Introduction
Children, families, and fathers themselves benefit when fathers are engaged in their families. In 2018, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called on child welfare and other human services agencies to work together to create cultures that value the vital roles that fathers play in their families and engage them in services (Administration for Children and Families 2018).
Through the Fathers and Continuous Learning in Child Welfare (FCL) project, sponsored by ACF, six teams representing five child welfare agencies participated in a Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) to improve the engagement of fathers and paternal relatives in the child welfare system. A BSC is a collaborative learning approach used to test and spread potentially promising practices to help organizations improve in a focused topic area. Between 2019 and 2021, these teams used data and small tests of change to pilot engagement strategies. In a descriptive evaluation, conducted between 2021-2023, the FCL project team assessed agencies’ progress toward fully engaging fathers and paternal relatives in all aspects of delivering child welfare services, shifts in agency culture, and the promise of the BSC as a methodology for improving practices in child welfare.
Administration for Children and Families. “ACF-ACM-IM-18-01 (Integrating Approaches That Prioritize and Enhance Father Engagement).” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, October 2018. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/policy-guidance/acf-acf-im-18-01-integrating-approaches-prioritize-and-enhance-father.
Purpose
This brief describes how the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) launched and sustained a coordinated approach to improve father engagement across the state. The Hartford office of Connecticut DCF participated in the FCL BSC. Connecticut DCF modeled its approach after the BSC. The experiences of the Hartford team in FCL directly informed Connecticut’s statewide approach. The state’s experience offers an encouraging example for other public agencies or organizations looking to improve child welfare practices statewide.
Key Findings and Highlights
Connecticut DCF’s pilot of its statewide approach to improving father engagement took place during 2021 and 2022. In the approach, regional teams of child welfare staff led the development and piloting of strategies to change organizational culture related to father engagement in their regions. A statewide committee coordinated these regional efforts and provided training and assessments to regional offices. The statewide committee was led by two leaders of the Hartford office’s efforts in the FCL BSC and a third chairperson who oversaw the state’s efforts to improve father engagement under a Child and Family Services Review Program Improvement Plan.
After the end of the pilot, three lessons emerged for Connecticut DCF and led to next steps for the agency to sustain momentum for improving father engagement statewide.
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Promising engagement strategies involved holding caseworkers and supervisors accountable for engaging fathers on their caseloads and problem-solving when caseworkers faced challenges in their attempts to engage fathers. After the pilot, Connecticut DCF convened a steering committee to review the strategies that regions developed and develop a statewide practice guide that they could use to hold offices accountable for engaging fathers.
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Efforts to improve father engagement require long-term focus and support. The chairpersons leading the statewide committee found it challenging to balance father engagement with their other job responsibilities. To keep momentum and emphasis on improving father engagement in child welfare, the state created a dedicated fatherhood lead position in its central office whose sole responsibility would be father engagement.
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Endorsement from executive leaders can give legitimacy to change efforts. Staff involved in father engagement efforts observed the importance of leaders’ buy-in in ensuring that change initiatives were taken seriously, both at the state level and in regional offices. In early 2023, Connecticut DCF named a deputy commissioner as a chair of the committee coordinating statewide father engagement efforts. In the next phase of the statewide father engagement work, one committee chairperson planned to focus on working with office directors to develop office strategic plans for engaging fathers.
Methods
The data that informed this brief were collected as a part of the FCL descriptive evaluation. During summer 2022, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with father engagement leads from each Connecticut DCF region and two chairpersons from the statewide committee. Researchers also received regular updates on progress of the DCF pilot through monthly evaluation technical assistance calls.
Citation
Baumgartner, Scott (2023). “A Statewide Approach to Improving Father Engagement in Child Welfare: Lessons from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.” OPRE Report #2023-XX. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- BSC:
- Breakthrough Series Collaborative. The BSC is a continuous learning collaborative methodology used to test and spread promising practices to help organizations improve in a focused topic area. It has five key elements: (1) the Collaborative Change Framework; (2) inclusive multi-level Improvement Teams; (3) the Shared Learning Environment; (4) expert faculty; and (5) the Model for Improvement. Each plays a critical role and works with the other elements in interrelated ways. Each BSC has a topic area of focus. Improvement Teams are continuously identifying, collecting, and reviewing data on the topic to gauge their organization’s progress toward specific outcomes.
- Connecticut DCF:
- Connecticut Department of Children and Families
- FCL:
- Fathers and Continuous Learning in Child Welfare