Fathers have an important role to play in the lives of their children and families, yet many programs working with families struggle with including them. This training, co-led by experienced Family Support staff in different countries who have effectively engaged fathers in their programs, will unlock the keys to bridging the “DadGap” with an overarching goal of promoting the well-being of fathers and stronger outcomes for families as a whole. Participants will explore practical strategies, tools, and opportunities to recruit, engage, and retain fathers, and be guided to identify and develop actionable steps to increase father involvement.

A Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) is a leadership group of program participants that provides input, guidance, and feedback to a program on a regular basis. An active Parent Advisory Committee can be a highly valuable method of supporting meaningful parent engagement, developing parent leadership skills, and supporting a program's success.

Staff partnering with PACs ensures better program planning, responsiveness to the community, inclusion of underserved groups such as fathers, outreach, participation, and both individual participant and overall program outcomes.  So how can programs unlock the power of PACs? 

The Strengthening Families Framework and Approach focuses on engaging families, programs, and communities in building five key protective factors that all families need in order to thrive.  Research has shown that these protective factors increase family stability, enhance child development, and reduce child abuse and neglect.  First identified in 2005 by the Center for the Study of Social Policy, they have been utilized by family support, early childhood, and related professionals for over 20 years to strengthen families.

This training will help participants maximize the effectiveness of their work with families through understanding the five protective factors and identifying strategies they can use to ensure that families are supported in these key areas.