Social workers need to work with fathers across many service systems, but lack guidance on how to do so, and most engagement, assessment, and intervention work for family-serving systems is mother- and child-focused. Father-inclusive readings and resources are also limited. Drawing on the expertise of well-regarded research and practice experts in the field, this comprehensive book provides guidance to social work practitioners and researchers on how to engage, assess, and serve fathers. Instructors can use the text to include fathers in courses on the human behavior and social environment, family systems, clinical practice, diversity, or service systems.
Social service systems, unfortunately, have often struggled to positively engage men as parents. Recent demographic trends indicate that fathers are providing more direct care to children and single-father households are one of the most rapidly growing demographic groups in the United States. Barriers to their successful engagement include biases and assumptions about men and fathers, a lack of father-friendly policies and practices in the field, limited training on how to work with fathers, and relatively limited father-inclusive social work research until recently.
This book addresses these barriers. It is a guide to social workers in their efforts to better serve men as parents, and does so from an ecological and systems perspective. Multiple case examples and practical tools are provided, as well as specific content on major social service systems. Topics explored include:
- Father Engagement
- Organizational “Father Friendly” Assessments
- Interventions with Fathers
- Setting the Course for Future Theory, Research, and Practice with Fathers
Social Work Practice with Fathers: Engagement, Assessment, and Intervention is a book that could be folded into foundation courses in social work or used by practitioners in the field. It is an essential text for graduate students in social work, psychology, sociology, child development, allied health, and similar disciplines and professions, and a go-to resource for helping professionals/practitioners such as social workers, psychologists, and licensed professional counselors. Advanced undergraduate students in these disciplines and professions also will find the text useful in their studies and work.
Jennifer L. Bellamy, PhD, MSSW is the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Professor at the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) at the University of Denver in Colorado. At GSSW she teaches research courses. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in 1997 and her Master of Science in Social Work in 2000 from The University of Texas at Austin. Before earning her PhD, she worked as a crisis counselor at the University of Texas and served as a project coordinator for the Texas Fragile Families Initiative, a multisite demonstration project serving young, unmarried, low-income fathers. Dr. Bellamy completed her PhD at the Columbia University School of Social Work in 2006 and postdoctoral training at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in Saint Louis in 2008. Her current research and scholarship focuses on the engagement of fathers in child and family services and evidence-based practice in social work. She is currently the Principal Investigator on the Administration for Children and Families (ACF)-funded Fathers and Continuous Learning in Child Welfare (FCL) Project in partnership with Mathematica Policy Research. She is also the Co-Principal Investigator for the ACF-funded Colorado Fatherhood Project in partnership with the Colorado Office of Early Childhood. Dr. Bellamy is the co-developer of the Dads Matter-HV and the Nurturing Dads and Partners (NDAP) Program.
Brianna P. Lemmons, PhD, MSW is an Assistant Professor in the Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University, where she teaches research courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology in 2000 from Spelman College and her Master of Social Work Degree in 2006 from Howard University. Before earning her PhD, she worked as an Aftercare Program Coordinator at Sasha Bruce Youthwork, Inc. in Washington, DC. Dr. Lemmons completed her PhD and postdoctoral training at Howard University School of Social Work in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Her current research and scholarship focuses on predictors of Black father involvement with children, the impact of Black father involvement on child development, social work practice with fathers, and the integration of fatherhood content into social work education programs. She currently serves as part of an expert working group for the REFRAME Project (Race Equity for Fatherhood, Relationship, and Marriage Programs to Empower Black Families) with AMEF Associates and as part of a technical working group for the FRAMING Project (Fatherhood, Relationships, and Marriage – Illuminating the Next Generation of Research) with Mathematica Policy Research. In her spare time, she enjoys exercising, baking, crafting, volunteering, and traveling.
Qiana R. Cryer-Coupet, PhD, MSW is an associate professor of Social Work in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Prior to this appointment, she taught in the human behavior and research methods sequences of the MSW program at North Carolina State University. Dr. Cryer-Coupet earned her BA in Psychology from Illinois Wesleyan University, her MSW from the University of Maryland-Baltimore, and her PhD from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Dr. Cryer-Coupet’s direct practice included work with families engaged in kinship care at Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network and with adolescents in residential treatment for substance use disorders at Chestnut Health Systems. Her research practice included work as a field researcher for Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Dr. Cryer-Coupet’s program of research explores the impacts of parenting practices on child, adolescent, and family wellbeing. Her current projects examine family-trauma in relation to paternal experiences with substance use disorders, incarceration, racial discrimination, and economic instability. Her work has been funded by the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network and HRSA. Dr. Cryer-Coupet served on technical work groups with Mathematica Policy Research for the Fathers and Continuous Learning in Child Welfare Project and the KEEP Fathers Engaged Project.
Jennifer A. Shadik, PhD, MSW, LISW-S is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work at Ohio University. She also serves as the Coordinator for Athens Undergraduate Social Work Programs and as the Director of Studies for the Honors Tutorial College Social Work Program. She teaches practice courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Shadik earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Kalamazoo College and her Master of Social Work from Western Michigan University with a concentration in clinical social work. She earned her PhD in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2014. Her practice background involved working with families in a variety of settings. She spent six years working with parents at high risk or who had maltreated a child at Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). Other direct practice experience included delivering intensive, in-home family preservation services and providing outpatient therapy for children, teens, and their families. Her current research and scholarship focuses on fathering, child welfare, and sibling violence. She has received funding from the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network. She was licensed in Virginia as an LCSW for over 20 years and is currently a licensed independent social worker in Ohio.
