Catholic Charities Teen Fathers Program

Lead: Fathers: The invisible parent

Synopsis
Sometimes it seems as though teenage mothers are the ones getting all the help and hype these days. Young fathers are typically left out of the conversation about young families. But Catholic Charities Teen Fathers Program wants to do away with this stereotype of the invisible dad. Says program outreach worker, Barry Stallsmith, "There’s a bias against men today, like there was against women before the feminist movement. Unfortunately the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. We don’t want to change the system, only the individual." Teenage fathers face many of the same risks and challenges as teenage mothers do in raising their children. The Fathers Program helps the young dads complete school, find jobs, be better fathers, and, in general, stay on the right track. The right support and services can help these teenage dads overcome obstacles, and make better lives for themselves and their children.

Catholic Charities Teen Fathers Program
Barry Stallsmith, Father’s Outreach Worker
Catholic Charities North
55 Lynn Shore Drive
Lynn, MA 01902
(781) 593-2312

Story Contact

Barry Stallsmith
Father’s Outreach Worker
Catholic Charities North
55 Lynn Shore Drive
Lynn, MA 01902
(781) 593-2312

Expert Contact

Travis R. Grant, M.S.
511 W. 1800 N.
Provo, UT 84604
Phone: (801) 344-8930
Relevant area: Teen fatherhood.

Background

According to the US Census Bureau, 40 Percent of all American children live in homes without fathers. (The Plain Dealer, June 18, 1995, Bringing up Daddies, Editorials and Forum, pg. 2C)

Children in father-absent households have lower IQ’s, and lower verbal and performance scores, than children in father-present households. (Johnson, D. J. (1996, January). Father presence matters: A review of the literature [LR-CP-96-02]. Philadelphia: National Center on Fathers and Families, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania.)

Children in father-absent households are more likely to experience emotional disorders and depression as compared with father-present households. (Johnson, D. J. (1996, January). Father presence matters: A review of the literature [LR-CP-96-02]. Philadelphia: National Center on Fathers and Families, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania.)

Teen fatherhood is related to a variety of risk factors, such as social class, educational performance, precocious sexual activity, and drug use. (Thornberry, TP, Smith, CA, Howard, GJ. (1997). Risk factors for teenage fatherhood: Data from the Rochester Youth Developmental Study, National Center on Fathers and Families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 59: (3), 505-522)

The percentage of 17-19 year old males who favor an abortion if they make an unmarried girl pregnant has steadily declined in the recent years. In 1979, 25% favored abortion, but in 1995 only 14% endorsed the idea. The percentage that favored having the baby, and helping support it, has tripled over the same period, from 20% to 60%. (Survey from Family Planning Perspectives, January 1999)

Lack of support from family members, conflict with the child’s mother and her parents, and unemployment due in part to a lack of job skills are cited by researchers as some of the main obstacles facing young teenage fathers. (Miller, D. B. (1997). Adolescent fathers: What we know and what we need to know. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 14 (1), 55-69.)

Men’s relationships with their children’s mother, social support, ethnic and cultural background, and fatherhood preparedness and role flexibility are all factors that significantly influence father involvement. An implication is that programs aimed toward encouraging responsible fathering should do so through changing cultural, economic, institutional, and interpersonal dynamics. (Doherty, W. J., Kouneski, E. F., & Erickson, M. F. (1996, September). Responsible fathering: An overview and conceptual framework. Prepared for the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation of the US Department of Health & Human Services under contract HHS-100-93-0012 to The Lewin Group)

Documentary, "Fatherhood USA" (1997), Paradise Productions, New York, NY

The Plain Dealer, June 18, 1995, Bringing up Daddies, Editorials and Forum, pg. 2C

Thornberry, TP, Smith, CA, Howard, GJ. (1997). Risk factors for teenage fatherhood: Data from the Rochester Youth Developmental Study, National Center on Fathers and Families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 59: (3), 505-522.

Doherty, W. J., Kouneski, E. F., & Erickson, M. F. (1996, September). Responsible fathering: An overview and conceptual framework. Prepared for the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation of the US Department of Health & Human Services under contract HHS-100-93-0012 to The Lewin Group

Father & Family Link. Website of the National Center on Fathers and Families. University of Pennsylvania. 3700 Walnut Street, Box 58. Philadelphia, PA 19104-6216. (215) 573-5500. http://fatherfamilylink.gse.upenn.edu

Johnson, D. J. (1996, January). Father presence matters: A review of the literature [LR-CP-96-02]. Philadelphia: National Center on Fathers and Families, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania.

Miller, D. B. (1997). Adolescent fathers: What we know and what we need to know. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 14 (1), 55-69

Compiled by Alissa Dufault