PAPÁS is part of a study funded by the California Office of Child Abuse Prevention researching the best ways to help fathers participate in their families and communities PAPÁS started recruiting families in Watsonville in August 2003, out of La Manzana Community Resource Center. Since then we've teamed up with Live Oak Family Resource Center, Mountain Community Resource Center, Davenport Family Resource Center and the Beach Flats Community Resource Center to open the study up to families living in both side of Santa Cruz County.
Research shows that when dads or other father figures participate in childrens lives those kids do better in school, have less legal troubles, better problem-solving skills and reduced teen pregnancy among many other positive outcomes. In addition, fathers report more satisfaction at work, greater self-esteem and better overall health. Traditionally organizations have, consciously or not, aimed their services at mothers. PAPÁS hopes to change the culture in Family Resource Centers so that dads feel more welcome and are recognized as equally important members of the community and their families.
Supporting Father Involvement Study was created in response to the concerns of The California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP) as they researched the effect of specifically designed interventions to support father involvement and to examine the father friendliness of social service organizations serving children and their families. During the course of the research study that was initiated in 2003 five California counties participated by implementing a Supporting Father Involvement curriculum designed by research teams from Yale University and the U.C .Berkley. The curriculum, which is available in both English and Spanish, provides a 16 week facilitated workshop for participating fathers and their partners. In addition, each family is provided extensive assessments and follow-up case management. Now in its fifth year, the original initiative is in the final stages and individual programs are seeking opportunities to sustain services for the future. Funding has been secured through July 2009. PAPÁS is submitting a proposal to the National Fatherhood Initiative for a capacity the grant that will facilitate our organizational capacity in seeking sustainability and encourage greater community awareness to the importance of programs that promote responsible fathering.
At the current time PAPÁS has a staff of six; two team leaders, a project director, two case managers and a part-time clerical position. Two types of intervention groups are provided a fathers group and a couples group each meeting for 2 hours per week for 16 weeks. The group team leaders, both with Masters Degrees, provide weekly group sessions that included structured discussion, didactic segments, and exercises focusing on one of the five domains in the conceptual model. The intervention design and the specific intervention curricula are based on a well researched conceptual model that identifies a number of risk and protective actors associated with fathers involvement. These factors include fathers (1) individual adjustment (self-esteem, depression, anxiety), (2) relationship with the mother of the child (quality of relationship with his co-parent, (3) skills and confidence as a part, (4) three-generational family patterns, and (5) stresses on the family including those from work (or lack of it), supports (or lack of them), and family-related policies.
PAPÁS currently recruits men who are:
- Married and living with the childs mother, or
- Cohabiting with the child's mother, or
- Romantically involved but not cohabiting with the childs mother, or
- Not romantically involved or living with the childs mother but co-parenting with the childs mother
We would like to expand this group and use the capacity building grant to assist us in developing the potential to provide services to teen fathers, incarcerated fathers and grandfathers. PAPÁS will target expectant fathers and fathers with at least one child under 3 as a priority based on the fact that research clearly demonstrates the earlier an intervention occurs the more likely sustained behavioral changes will be evident.
PAPÁS is located in Santa Cruz County California one of the smallest counties in the State. The economy is primary driven by agriculture and tourism, both of which offer low paying jobs with few benefits and are often cyclical in nature. According to the 2000 Census, Latinos made up 26.8% of the countys population, Whites 65.5%, and all other ethnicities 7.7%. PAPÁS client demographic is primarily lower income families and over 50% are Hispanic. Men are often recruited from the Family Resource Centers located in both Watsonville and Santa Cruz or from the other social service partners in the County.
PAPÁS started recruiting families in Watsonville in January 2004, out of La Manzana Community Resource Center. Since then we've teamed up with Live Oak Family Resource Center, Mountain Community Resource Center, Davenport Family Resource Center and the Beach Flats Community Resource Center to open the study up to families living in North County.