Ky.gov
Effective: 9/4/2026

C1.3 Fatherhood Engagement

Legal Authority

Introduction

​​Fatherhood engagement is a priority in child welfare for both prevention efforts and supporting the long-term well-being of children and families. 

Practice Guidance

  • Fatherhood engagement is critical to the well-being of children and families. Research consistently shows that father's  involvement in their children’s lives has positive impacts on development across all domains, including academic success, self-esteem, and the development of empathy and social skills. Father involvement also reduces the likelihood of maltreatment, risky or delinquent behaviors, teen pregnancy, and poverty.  Additionally, when children enter out-of-home care (OOHC), father engagement reduces time to permanency and increases the likelihood of reunification. 
  • The Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) partners with the Commonwealth Center for Fathers and Families (CCFF) and Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky (PCAK) to increase fatherhood engagement and support community-based agencies that offer parenting resources for fathers statewide. In addition to providing training and advocacy for fatherhood engagement, CCFF provides mini-grants to community-based agencies to build capacity to implement activities that support responsible fatherhood, economic stability, and healthy relationships. CCFF also sponsors an annual Fatherhood Summit and the KY Dad Academy, a six (6)- week, ten (10) ​- module training on engagement, communication, advocacy, policy, and capacity building.  
  • Many other community agencies offer services and supports tailored to fathers. For example, Community Collaborations for Children (CCC) recruits fathers, grandfathers, and other male caregivers to serve on its parent advisory council. Regional networks also offer specific events and trainings geared toward fathers.    
  • Unless a termination of parental rights (TPR) has occurred or paternity is in question, fathers have the same parental rights as mothers;
  • Fatherhood engagement is imperative to any prevention or well-being strategy;
  • In direct practice, identification and engagement of fathers as early as possible improves outcomes for children and families; 
  • Even fathers separated from their children physically due to military deployment, incarceration, or residing out-of-state can and should be engaged through technology and the offer and provision of services. 

Procedure

​​Division of Prevention and Community Wellbeing (DPCW) Staff:

  1. Prioritize fatherhood engagement as a key strategy for prevention and community wellbeing;
  2. Identify and address barriers to fatherhood engagement in policy and practice;
  3. Partner with statewide and community-based agencies to develop programs and resources that increase fatherhood engagement;​
  4. Share opportunities for expanding fatherhood engagement resources in communities through grants or strategic partnerships; and​
  5. Provide technical assistance to staff and community partners on fatherhood engagement. 
The SSW:  

  1. Identifies the father as soon as possible when working with a family and makes every attempt to contact and engage him;
  2. Includes fathers in assessment, case planning, and service provision whenever identified and located;
  3. Supports community activities that promote fatherhood engagement; and
  4. Advises DPCW of barriers to fatherhood engagement at the community level. 

Documents

Revisions