PROBLEM STATEMENTS:

(a) It is time for the State of Tennessee to take an active role in preserving families with a father being a healthy balance in their children's lives and a family.

(b) A comprehensive fatherhood initiative plan aims to increase father involvement by equipping men with parenting skills, economic stability, and co-parenting tools to ensure children's emotional and financial support.

(c) F.A.T.H.E.R.S. focus on evidence-based training, 24:7 dad programs, career advancement, and support for noncustodial parents to foster healthy, lasting father-child connections.

(d) Poor maternal and child health, child abuse and neglect, mental health issues, and poverty are all significant problems plaguing communities across the U.S. Many initiatives aimed at addressing or preventing these societal issues lack a key piece of the whole-family approach.

(e) The United States is currently experiencing a historic high in the number of children born to single parents, with 1 in 4 children, approximately 18.5 million, living without a biological, step, or adoptive father in their household (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022). This absence of fathers has led to significant negative consequences for families, communities, and society as a whole. Research indicates that children growing up without their fathers’ active involvement encounter greater challenges across various aspects of life.

To tackle this issue, the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) aims to mobilize community partners, policymakers, and experts to advocate for fatherhood and offer essential support to empower fathers. The TDHS Fatherhood grant program is a significant investment in the health and well-being of Tennessee society. The organizations listed have been awarded grants to advance the essential role of fathers in Tennessee. Grant recipients are on-the-ground service delivery providers with previous experience providing fatherhood or related programming to communities

Empower fathers by providing them with essential skills, knowledge, and support to excel in their roles. Through this program, fathers are equipped with the resources needed to navigate the challenges of parenthood, strengthen their relationships with their children, and become more actively engaged in their families' lives. Fathers are able to cultivate positive parenting behaviors, enhance their communication skills, and build a stronger foundation for their children's future success. The impact of this program extends beyond just the individual fathers involved, as it also contributes to creating a more supportive and nurturing environment for families as a whole.

Key Pillars of a Comprehensive Fatherhood Initiative

As the next Governor of the State of Tennessee, I will collaborate and work with all of these effective and proven organizations. The State of Tennessee F.A.T.H.E.R will work in conjunction with some of these entities. TBA.

• Parenting Skills & Education: Utilizing curricula like "24:7 Dad" to teach positive parenting behaviors, communication, and emotional regulation.

• Economic Stability: Providing career training, job placement, and financial coaching (e.g., AFIRM MEMPHIS) to help fathers manage child support and provide financially.

• Co-Parenting and Relationship Support: Offering counseling to resolve conflicts with the mother of their children and strengthening co-parenting dynamics.

• Mental Health and Support Services: Providing counseling, support groups, and resources for mental health to help fathers navigate challenges.

• Incarcerated/Noncustodial Support: Specialized workshops (e.g., "Inside Out Dad") designed for inmates and noncustodial fathers to connect with their children.

AFIRM invests in Memphis’ fathers by building capacity to reduce dependency. It establishes a pathway to the goal of equipping fathers to provide emotionally and financially for their children.

A Father’s Involvement Really Matters (AFIRM), and the promise of children reaching their full potential rests on whether parents – including fathers – are equipped to provide all aspects of a child’s support. By focusing on the things that often get in the way of Memphis’ low-income fathers’ support to their children chronic un/under employment, unmanageable child support orders, and fragile relationships with the mother(s) of their child(ren) our integrated service model AFIRM, is equipped to accomplish three goals:

1. Build capacity for healthy parenting and co-parenting.

2. Increase economic mobility and earning capacity

3. Increase sustained child support payments

Our model respects that low-income men need and access services differently than traditional programs deliver. We meet fathers where they are, through six well-established, trusted community sites across Memphis.

Career Pillar – By building occupational skills required for higher wage employment, then placing fathers into curated career paths, we fuel economic mobility. Our employer partners across industry sectors let us target careers with advancement opportunities.

Parenting Pillar – Through peer support (by men, for men), fatherhood development workshops, and the option for co-parenting workshops, we cultivate a circle of trust that recognizes a father’s value and supports their ability to be emotionally present for their children.

Financial Pillar – Rightsizing child support orders (modifying an existing order or an initial order) raises the likelihood that child support payments will be paid consistently. It also reduces the risk of fathers withdrawing from their children due to the shame of mounting arrearages.

Understanding Dad helps moms recognize the importance of dad's involvement in their children's lives. It encourages reflection on how past experiences impact relationships with fathers and teaches communication skills to strengthen co-parenting relationships.

Implementation Strategies

• Community Partnership: Partner with local businesses, courts, and non-profits to build trusted community sites, as highlighted by Fatherhood Grants.

• Targeted Programming: Launching programs like the "Training Camp for Dads" and focus forums to educate on the impact of father absence.

• Evidence-Based Curriculum: Implementing evidence-based programs designed for both residential and non-residential fathers.

Targeted Initiatives

• Families Matter (Memphis): Focuses on biblical principles, life skills, and active fatherhood.

• National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI): Offers widespread training, tools, and research to build father-inclusive communities.

• Tennessee Fatherhood Initiative: Provides statewide parenting and financial coaching resources.

Empowered Parents In Community (EPIC) Dads was introduced into the First Things First (FTF) ecosystem after acknowledging the need for additional fatherhood support in economically disadvantaged and at-risk communities, specifically with a larger focus on equipping fathers with the parenting skills and knowledge they need. This program includes case management to guide dads as they secure basic needs such as job and interview skills, connections to employers, and financial empowerment to move toward stability.

With a lack of fatherhood parenting classes in Hamilton County, EPIC Dads fulfills court-ordered parenting needs specifically for dads. Utilizing the evidence-based curriculum, 24:7 Dads, EPIC Dads covers topics including: understanding the commitment of being a dad, showing and handling emotions, open communication with their children, connecting with their children's emotions, discipline, and the importance of positive co-parenting.