. For more information, please see the Center
for Law and Social Policy's The
New Kid on the Block: What Is Marriage Education and Does It Work?
Question: What
is the relationship between fatherhood and marriage programs and domestic
violence prevention?
Answer:
Fatherhood and marriage programs, like domestic
violence prevention, are intended to help support healthy and safe family
relationships. People working in domestic violence prevention may have
concerns that participants who are experiencing domestic violence might
be placed at increased risk by a program that supports couples who want
to stay together. Marriage and fatherhood programs can develop successful
partnerships with domestic violence programs to address the issue. One
way that these programs can work together is by including a domestic
violence screening procedure within the marriage program and helping
participants access the appropriate services. For more information about
how these different programs can work together, please see the Center
for Law and Social Policy's Building
Bridges between Healthy Marriage, Responsible Fatherhood, and Domestic
Violence Programs: A Preliminary Guide. Additional resources and
information on domestic violence are available on RAC's Domestic
Violence information guide.
Question: What
can human services agencies do to work effectively with fathers in rural
communities?
Answer:
It is important for rural human services providers to establish trust
when working with fathers. Most men in small communities have had little
contact with agencies or organizations that are designed to help families.
They may have concerns about how welcoming a program may be to fathers,
concerns about being judged as a bad parent, or concerns about the
stigma of accepting assistance. Here are some approaches
to consider when working with rural fathers:
- Work with other human services agencies to share your positive fatherhood
message
- Meet with key fathers in the community and talk with them about your
program
- Partner with businesses, churches, schools and other community organizations
- Focus on activities that are appealing to fathers and their children
- Get to know the community fathers and their families
- Show a genuine interest in the fathers' families
Question: What can
rural communities do to support family development?
Answer:
There is not currently much information on fatherhood and
healthy marriage programs in rural areas. People who are interested in
starting a rural family development program should read about what has
been done in other communities and consider adapting those ideas to their
rural community. Some overviews of successful programs and resources
for program development include FatherhoodFirst.org,
the National
Healthy Marriage Resource Center, the Annie E. Casey Foundation's
publication, Promoting
Responsible Fatherhood, and the Center for Law and Social Policy's The
New Kid on the Block: What Is Marriage Education and Does It Work?
Credits
Last revised 06/30/2009
