Can Child Welfare Caseworkers’ Positive Attitudes Enhance Nonresident Father Engagement Practices?

Abstract

Plans to improve nonresident father engagement practices within child welfare systems often include enhancing worker attitudes. Yet, there is little research on the role of worker attitudes in father engagement practices. To address this, we conducted logistic regression analysis with a sample of 1,300 child welfare cases in four U.S. states in 2004–2005. We found that workers’ attitudes that involving nonresident fathers helps child well-being increased their odds of contacting a nonresident father (odds ratio [OR] = 1.43 [1.00, 2.03]), seeking health insurance (OR = 2.25 [1.26, 4.02]), but did not affect workers seeking financial support from fathers. We call for better measurement of attitudes, their contexts, and their impact

Keywords

child and family welfare child welfare fathers father engagement professional issues casework case management and/or interdisciplinary practice child protection foster care

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