Welcome to the Quarterly FTM Facilitator Advanced Training  Please make sure you have signed in.  In order to receive PE training hours you must be registered for OCP 330  Today’s session will be from 10-3pm. Lunch will be from 12-1pm  Please remember to put your cell phone on silent or vibrate!  The next meeting will be at Macon State College on 10am

Family Team Meeting Definition  The Family Team Meeting is a planned event that brings together family, interested people (such as friends, neighbors, community members) and formal resources (such as child welfare, mental health, medical, education and other agencies) that the family has invited.

Family Team Meeting Including Fathers  Both parents should be included in family plan development and the decision making process  Policy requires that fathers (including alleged or putative) are engaged in the planning process and participate in the FTM  Documentation must reflect specific safety concerns that would require having separate FTMs (for example protective orders, court ordered no contact with children, or other assessed safety concerns)

Case Review Findings From the State Trends Report  Documentation did not support concerted efforts to locate and evaluate absent parents, especially fathers, which had a negative impact on this Well Being outcome.  There was a lack of follow up with identified services being provided to families to reduce risk or achieve permanency plan.

Case Review Findings From the State Trends Report  Documentation did not reflect inclusion of all family members, particularly fathers and children, in the case planning process.  Frequency of contacts with parents continued not to meet the family plan goal requirements or state standards. Contacts did not address service provision and case plan goals. Lack of meeting contact standards with parents was a greater issue in FPS cases.  There was a lack of contacts, particularly home visits, with birth parents when reunification was the permanency plan.

Key Findings From the State Trends Report  All appropriate family members were not included in the FTM meetings.  Family plans were not always developed during the FTM meeting, with the inclusion of family members.  Subsequent FTM meetings were not held when warranted by a change in the family situation, newly indentified needs, change of permanency plans, etc.

Areas Needing Improvement From the State Trends Report  Diligent efforts to identify and engage absent fathers in the process were not documented.  In many instances, birth father contact information was documented in the case file with no further follow up indicated.  There had been a slight improvement in identification of absent fathers; however, more follow-up is needed.  Frequency and quality of contacts with parents were not sufficient to meet state standards or address needs and monitor progress toward goal achievement particularly in family preservation cases.

Barriers to Father Involvement in the FTM Process  What barriers have you faced in engaging Fathers in the FTM process ?  In small groups generate a list of the reasons fathers give for not being involved in the FTM or Family Planning process, or not being more involved in their children’s lives (or could also be that they’ve heard case managers say fathers give).  Elect a facilitator and cofacilitator to lead the group discussion. Each group should record their list on flip chart paper and then post their list on the wall  minutes

Barriers to Father Involvement in the FTM Process  Case manager and systemic bias  Overburdened case managers  Mother’s gatekeeping  Personal circumstances of the father  Case manager’s reluctance to involve a male perpetrator  Domestic violence

Barriers to Father Involvement  Not knowing he’s a dad  Father has a new family to think about  Geographic mobility  Remarriage of either parent  Psychological pain

Barriers to Father Involvement  Lack of finances  Lack of confidence in parenting skills  Lack of appropriate male role models  Lack of extended family support  Frustration in dealing with legal system and bureaucracies

Strategies for Enlisting Mothers’ Support  Listen:  To what the mother is saying about the father.  To what the father is saying about the mother

Strategies for Enlisting Mothers’ Support  Assure safety  Of mother and child  Encourage mother to look beyond personal issues with the father  Lifetime benefits to the child  Extra support for her during rough times

Addressing Barriers to Father Involvement Prevent Prevent further child maltreatment and emotional harm to children by emphasize to men their responsibility as fathers.

Addressing Barriers to Father Involvement Prepare Prepare fathers by helping them attain the knowledge, skills, and financial resources to adequately care for their children.

Addressing Barriers to Father Involvement Establish Help fathers firmly establish their relationship with their children. This includes the legal relationship and the parenting relationship

Addressing Barriers to Father Involvement Involve Involve fathers in the child’s life. Most critically, involve the father in the case process.

Addressing Barriers to Father Involvement Support Provide fathers with ongoing support that will help them sustain beyond the life of the DFCS case

Father Friendly Services  Value fathers and the role they play  Address fathers’ needs  Are supportive; not punitive  Are respectful of gender differences in parenting  Where possible, provide positive male role models  Provide services at times and locations that are accessible to fathers  Provide an environment that is inviting to fathers

Fathers in Family-Centered Child Welfare Services Assessment Safety Planning Out-of-home Placement Permanency Planning Service Plans Re-evaluation of plans Engagement

Barriers to Father Involvement in the FTM Process  What barriers have you faced in engaging Fathers in the FTM process ?  In your same small groups generate a list of strategies/solutions for overcoming the barriers to father involvement, engaging fathers in the case process, assessing fathers’ strengths and needs, and support services for fathers.  Elect a facilitator and cofacilitator to lead the group discussion. Each group should record their list of solutions on flip chart paper and then post their list on the wall  minutes