How well does your local child welfare system engage fathers? QPI brought two leading experts on fatherhood, Drs. Philip and Carolyn Pape Cowan of the University of California, Berkeley, who lead a practice exchange on Using Father Friendly Child Welfare Practices to Increase Engagement. They discussed research on the impact of fathers on children’s development and wellbeing; how the structure of child welfare systems can promote or limit father involvement; agency self-evaluation on father friendliness; and concrete, practical steps that your site can take in the short- and long-term future to be more father friendly. The Cowans have been researching fatherhood and family systems, as well as promoting research-driven policymaking, for over 30 years.
This 90-minute practice exchange online meeting originally aired on November 10th, 2020.