The Bay Area Fathering Integrated Data System (BAyFIDS) Project

Policymaker and Practitioner Perspectives on Integrating Fathering Efforts, Vivian L. Gadsden and R. Karl Rethemeyer, May 2003.

The profiles of fathers and fatherhood initiatives that emerged from BAyFIDS I underscored the diversity inherent among fathers and in fathering itself — the range of experiences and needs that fathers exhibit: i.e., their different stations in life, different ages, different cultural and personal histories, and different lenses through which each views the world. In the earlier report, we were reminded that the simple dichotomy of fathers as present or absent, as good or bad, is increasingly being challenged by new demands to examine critically the continuum of fathers that exists: those who are residential or nonresidential, from a range of cultures and ethnicities, with varying relationships to the mother of their children, and with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Such a nuanced view of fathers and their experiences requires an examination of the complex relational factors involved in identifying and measuring appropriate fathering and parenting behaviors.

The current report, BAyFIDS II, extends the earlier report in two ways. First, it offers through the BAyFIDS Directory an updated count of the number of programs still in existence since the original study as well as new programs. It also offers information on shifts in the operation of and services provided by these programs in response to the diverse populations served. Second, BAyFIDS II addresses directly policy changes in the nine counties as they relate to program development, implementation, expansion, and devolution. In addition, it provides perspectives from primary child and family services offices as well as education systems in the nine counties about the critical issues being faced by the counties, the role of fathering within the larger domain of child and family support, the integration of fatherhood issues into different segments of their work, and the implications of legislative discussions at the national level, such as legislative proposals on marriage. By highlighting these issues, this document seeks to identify the efforts of county agencies, changes that have occurred in both programming and planning, and the future of fatherhood efforts within government agencies serving children and families.

The first section of the report updates our findings regarding programs in the Bay Area. The next section summarizes data from a telephone survey with policymakers in child and family-serving agencies and departments in the nine counties: California Department of Child Support Services, California Department of Social Services, and county Departments of Education. We then present the results of a telephone survey of practitioners from the original study, to determine the ways in which they have experienced change, problems, and possibilities. Lastly, we provide a discussion of the cross-cutting themes and a conclusion.

Background on the BAyFIDS Project

To understand the structure and operation of fathering programs at the county level and to determine the degree of county agency involvement in programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, NCOFF launched the BAyFIDS project, with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and assistance by SRI International and the University of California-Berkeley.

Our prior work with programs throughout the country and our conversations with practitioners and policymakers in local areas had led us to believe that, as with many new efforts, fatherhood programs were still poorly defined and their goals still in a state of flux. As we considered how to construct the BAyFIDS project, we were aware of two realities:

• There was little information about the number or quality of existing programs or the needs and aspirations of program participants.
• There was still relatively little knowledge among policymakers, social services, and educational agencies about existing programs.

Why Focus on the San Francisco Bay Area? California and the Bay Area present unique features that make this region an appropriate focus of our study on fathers and families programs and their relationships to county fatherhood initiatives. Like most states, California divides responsibility for child support and services to fathers between a variety of state departments, county offices, and local agencies. The rise in the number of non-white citizens and those emigrating from outside the United States?coupled with growing income inequality and relative uncertainty about sectors of the state?s economy?make the Bay Area a compelling case to compare with other regions in the nation, particularly those with large urban and metropolitan areas.

Why Focus on County Programs and Policies? Although most states (California included) delegate responsibility for child welfare, family support, and child support collections to local and county government, very little is known about how these agencies seek to support fathers. Instead, policy conversations usually occur at the state and national levels and research efforts tend to focus on state and federal policy. Even less is known about how public and private efforts are coordinated with one another, if at all. Because policy and implementation varies from county to county, the nature of public-private coordination will also vary by county. Thus, we felt it important to study county systems as a whole.