2. Kids Need Their Dads: Addressing the Issue of Nonresident Fathers in the Child Dependency System Fatherhood Workgroup A Preliminary Report to the State Roundtable of Pennsylvania May 28, 2010 Harrisburg, PA

3. The Committee Members Judges & Masters Hon. Kim Berkeley Clark Hon. Scott Naus Hon. Maureen Skerda Hon. Harold Woelfel Hon. Flora Barth Wolf AnneMarie Cucinotta Allegheny Columbia Warren/Forest Union Philadelphia Master/Berks

4. Members Children & Youth Agencies Dayna Revay Carrie Ann Frolio Lynne Rainey Roberta Davis Luann Hartman Doug Ameley Anna Caffarelli Lisa Chambers Bill Phifer Beaver York Bucks Venango Franklin Chester Allegheny

5. Members Attorneys Kathleen Williamson,Esq. Robert Scott, Esq. Brian Forsyth, Esq. AOPC-OCFC Sandy Moore Lynne Napoleon Stephenie Strayer Solicitor-Lehigh Parent Atty. Allegheny Clerk to J. Campbell- Berks

6. Members Others Karen Jenkins Lisa Pilnik Gene Detter Tonya Burgess Roseanne Perry Commissioner Hartwick Christine Doty Dan Derr Patrick Quinn, Esq. American Humane ABA Child Welfare Training DPW-OCY Dauphin CASA-Lycoming Special Guest- Allegheny

7. Who is the Nonresident Father? Nonresident fathers are:   Men whose children are involved in the child welfare system   Men who did not live with their children when the suspected abuse or neglect occurred   Often referred to as non-custodial fathers Advocating for Nonresident Fathers in Child Welfare Court Cases, ABA Center on Children and the Law, National Quality Improvement Center. Copyright 2009.

8. Goals & Objectives  Developing Mission & Vision  Creating Protocol for:  Establishing Paternity  Locating Fathers

9. Goals & Objectives  Engaging Fathers in:  Case Planning  Services  Visitation

10. Goals & Objectives   Engaging Incarcerated Fathers   Developing a Survey to Find Out What’s Going on in Pennsylvania

11. Fatherhood Mission Statement KIDS NEED DADS:

12. Fatherhood Mission Statement Pennsylvania endorses the positive involvement of fathers & paternal family to protect children, promote strong families, promote child well-being, & provide timely permanence for children.

13. Fatherhood Vision Statement Positive connections between children & their fathers are achieved & nurtured by:

14. Fatherhood Vision Statement   prompt identification, outreach, & engagement in services   that recognize fathers’ unique strengths, &   are tailored to meet each father’s individual needs.

15. Establishing Paternity One Father per Child!!!!!

16. Agency Protocol   Check BCSE paternity tracking system for acknowledgements of paternity   Check PACSES for orders of support

17. Agency Protocol   Ask/interview mother   Ask/interview the child   Check all collateral sources

18. Court Protocol   Establish a legal father—only one per child   Question mother &/or child under oath   Explain to mother the importance of establishing paternity

19. Court Protocol   If no legal father, & alleged father appears, judge should do a colloquy on the record about obligations   Ask him to sign an acknowledgement of paternity or order genetic testing

20. Court Protocol   In cases with a legal father, & paternity is challenged:   Require challenging party to file a motion or petition to seek genetic testing with service upon & notice to the legal father

21. Court Protocol   Never order genetic testing in a case with a legal father, without first disestablishing paternity   Court order should reflect whether paternity has been established &, if not, the reason(s) it has not been established & what efforts, are being made to establish paternity

22. Court Protocol   If paternity has not been established before the adjudication of dependency, but is subsequently established through either acknowledgement or genetic testing, the court should enter an order establishing paternity.

23. Court Protocol   If paternity has not been established, at every court hearing, the court should inquire as to the efforts that have been made to establish paternity.

24. Locating Fathers

25. Agency Protocol   Ask/Interview mother, child, & other relatives   Check PACSES   Check with the Armed Forces   Complete a diligent search for whereabouts   Go to the home (last known address) & knock on the door

26. Court Protocol   If father has not been located, at every hearing the judge should ask/interview mother, etc. under oath on the record   At every hearing, the judge should ask the agency to place on the record the efforts made to locate the father

27. Court Protocol   When appropriate, the court should require the agency to take affirmative steps to locate the father   The court order should reflect the efforts made or needed to locate the father

28. Engaging Fathers Engagement with a non- custodial father is an ongoing, strength-based, solution focused process. It takes more than sending him a letter! It takes more than sending him a letter!

29. Engagement Requires a Cultural Change We must recognize & acknowledge the value of fathers in the lives of their children. Leadership from the top is needed to accomplish this Leadership from the top is needed to accomplish this.

30. Engagement in Case Planning   The caseworker visits the father in his home   Father is included in all permanency planning meetings   Once paternity has been established & father has been located, the family service plan is revised to include father

31. Engagement in Case Planning   Parent attorneys are trained on engaging fathers   Mother is engaged as to the importance of having father involved   Practices such as Family Group Decision Making are utilized

32. Engaging Incarcerated Fathers   When possible, the caseworker should visit the incarcerated father to assess needs for services & to assess whether services are available in the jail or prison   In most cases, it is in the child's best interest to visit & maintain contact with a parent who is incarcerated  Contact visits are best

33. Engaging Incarcerated Fathers Incarcerated Fathers:   Have the right to participate in the case planning   Should be included in the family service plan   Should have goals tailored to their needs

34. Engaging Incarcerated Fathers Incarcerated Fathers:   Have the right, in most cases, to maintain contact with their children while incarcerated   Have the same visitation rights as mothers, under the same circumstances

35. Engaging Incarcerated Fathers Incarcerated Fathers:   Should participate in court hearings, which can be accomplished through:   Videoconferencing   Teleconferencing   Having him transported to the hearing

36. Engaging Fathers in Visitation   Regular visits & contact are in the best interest of the child   At the very least, absent safety considerations, a child's visits or contact after the initiation of a dependency proceeding should be the same or similar as the child's visits or contact with father prior to the dependency proceeding

37. Engaging Fathers in Visitation   Fathers should have quality visits   Visits should be structured so that fathers can be active participants & can accommodate the different ways in which parents interact with their children   Supervision should not affect the quality of the visits   Less supervision is best!

38. Recommendations   Adoption of the Mission & Vision Statements   Approval & adoption of the protocols for establishing paternity & locating fathers   Approval of the concepts & recommendations for engaging fathers in case planning & services

39. Recommendations   That the workgroup continue & be expanded to:   Thoroughly examine & identify the issues surrounding visits   To develop best practices   To make recommendations with respect to visits for both parents, siblings, grandparents & others

40. Recommendations   The CPCMS orders should be revised to include check boxes that would require:   A finding of paternity   A finding as to how paternity was established, or   Establishment of paternity

41. Recommendations   If paternity has not or cannot be established the CPCMS orders should reflect:   The reason(s) that paternity has not been established   What efforts, if any, are being made to establish paternity   Refer these recommendations to the Juvenile Rules Committee

42. Recommendations   Collection of data thru CPCMS or other means to measure outcomes with respect to father engagement   Survey should be sent out to all 67 jurisdictions to determine current practices/trends   Create a parent handbook to assist all parents in understanding their rights

43. Recommendations   Work with BCSE to have access to the paternity tracking system. This should be available to all 67 CYF agencies after August 2010   Each jurisdiction should create an agreement or MOU between the court DRS & CYF that would permit DRS to provide PACSES information to CYF

44. Training Recommendations   In 2011, regional training should be held to focus on fatherhood engagement, including establishing paternity, locating fathers, & gender specific communication   Children & youth staff should receive training on locating fathers—agencies should consider hiring &/or assigning dedicated staff to locate fathers

45. Training Recommendations   Training for caseworkers & judges on proper engagement of mothers & others with respect to the inclusion of father in the process   Regular, mandatory cross-systems trainings focusing on aspects of fatherhood engagement   Utilization of Advocating for Nonresident Fathers in Child Welfare Court Cases, as a training tool for parent attorneys

46. THANK YOU!

47. GET INSPIRED!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n ktBsI0PYPs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n ktBsI0PYPs KNOCK! KNOCK! By Daniel Beaty