what fathers need: a countywide assessment of the needs of fathers of young children citymatch...
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What fathers need: A countywide assessment of the needs of
fathers of young children
CityMatCH Annual Urban MCH Leadership ConferenceSeptember 13, 2004
Anand Chabra, M.D., M.P.H. San Mateo County Health Services Agency
Thanks to … First 5 San Mateo County – funded the needs
assessment Peninsula Community Foundation – funded
the Fatherhood Coordinator position for ~ 3 years
Herb Pierrie, RN, MS (Fatherhood Coordinator) – conducted data collection and expanded the text of needs assessment
Sara Buckelew, MD, MPH (preventive medicine resident at the time) ran and analyzed data, and wrote initial paper
Why work with fathers? Nearly twenty-five million children
in the United States, 36%, live apart from their biological fathers.
Forty percent of children who live in households without a father never visited their father’s home.
Why work with fathers?Children who live without contact with
their biological father, in comparison to children who have such contact are:
Five times more lively to live in poverty Twice as likely to drop out of school More than twice as likely to abuse drugs and
alcohol More likely to commit suicide Twice as likely to commit crimes More likely to exhibit learning difficulties More likely to become pregnant as teenagers
The Fatherhood Collaborative
Started in October 1998 Consists of over 40 countywide
agencies, community based organizations and individuals
Mission: To engage parents, providers, employers and the broader community to better understand the importance of men and fathers as they relate to children
Top 5 Needs of FathersAs Previously Identified by the Collaborative
Legal Assistance Personal Development Parenting Skills Family Health Employment and Job
Readiness
Composition of Governing Board
Non-Profit Entities * Founding members
Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County (child care R & R agency) *
Family & Children Services (family counseling) Los Prados Neighborhood Partnership
(neighborhood group) * Peninsula Library System (county and city
libraries) San Mateo Perinatal Council (education and
training for perinatal providers) * Service League of San Mateo County (services
for incarcerated population) * Concerned Community Members *
Composition of Governing Board
Government Organizations
Board of Supervisors * Child Support Services * Health Services Agency * Human Services Agency * Office of Education * Probation Department Superior Court
* Founding members
Fatherhood Needs Assessment
Goal: To identify current services and
programmatic strengths in the county To identify service gaps and barriers
in the county To use this information to develop a
strategic plan for the Collaborative
Needs Assessment Next Steps
Use Data to Identify
Problems And Needs
High Risk Groups
Areas of Service Deficiency
Target Resources
Develop Interventions
Fatherhood Needs Assessment 4 Main Strategies were used to collect
primary data regarding fathers in San Mateo County in order to gain a better understanding of community assets and needs. These included: Focus Groups Key Stakeholder Interviews Case Reviews Fatherhood Surveys
Methods and Data Sources 9 focus groups were conducted
with approximately 80 participants including fathers, and agency staff serving fathers and families.
20 case management records were reviewed
16 key informant one hour interviews were conducted
Fatherhood Survey 35 item confidential survey was
developed and pilot tested About 1200 Surveys were distributed
to 16 agencies across the county 240 surveys were returned from 12
agencies (response rate of approx. 20%)
Data entered in Excel and analyzed in Intercooled Stata 7.0
Survey Results
Demographics White 33.3% Hispanic 26.7% Asian 18.8% Multi/Other 10% Black 8.3% Native American
0.4% No Response 2.5%
According to the 2002-2005 San Mateo County Child Care Strategic Plan, the child population in SMC is 41% White 30% Hispanic 23% Asian/Pac.
Islander 5% Black 1% Native American
Survey Results
Demographics Age >39 30.4% Ages 35-38 22.9% Ages 30-34 14.6% Ages 26-29 10.4% Ages 22-25 6.3% Ages 19-21 2.1% Ages 14-18 1.2% No response 12.1%
Survey Results The majority were married (76.7%) The majority live with their children
(80%) Approximately 85% of those fathers
surveyed had at least one child under the age of five
Almost half (47%) of those surveyed had graduated from college
Family Health 78% Dads had
private insurance, 10% had Medi-Cal, 9% were not insured
10% Dads had health conditions
7% Dads were in need of health care
79% Children had private insurance, 13% had Medi-Cal, 2% were not insured
9% Children had health conditions
3% Children were in need of health care
Mental Health
16% of Dads indicated that they were sad, depressed or overly stressed Only 22% of these indicated that they
had seen a mental health specialist 12% of these indicated they were
currently in need of counseling 5% of all Dads indicated that they
currently were in need of counseling
Health 5% indicated that they were in need
of family planning services 4% indicated they were in need of
smoking cessation services 0% indicated they were in need of
alcohol or drug counseling although 5% indicated that the community
needed substance abuse services
Legal Assistance 5% of all Dads indicated that they
currently were in need of legal assistance
Among Dads who were not (or were sometimes) living with their children 9% needed legal assistance 19% needed child custody assistance 25% needed child support assistance
Personal Development
15% of Dads indicated that they were having current problems with their wife, partner or girlfriend
19% of Dads indicated that they currently had financial needs
Top 5 Prioritized Needs Financial (35%) Health Care (20%) Shelter/Housing (20%) Food (19%) Employment (18%)
Primary Role as Father Parenting (75%) Role Model (50%) Pay the Bills (43%) Disciplinarian (39%) Caregiver (38%) Head of the House (38%) Teacher (35%) Mother’s Support (28%) Provides Transportation (27%) No Role (3%)
The County 50% of Dads surveyed rated the
county — the community — “excellent” or “good” as a place that supports fathers in raising children
29% rated it “fair”, and 10% rated it “poor”
Needed Support Services in the Community
Father-Child Activities (47%) Parks or Recreational Activities
(37%) Better Schools (35%) Parenting Classes (33%) Support Groups (25%) Violence Prevention (22%)
Bias Greater response rate from County
employees than from non-profit agencies
Sample probably not representative of lower-functioning fathers
Next Steps Implementation of the work plan
developed in late 2003 Continual assessment of the needs
of fathers in San Mateo County Continued efforts to develop new
services for fathers (specifically case management and support groups)
Final Thoughts and Questions
“The supreme test of any civilization is whether or not it can teach men to become good fathers.”
-Margaret Mead