Applying Insights from Human Connection and Co-Regulation: Supporting Fathers in Human Services Programs

Reflecting on this multi-disciplinary body of research on human connection, co-regulation, and father engagement reveals opportunities to build on the co-regulation framework and apply a relationship-based approach to supporting fatherhood and father engagement in human services programs. Co-regulation is defined as the interactive process by which caring adults (1) provide warm supportive relationships, (2) promote self-regulation through coaching, modeling, and feedback, and (3) structure supportive environments.  In order to recognize the needs and strengths of fathers in their relational connections, it is important to critically re-examine negative assumptions that have historically been made about fathers and focus on opportunities for positive connection and co-regulation. Human services programs can play an active role in reshaping the narrative around fathers and helping to heal and strengthen the connections fathers have in their lives. This publication provides a summary of the formative work to explore the intersection of these areas, overarching themes from the meeting with experts, subsequent review and synthesis of barriers and opportunities for practice, and priorities for future learning and research.

Discussions among experts during the meeting held by OPRE helped to identify actionable opportunities to strengthen father engagement across the human services sector. The rich and insightful input from our diverse group of expert participants led to the expansion of OPRE’s co-regulation framework to include supporting adults — especially fathers — across six relational contexts.

The adapted version of the co-regulation framework enables the expansion of father engagement goals to a more holistic understanding of fathers’ development. In addition, the paper discusses an adaptation of the A-B-C framework from the field of school-based racial identity development, to organize ideas from the experts panel on how interactions and connections in each of these contexts can contribute to the larger goals of affirming fathers’ identities, building fathers’ sense of belonging in programs and communities, and cultivating fathers’ leadership roles and skills. 

Additional development based on the synthesis of the meeting participants’ input and relevant fatherhood research yielded a relationship-based and co-regulation informed vision for father engagement. As practitioners and programs develop a concrete roadmap, we can continuously and collectively develop, study, and apply lessons learned from the field.

The foundational work to explore the intersection of these areas and the 2021 meeting lay the groundwork to identify research opportunities, programming applications, and lessons for applying a connection and co-regulation lens to father engagement. The meeting agenda and focus was developed by reviewing lessons learned from OPRE’s ongoing work related to self-regulation and co-regulation as well as emerging information from the field of social connection. It was also guided by active engagement with federal staff involved in human services programs and research relevant to serving and supporting fathers. Meeting participants included academic experts on human connection, family relationships, human development, co-regulation, and fatherhood; researchers and practitioners who work in a range of human services programs including Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood, Child Welfare, Home Visiting, and early childhood programs; and fathers who have lived experience in the context of human services programs To learn about how co-regulation and connection could support the multiple roles fathers have, we identified six relational contexts that many fathers experience and that are relevant to human services programming. Meeting participants explored how integrating the connection lens and the essential elements of the co-regulation framework (relationships, developmental interactions, and environments) can promote father and family well-being across various program settings.

Meeting participants identified several areas for future learning to inform how insights about human connection and co-regulation could be applied to support fathers in human services programs:

• Translational Inquiry: Some priorities involve translating what has been effective in other public domains to human services as well as applying what is known from other fields to understanding fathers in human services programs.
• Descriptive Studies: Other priorities require getting a better understanding of implementation challenges within human services program settings.
• Measurement Validation, Improvement, and Development: This priority involves identifying, modifying, and developing the types of measures that would be most helpful for understanding process and outcomes.
• Pilot Testing and Feasibility: This type of priority involves developing and testing specific strategies across populations, settings, and development. 
• Documenting and Disseminating Successes: In addition to the specific ideas offered by the meeting contributors, we also identified inquiries that can document existing and ongoing successes and practical wisdom in integrating connection and co-regulation insights with the fatherhood engagement work in human services.