Holly Thompson, Kids First Mary Dennis, Kids Peace Marie Kalinyak, PFCS

 Father involvement improves children’s quality of life  The number of children with an incarcerated father is on the rise  Failing to engage these fathers harms children

 Children are:  Five times more likley to live in poverty  More likely to bring weapons to school  More likely to bring drugs to school  Twice as likely to commit a crime  Twice as likely to drop out of school  Twice as likely to be abused  More likely to commit suicide  More than two times as likely to abuse drugs or alcohol  More likely to become pregnant as a teenager  SOURCE: Father Facts (National Fatherhood Inititive)

 “It will just upset the child to see their father in prison.”  “There’s a reason why they are there. Good Dad’s don’t go to prison.”  “He should have thought about that before he committed the crime.”  “Prisons are scary, dangerous places for children.”

 Incarceration leads to immediate and long term effects  Increases the chance that children, especially boys, will go to prison  The lack of connection increases the risk of recidivism and decreases the likelihood of successful reentry, including legal employment

 Financial Loss and Added Expenses  Stigma of Incarceration  Loss of Parent/Child Bond  Added Stress on Grandparents and Extended Family Members  Costs to the Commnity, Its Systems, and Society  Potential Loss of Parental Rights  Family Instability  Loss of Intimacy  Child-Related Concerns… and more

Reasons to Engage Incarcerated Fathers  Maintaining parental engagement and contact/visitation can help the child cope with the situation  Contact and visitation helps sustain the parent/child bond  Maintaining connections can help decrease the rate of recidivism  Maintaining contact helps parents maintain parental rights  Helps with family reunification upon reentry

 There are an estimated 138 incarcerated men in the Blair County Prison who are fathers to minor children  Lack of services to support father engagement with their children  No physical contact for visits

 Program provides group and individual support to incarcerated fathers in the Blair County Prison  Target Population- any father whose incarceration in excess of 30 days disrupts the relationship with his child(ren) age 12 or younger  Inside Out Dad’s group parenting program  Make and Mail Workshops  Contact Visitation  Video Visitation  Visit Coaching  Family Group Decision Making  Aftercare Services

 Inside Out Dad Pre/Post Survey  The survey has a total of 65 questions and covered five areas:  Part A - About You and Your Family (Demographics)  Part B - About Being a Father and Your Relationships  Part C - About Your Fathering Knowledge  Part D - How You Father Today  Part E - Your Thoughts on Fathering  The data gathered spans from April 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013 for both assessment tools.  Protective Factors Survey  The Protective Factor Survey is a pre-post evaluation tool that measures protective factors in five areas: family functioning/resiliency, social support, concrete support, nurturing and attachment, and knowledge of parenting/child development. These protective factors are associated with healthy family functioning and a lower risk of child maltreatment.  Data results changes in the participating Father’s perception about the supports and resource available to him.

 Inside Out Dad Survey Results  18 Fathers have completed the post-survey  1.5 is the average gain in knowledge for fathers who have completed both portions of the survey  6.33 points is the average gain that reflects that fathers have had a positive shift in their attitude about being a father as a result of their participation in the program.  Protective Factor Survey Results  Nurturing and Attachment was rated as the most significant protective factor at both pre-test (5.89) and post-test (6.01)  Family Functioning is identified as the least significant protective factor both pre-test (4.7) and post-test (2.3)  In comparison to pre- and post- survey scores, fathers showed the highest gains in the area of Social Support (0.5966) while the least amount of growth is seen in Family Functioning ( ) and Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development ( ).

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 Troy grew up without having a close relationship with his father. How do you think this impacted Troy as a child and as an adult?  What were your reactions to Xavier’s current relationship with his father?  How can we promote success stories like Troy and Xavier in your county?

 How FGDM partnered with the Father Initiative  How conferences are coordinated with incarnated fathers  Obstacles to coordination  How the conferences focuses on the re-entry plan

 How has the population you work with been affected by incarcerated fathers?  How can your organization involve incarcerated fathers in a more active way?  What are you already doing to make fathers a part of your service?  How are incarcerated parents incorporated into your family group practice?

“Prison need not be the end of the road but the beginning of an interesting and productive life”