Oakland Family Services: Dynamic Dads

1. By: Kevin Zoromski, MSEd. Early Childhood Services Manager And Carlton Elam, B.S. Dynamic Dads Program Lead Oakland Family Services: Dynamic Dads

2. Oakland Family Services • Oakland Family Services is a private, non-profit human service agency that has been providing quality services to families and the Southeastern Michigan community since 1921.

3. Oakland Family Services • Oakland Family Services serves more than 43,000 children, adolescents, and adults every year. • Consumers in many programs receive services in their homes, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and in the work place.

4. Oakland Family Services • Our Mission: • Established in 1921, a Center of Excellence…bridging individuals and families in need to successful and independent lives. • Our Vision: • Strong and safe communities comprised of healthy individuals and families able to nurture each other and their children.

5. Dynamic Dads Overview

6. Dynamic Dads was created in September of 2006 with the goal of supporting and educating fathers who are raising children with disabilities, delays, chronic illness, or behavioral concerns.Dynamic Dads is currently in it’s 5th year of programming.

7. Based on current research, a child who has a developmental delay or disability is at greater risk of growing up in a father-absent home and of not having a close and connected relationship with their father. The delay or disability of the child creates a host of challenges for the father in his relationship with himself, with the child and with the mother of his child. Challenges including grief, denial, anger and depression.

8. Dynamic Dads Approach: • We approach providing services for fathers and their families, who are raising children who have disabilities or developmental delays, with the following key understandings:

9. Fathers of children with disabilities are fathers first, and fathers of a child with a disability second. Many of the issues faced by fathers who have children with disabilities are the same as fathers who have children who are typically developing.

10. Fathers and mothers of children with disabilities have many of the same needs and concerns, but there can also be real differences in how they respond to their child’s condition, what they do to cope, and what they find helpful. Fathers tend to have more of a “fix it” mentality.

11. Fathers want information about their child’s condition and development, what can be done to help, and what services are available to help their child and the family as a whole.

12. The needs of fathers can be missed by services, which traditionally tend to focus on support for the child and mother. Dynamic Dads is available to provide that focus for fathers.

13. Dynamic Dads Curriculum

14. The Responsible Fatherhood Curriculum is 12 weeks in length and includes topics such as: • Boys to Men: Experiencing Manhood • The Art of Communication • Father’s as Providers • Developing Values in Children • Coping as a Single Father • Dealing with Children’s Behaviors • Understanding Male-Female Relationships • Managing Conflict and Handling Anger

15. Curriculum • Using the Responsible Fatherhood Curriculum by the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, Dynamic Dads has created a revised version to address the particular issues related to parenting children with special needs. • The adaptations include a stronger focus on child development, legal rights and responsibilities for children and families coping with disabilities, and communication between family members.

16. A Look at a Revised Version of the Curriculum: • Boys to Men: Experiencing Manhood • Life Before and After Becoming a Parent • The Art of Communication • Discussing Your Child’s Delay/Disability with Others • Father’s as Providers • Developing Values with Children • Coping as a Father Parenting a Child with a Delay or Disability • Dealing with Children’s Behaviors (Positive Discipline) • Understanding Male-Female Relationships • Managing Conflict and Handling Anger • Domestic Violence

17. Dynamic Dads Referral Sources

20. Dynamic Dads Group Locations

23. Oakland County as seen in 4 quadrants

25. Group Sessions • Group session attendance ranges from 1-16 total group sessions with an individual participant Mean average of 7.33. • Mode = 11 groups • 47% of participants completed 9 or more groups. • 28% of participants completed 6 to 8 groups. • 25% of participants completed 5 groups or less.

27. Individual Sessions • Participants completed on average 1.9 individual sessions, ranging from 1- 8 total sessions. • 50% participated in 1 session • 25% participated in 2 sessions • 15% participated in 3 sessions • 4% participated in 4 sessions • 2% participated in 5 sessions • 3% participated in more than 5 sessions

29. Dynamic Dads Collected Data All data and information was received from 430 participants. Nearly 70% of participants completed the Pre/Post measures and were rated as having completed the program.

30. Dynamic Dads Demographic Characteristics

31. Dynamic Dads clients are very diverse in: Ethnicity Age Income level

33. Age Range • Dynamic Dads clients are also very diverse in their age range. • Father’s in the program aged from 15 to 65 years old with the average age being at 35.5 years old.

35. Income Level • Approximately 58% of the participants indicated that their income was $20,000 a year or less; 10% had incomes at approximately $30,000; and 32% had incomes at $40,000 or higher.

36. Income Level

37. Dynamic Dads Changes in Pre- and Post- Test Scores on The Fatherhood Survey

38. Principle 1: Effective Fathers are Committed to Their Children

39. Principle 1 Results • Reported results from Principle 1 suggest that fathers were more engaged in spending time with their children and had higher motivation in their fathering role after completing Dynamic Dads.

40. Principle 2: Effective Fathers Know Their Children

41. Principle 2 Results • Results suggest that fathers had a better sense of their child’s growth and development needs, and developed a higher level of awareness of the issues their children were dealing with after completing Dynamic Dads.

42. Principle 3: Effective Fathers are Consistent in Their Attitudes and Behaviors

43. Principle 3 Results • Results suggest that fathers’ felt their moods and emotional states were more consistent after completing Dynamic Dads.

44. Principle 5: Effective Fathers Love, or at Least Respect, Their Children’s Mother

45. Principle 5 Results • Results suggest that fathers had an increase in their ability to positively co-parent with their child’s mother following participation in Dynamic Dads.

46. Principle 6: Effective Fathers Actively Listen to Their Children.

47. Principle 6 Results • Results suggest that fathers had an increase in their communication with their child following participation in Dynamic Dads.

48. Dynamic Dads Post-Test End of the Group Questionnaire

49. Scoring • Scores were measured on a scale ranging from 1-5 • 1= Mostly False • 2= Somewhat False • 3= Undecided • 4= Somewhat True • 5= Mostly True

50. Question 1 • The types of subjects and topics covered in the support group had relevance to the issues and concerns that I deal with as a father.