This conversation guide, informed by research and guidance from research and practice experts, provides youth-supporting professionals with important context and guidance for having conversations with young fathers who experience the child welfare and/or justice systems. The conversation guide has the following goals:
- Foster meaningful, supportive conversations with young fathers about their experiences and/or needs in navigating health, human service, and employment/education systems.
- Increase awareness about and identify the needs of young fathers with experiences in the child welfare and/or juvenile justice systems.
- Identify opportunities to support and connect young fathers to resources.
This resource first reviews why it’s important to prioritize young fathers’ experiences and offers general considerations to help youth-supporting professionals engage with fathers. Instructions for how to use the conversation guide and links to additional resources are also included.