Promoting Father Involvement

Michigan Action Plan for Father Involvement (MAP-FI)

SPEAKERS: MAP-FI CO-LEADS

Dr. Richard Tolman

Professor of Social Work, University of Michigan
rtolman@umich.edu

Amy Lindholm
Management Analyst, MI State Court Administrative Office
LindholmA@courts.mi.gov
Practitioner
Panelists
Representatives
from the Advisory
Committee to the
Michigan Action
Plan for Father
Detroit Grand Rapids Flint
Involvement
Bomani Gray Matt Haviland Shon Hart
Agenda

● Why MAP-FI?
● UM research findings and recommendations
● MAP-FI results and continuing efforts
● Vision for the future
Michigan Action Plan for Fatherhood
Involvement (MAP-FI)
About MAP-FI
1. Our Goal: To foster collaboration among partner programs serving families
in Michigan, particularly those programs that cater to fathers.
2. How: Planning grant from the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network;
work led by Erin Frisch (Director, Michigan Office of Child Support) and
Rich Tolman (University of Michigan School of Social Work)
a. Co-chairs: UM and custody/parenting time/child support state agency
leadership (Thanks to Ellen Wood and Amy Coscarelli--the Office of
Child Support co-leads)
b. Contributed to by MSW and Ph.D student research assistants.
About MAP-FI (cont.)
● Our Methods:
○ We have researched the best ways to structure and support ongoing father
involvement efforts in Michigan through a series of stakeholder interviews,
stakeholder surveys, client focus groups and policy analysis efforts.
○ Monthly advisory committee meetings to share issues, collect feedback, and
vision solutions.
○ Subcommittee work in specific focus areas.
Advisory Committee Representation
Office of Child Support Family Preservation and Reunification
Friend of the Court Bureau TANF Assistance
Friend of the Court Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities
Department of Corrections University of Michigan
Prosecuting Attorney (Family) Wayne State University
Family Division Judges Practitioners from: Wayne, Genesee, Ingham,
Kent
City/County Health Depts
 Research Highlights

University of Michigan School of Social Work

Research so far - by the Numbers

30 Stakeholder Interviews

3 Focus Groups (Flint, Lansing, Detroit)

192 Survey Responses

Barriers to Father
Involvement
Themes of Barriers to Father Involvement
● Criminal justice/incarceration
● Exclusion of Fathers
● Lack of Support Systems ● Civil Court/Child Support

● Stigma Around Mental Health ● Race/Class

● Gender Stereotypes ● Funding

● Navigating Systems ● Policy Barriers

“... I was trying to get
help, you know, from the
county, and a lot of
services weren’t available
to me ‘cause I was a
male. I was told that like,
services are only
available to women.”

-Focus group participant

 Exclusion of Fathers
unwelcoming to fathers and mistrust was cultivated.
“I'm always talking to the mom about
the child and I have to consciously
say mom and dad and make sure
that I'm addressing both of them.
“But being in an environment or in a
room where you are just not welcome,
you’re not acknowledged, you’re not
catered to in any aspect, it drives you
the opposite way as far away as
possible.”
Stakeholders identified several ways services were
1. Lack of marketing to fathers - even in program
names.
2. Lack of employees trained to work with father
issues and fathers in general. This leads to
perceived biases against fathers among healthcare
providers because male voices and perspectives
are not heard and discussed.
3. Agencies rarely involve fathers in their services
(services that involve whole families often focus
exclusively on the mother-child relationship).
4. Many men believe that the system is stacked
against them (and implicitly favors women), which
creates a sense of reluctance to participate in these
systems and programs.
:My [father] was around, but not very
active… Really like a lot of his
decisions always trickled down and
affected the house, affected the
family throughout my entire life so I
knew that I didn't want that.

However, when I first started having

kids, I saw myself repeating cycles.
And so that was kind of my wake up
call. I can't repeat cycles and could
always see flashbacks from when it
happened when I was little.”

-Focus group participant

 Inadequate Support A significant barrier to fatherhood involvement is

Systems
lack of support. It is no secret that parenting is hard
and it is necessary to have a solid support system.

1. Fathers need spaces, such as support groups

or mentoring programs, where they can be
“I think people are really slow to with other fathers who are like them to receive

recognize the importance of advice and support.

2. They need role models as many did not grow
supporting the dads.”
up with a positive father figure in their lives.
3. Concrete needs like childcare and

“Some of the needs and daycare transportation hinder access to services that
are there. This is especially true in rural areas
I think is difficult for every one where there is no public transportation and for

and sometimes a single dad younger fathers or fathers with low-incomes.

especially.”
“I think for most of us at the table, we really
just being what we didn't have, you know,
growing up without a dad, the stuff that you
was missing out on as a child and you want to
make sure now that your child ain't missing
out on.”

“So it was like you had to force yourself or be

extremely intentional to become, what you
didn't have.”

-Focus group participant


Gender Stereotypes & Masculinity
“Dads need to know that there is support and
that it's okay to ask for help. You know, that's
another maladaptive message that men are
provided is that, you know, don't ask for help
because that makes you less of a man. If you've
got to depend on somebody else . . . [you should]
be able to go out and figure that out.”
“We’re so used to [telling] the father: go out and
work, be the breadwinner, bring the bacon
home. We don’t understand what mentally and
emotionally, even physically a present and
active father - what that does and how that
benefits children.”
There are a number of stereotypes that hinder how
involved fathers become with their children:
1. Fathers should be the “breadwinners” and provide
for their families. This translates to the idea that
fathers cannot be nurturing, because that is the
mother’s role.
2. Men in general feel it is not acceptable to express
their emotions.
3. As men, many fathers have been overwhelmingly
taught to suppress their emotions. They have
learned that it is not acceptable to ask for help with
taking care of their children or in other aspects of
their lives because they feel it would be a sign that
they are weak.

Mental Health & Substance Use
“It's just not typical for men in the
communities that we're working in to say that
they have mental health issues or they're
struggling with depression or anxiety. It looks
different in men than it does in women. So I
think mental health support is the biggest
thing . . . programs welcoming fathers who
need mental health support.”
“With men, it’s that whole thing around
emotions. 'Do I share my emotions or my
feelings with other groups of men or even
individuals?'
Stigma surrounds mental health and seeking of
therapeutic services.
1. Fathers have been taught to toughen up and deal
with emotions on their own.
2. Parenting is extremely stressful and fathers need
support just like mothers. Mental health issues,
such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and
trauma impact the way fathers parent and
co-parent.
3. We have to destigmatize mental health in order to
help fathers and their families as well as to
acknowledge the cultural forces that prevent men
from seeking assistance for such issues.
“[My brother-in-law] did everything that was
asked [of] him. Had to be there to pick up
kids; he was on time. He was on time to drop
them off. When they said, ‘You have to go to
anger management classes,’ he went to the
anger management class. He did everything
100% right. And [the Court] still screwed him
over. And that's not a computer thing. That
was just a person.”

-Focus group participant

 Navigating Systems Fathers struggle to navigate the many complex systems
necessary to access services and successfully co-parent.

I
“ think a lot of the time, dads, 1. One of the biggest challenges is navigating the
family court system.

they want to be heard, you 2. Many fathers fear going to court for fear of arrest.
3. There is a profound lack of understanding of the
know, they have concerns Friend of the Court.

and they feel that they've

4. Fathers need education and legal assistance with
custody, parenting time and child support.

been kind of marginalized by 5. Fathers need programs and services that provide
employment, housing, and public assistance
the way that the system has support, as the majority are tailored for mothers.

been set up historically . . . so

6. Fathers who are minorities and/or low-income
have been historically marginalized by such

they want to be heard, but systems.

they don't want to be told

what to do.”
“I got a child support warrant right now. I go up to the child
support lady, my case worker, like ‘Can I make a payment
plan? Can I get you some money every month or something?’
But she wants me to pay like a thousand dollars up front.
Like, I don't got no job. I just got out of prison and I just got
off parole and I'm fighting a case that I… just beat while I was
on parole. You know what I'm saying? Like I ain't just got out
of prison.”

-Focus group participant

Civil court/child support
“We've penalized fathers for not paying child
support, but we also don't teach them how to
give them practical skills around what it
means to be a dad. And so I think we miss so
many opportunities by penalizing them than
sort of really supporting them and educating
them.”
...If they have any concerns about what's going on
with child support, with how things are, how their
children are being treated in the situation where
they are with the custodial parent . . . they're not
heard.”
A large proportion of fathers working
with the stakeholders we interviewed
are dealing with child support and
custody. As a result:
1. Fathers feel they are not being
heard by the child support system.
2. They need help navigating the legal
system and learning the purpose of
the Friend of the Court and child
support.
“Hey, I have a felony. I can't get really a good paying job. So what am I
going to do? I came from the street selling dope, robbing, whatever the
case. So now I want to change my life - a felon. I can't get a good paying
job… On top of the relationship between black males in the legal system,
black men just don't like the legal system, right?...

I avoid at all costs. Catch me if you can. Yeah. It's just a cycle and it's
unfortunate…”

-Focus group participant

 Criminal Courts/Mass Incarceration
“They’re looking for work. I mean a lot of my dads have
parole officers, right? I deal with a lot of dads who are
Fathers who have been incarcerated need support as they
re-enter the community, especially with employment. They
may have competing obligations and struggle to obtain

re-entering into society so that’s an element. They can employment because of their previous incarceration.
only be in certain areas of the city at certain times.
Many of our stakeholders noted that incarceration
They have curfews, GPS trackers, you know?”
affected fatherhood practices. Mindfulness toward
“Increasingly we’re seeing that a huge proportion, people who have been formerly incarcerated is
particularly in marginalized communities, young men have especially important given the many social, economic,
some kind of criminal record or justice system involved
record and that that can prevent them from getting better and political obstacles they face upon re-entry.
jobs. It can prevent them from getting education and the
kinds of loans that would support that education. Prevents
them being on the lease of a public housing project.”

“Not only marks people in terms of the time they spent

incarcerated and involved with the criminal justice system
but also in the often lifelong denial of easy or some kind of
access to the supports that would help them.”
“If [you’re] a black male
and you big, you got to
sit there and defend
yourself over and over
and over.”
-Focus group
participant
 Race & Class
intersect with the needs of Michigan fathers?
“I still think that the biggest barrier that
the families that we work with face are
racism and discrimination, especially
against black and Brown men.
“You know, I think for modern parents
and a modern single dad, you know, he
spends so much of his time just in
survival mode that he doesn't have the
time to appreciate his children.”
How do larger structural issues like race and class
1. Our stakeholders pointed out that many agencies
have difficulty reaching out to African-American
fathers, as well as language barriers between
themselves and non-English speaking fathers.
2. A major barrier for fathers with low-incomes
is finding adequate time to spend with their
children.
3. Inadequate housing and homelessness is a
problem and a barrier because children need a
safe place to live.
4. All of these issues and stress often lead to
depression and other mental health issues.
 Funding
“Money. Yeah, right now, so we have the guy
that does our fatherhood program; he's a one
man show. He's the only person. I think they
were able to get an [unpaid] intern for a
little while last year. And so he’s pretty
maxed out, himself.”
“If we had an endless amount of money, we
would be helping with housing. We'd be
helping with transportation. We would
create jobs . . . we would love to have more
case managers. We would love to have more
engagement events. We would love to be able
to provide more assistance to our parents . . .
The most common issue presented to us by our
stakeholders was funding. The ways in which funding
issues impacted service limitations for fathers in
Michigan were varied. Stakeholders identified the
following issues issues tied directly to funding:
1. Lack of money for advertising services to fathers;
2. Lack of money for training providers to create
inclusive environments for fathers;
3. Lack of funds was tied to an inability to hire
providers (e.g., individual and group therapists)
that have experience working with fathers and
men’s issues;
4. Rural service providers were in particular need for
services given that many grants are geared toward
urban areas;
5. A lack of funding sources specifically earmarked
for father-related services.
 Policy Barriers
“You know, I wouldn’t say that it’s our
organization that would need to improve.
What we kinda run into as an
organization are barriers within the
people who are kinda above us when it
comes to certain things we can do.”
“We have laws in Michigan that in fact
serve to keep fathers away from their
family and they disproportionately affect
low income and minority fathers and
families ... those are the laws that need to
change.”
Policy barriers were often described as an issue
that discouraged fathers from participating in
various programs.
1. Program funding sources to serve fathers
(relative to mothers and children) are few
and therefore difficult to obtain.
2. Various funding sources must be allocated
in certain ways, thus preventing agencies
from allocating funds specifically toward
father-related issues and services.
3. Michigan laws may need changes to
overcome unintened barriers for positive
father involvement.
Suggestions for Service Improvements
Intentional Engagement of Fathers

Inclusivity of Underserved Fathers

Access to Community Resources

Systemic Changes.
 Engaging Fathers Engaging the father with intention to meet their needs
was a highly suggested initiative from stakeholders.
Suggestions included:
“How are those services really dealing with
increasing their role with their child in a way that 1. Having appointments specifically catered toward

they can embrace and they’re open to? You know fathers when the child is first born, during public

just meeting them where they’re at and not assistance appointments, and during home visits.

assuming anything. Asking. Engaging them.” 2. Support groups for fathers that would provide
education, resources, and other needed support.

“The feedback that we got from our focus groups 3. Providing male staff and educators to better build

with dads is that you have to be purposeful in rapport with fathers.

engaging fathers . . . You have to be honest, they 4. Creating environments that welcome fathers into

have to trust you. And they want to see an spaces and that are supportive in engaging fathers

environment that has men walking around in it. with their children and with other fathers.

They want to see a building that has pictures of

fathers on the wall, that has magazines for men . . .
They want opportunities to kind of just drop in
and hang out and not necessarily be enrolled in
formal programming.”
Inclusivity of Fathers Stakeholders were very vocal about being inclusive when
offering programs to fathers from various backgrounds. This
includes young fathers, incarcerated fathers, low-income
fathers, and fathers of color. Suggestions include:
“I think they need a person with the
same perspectives as they have. I 1. Removing the requirement for fathers to disclose their
criminal history on employment applications.
think men look at parenting totally 2. Creating educational groups for young fathers, support

different than women. And I'm not groups for minority and incarcerated fathers.
3. Using a restorative justice approach rather than punitive
saying that a female educator would judgement.
do a better job or, you know, wouldn't 4. Increasing access to livable wages and transportation.

do as good a job as I do, but I think 5. Hiring male therapists and staff members, as well as
training existing personnel on the intricacies of working
with a, you know, I'm a male and a with fathers and men.

person that's been a father or is a

father, it gives, you know, you
understand their perspective a little
better.”
 Access to Community A prevalent theme of suggestions was to find

Resources
creative and realistic ways of effective outreach to
fathers so they are connected to resources.
Recommendations included:
“Some type of website that fathers can access …
information or you know, support to have it . . .
1. Creating an engaging and interactive website
like with 211 for United Way.
where fathers could access local, city and
”
statewide fatherhood programs in their area.
“I think the most important thing to do would be to
begin letting dads know kind of at a state level … 2. Utilizing social media as a way to target fathers
that there are programs out there available for and promote resources near them.
fathers . . . not with the focus that they're bad or 3. Facilitating conversations with fatherhood
that they've done anything wrong, but that there's programs around the state so that they are
support out there for them. I think that kind of aware of each other.
information needs to be out there kind of at a
societal level so they can kind of trickle down and
guys can start to change that perception that they
don't need help.”
 Many of the previously suggested service improvements may
be difficult to attain without addressing and improving
systems they relate to. Stakeholders were cognizant of this and
recommended policy changes. Such recommendations
included:

Systemic Changes
“I would rename a lot of services that we have out
there such as WIC and MIHP, because that would
be more inclusive of fathers by using the word
‘family’ perhaps as the key word.”
“I think that historically and still now men and
fathers have been the forgotten component in most
services. I mean, my dream is that someday instead
of having MCH, maternal child health, we'll have
parent child health, you know, PCH - recognizing
the importance that fathers play.”
1. Creating a policy that would allow nurses and social
workers who visit pregnant women reimbursement for
also seeing fathers.
2. Ensuring that male partners are equally part of the
pregnancy and child raising process as female partners.
3. Renaming programming that targets women to be more
inclusive of fathers in their titles (e.g. Women, Infant,
and Children (WIC) and Maternal Infant Health Program
(MIHP)).
4. Making mental health and substance use services more
accessible for fathers.
5. Creation of policies that aid fathers in being able to
better care for their children through education,
financial assistance and guidance, and possible changes
to how child support and parenting time are decided.
 Policy Progress:
A Voice at the Table
 ● Input solicited from Metro
Detroit Father Policy Group

Jail and Pretrial

● Updates to MAP-FI group on
bills w/ impacts for fathers:

Incarceration
○ Reducing circumstances
when a driver’s license may

Task Force
(Stay updated at:
https://courts.michigan.gov/Ne
ws-Events/Pages/DataDrivenJus
ticeSolutions.aspx)
be suspended
○ Reducing circumstances
when a bench warrant for
arrest may be issued (ex. not
appearing in court)
○ Reducing crimes treated as
misdemeanors vs. citations
(ex. driving without license
with you)
 ● Cross membership from
MAP-FI Advisory
Committee

Governor Whitmer’s
● Recommendation to
create a fatherhood

Poverty Task Force commission - because of

MAP-FI’s work
● Considering
(Learn more at: implementing a
https://www.michigan.gov/whit two-generational
mer/0,9309,7-387-90499_90705- approach
514970--,00.html)
 Infographic:
Pushing Back on the “Deadbeat Dad”
Narrative
Map of Services for Fathers
in Michigan
● Several regional coalitions
exist today
● Help develop coalitions in
other regions
Moving from Planning to Sustainable Work
Fatherhood Media Suggested by
Practitioners Around the State
Fatherhood Playlist
● Luther Vandross – Dance with My Father ●
● Birdman & Lil Wayne - Stuntin’ Like My
Daddy
● John Mayer - Daughters
● Eric Clapton – My Father’s Eyes
● Harry Chapin – Cat’s in the Cradle
● Ben E. King – Stand by Me
● The Temptations – Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone ●
● Leon Thomas – Song for My Father
● Sting – All This Time
● Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely
● Tim McGraw – My Little Girl
Babyface – The Day (That You Gave Me a Son)
● Cat Stevens – Father & Son
● Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World
● John Lennon – Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
● Ben E. King and The Drifters – This Magic
Moment
● J. Cole ft. TLC – Crooked Smile
Will Smith – Just the Two of Us
● Slick Rick – It’s a Boy
● Shaquille O’Neal – Biological Didn’t Bother
● 2Pac – Papa’z Song
● Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs – Be a Father to Your
Child
Fatherhood Movies & TV Shows
● The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
● John Q (2002)
● Daddy’s Little Girls (2007)
● Finding Nemo (2003)
● Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
● Remember the Titans (2000)
● The Incredibles (2004)
● Mama Mia (2008)
● Taken (2008)
● Daddy Day Care (2003)
● Big Daddy (1999)
● Annie (2014)
● He Got Game (1998)
● Boyz n the Hood (1991)
● The Lion King (1994)
● Armageddon (1998)
● Courageous (2011)
● The Mask You Live In [Documentary]
(2015)
● Speechless [TV] (2016-2019)
● This is Us [TV] (2016- )
● When They See Us [TV] (2019)
● Little House on the Prairie
 A Michigan where
Vision for the children are thriving
from healthy, strong
Future relationships with all
of their parents and
caregivers.
Thank You!