ACYF-CB-IM-02-01 Attachment C

Attachment C

FATHERHOOD AND HEALTHY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE

Responsible Fatherhood

Over the last four decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of children growing up in homes without fathers. In 1960, fewer than 10 million children did not live with their fathers. Today, the number is nearly 25 million. More than one-third of these children will not see their fathers at all during the course of a year. Studies show that children who grow up without responsible fathers are significantly more likely to live in poverty, perform poorly in school, engage in criminal activity, and abuse drugs and alcohol.

In view of the above, President George W. Bush, Secretary Tommy Thompson and Assistant Secretary Wade Horn have made promoting involved, committed and responsible fatherhood a national priority. The following principles guide this initiative: (1) all fathers can be important contributors to the well-being of their children; (2) parents are partners in raising their children, even when they do not live in the same household; (3) the roles fathers play in families are diverse and related to cultural and community norms; (4) men should receive the education and support necessary to prepare them for the responsibility of parenthood; and (5) government can encourage and promote father involvement through its programs and through its own workforce policies. Importantly, these principles and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) activities account for those circumstances under which increased involvement by a father may not be in the best interests of the child.

Recognizing that fathers play indispensable roles in children's lives such as nurturer, mentor, disciplinarian, moral instructor and skills coach, among other roles, HHS supports programs and policies that help fathers establish positive relationships with their children, provide financial and emotional support, and develop responsible parenting skills. Some programs reach out directly to fathers to promote responsible fatherhood and strengthen parenting skills. Other programs work to discourage young men from becoming fathers until they are married and ready for the responsibility.

Moreover, HHS supports awarding grants and conducting research to examine and promote responsible fatherhood. For example, HHS supports grants to faith-based and community organizations that work to strengthen the role that fathers' play in their families lives and grants to states to mentor children of prisoners. HHS also conducts extensive research into the role that responsible fathers play in ensuring the healthy development of children.

Healthy Marriages

Marriage is also extremely beneficial to children. Indeed, children raised outside of intact, married families are significantly more likely to engage in criminal activities, do poorly in school, abuse drugs or alcohol, commit suicide, have emotional and behavioral problems, suffer physical abuse, live in poverty, engage in early and frequent sex, and bear out-of-wedlock children, among other things, than children raised in intact married families.

In light of the foregoing, the Healthy Marriage Initiative is about helping couples, who choose marriage for themselves, develop the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain healthy marriages. To carry out the aims of this initiative, HHS plans to establish a center for healthy marriages, award competitive grants to faith-based and community organizations for skill-based marriage and parenting education, convene conferences, conduct research and provide technical assistance to social service providers.

Importantly, this initiative is NOT about the following: (1) it is not about telling people that they should be married, (2) it is not about trapping people in abusive marriages, and (3) it is not about withdrawing support for single mothers. Rather, the initiative is about providing couples with the skills necessary to form and sustain healthy marriages. President George Bush has been clear on this point. As he stated just this past November in his Presidential Proclamation regarding National Family Week: "My Administration is committed to strengthening the American family. Many one-parent families are also a source of comfort and reassurance, yet a family with a mom and dad who are committed to marriage and devote themselves to their children helps provide children a sound foundation for success. Government can support families by promoting policies that help strengthen the institution of marriage and help parents rear their children in positive and healthy environments."

Attachments:

ACYF-CB-IM-02-01
Attachment A - Public Law 107-133, the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001
Attachment B - Section-by-Section Summary of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001