About this Virtual Event:
Despite the clear impact fathers have on their families, most child and family services do not consistently and effectively engage fathers. Home visiting presents a tremendous opportunity to connect with fathers and support the well-being of children and parents by serving the whole family with effective interventions. We began this event with an overview of the importance of including dads in home visiting and some practical tips and techniques to engage dads in the process. This was followed by interviews with home visiting professionals and dads who have participated in home visiting, all of whom will provide practical insights into how we can get full value out of this important opportunity. We concluded with a question and answer session open to everyone. Join us to learn more about how we can begin to effectively engage dads in the home visiting process to support families and children.
Our Speakers:
Jennifer Bellamy PhD, Associate Dean and Professor, University of Denver School of Social Work
Jennifer Bellamy is the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. At GSSW she teaches research and theory courses at the master's and doctoral levels. She received her Master's of Science in social work from The University of Texas at Austin in 2000. Before earning her Ph.D. she worked as a crisis counselor and a project coordinator for a multisite demonstration project serving young, unmarried, low-income fathers. Bellamy completed her PhD at the Columbia University School of Social Work in 2006 and postdoctoral training at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in Saint Louis in 2008.
Bellamy's current research interests include the engagement of fathers in child and family services, child welfare and evidence-based practice. She has published extensively in the area of evidence-based social work practice and is currently engaged in the development and testing of interventions to better serve fathers in child and family programs including home visiting and child welfare services.
Holly Schindler is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington and a Fellow at Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child
Her research focuses on three interconnected areas of scholarship. In one line of research, she uses meta-analytic techniques to identify best practices in early childhood education and family support programs. In a second line of research, she investigates the nuances of fathers’ roles in families as a potential vehicle for boosting the impacts of family support programs. As part of this line of work, she was recognized as a Foundation for Child Development Young Scholar for research implementing and evaluating a video coaching program with Mexican American fathers and their young children. Her third line of scholarship focuses on advancing methodological approaches for designing, evaluating, and scaling effective programs and practices. At the national level, she has collaborated with a team of colleagues to define, design, and disseminate tools for a new flexible approach to program development and evaluation within the Frontiers of Innovation network. Locally, she works with Best Starts for Kids Prenatal to Five Innovation Fund, which includes 13 innovation teams who are seeking to implement new or adapted approaches to support the health and well-being of pregnant individuals, children birth to age five and their families, service providers, and communities. Across these areas, Dr. Schindler’s research is driven by a desire to promote equitable systems in support of children and families.
Home Visiting Discussion Panel
Home visiting professionals and dads will share reflections on why home visiting matters, tips on how to connect with fathers during home visiting, and how it’s impacting them as parents. Stass Baron and Kristen Olson will be joining us from Community Youth Services in Thurston County. Sasha Smith and Sean Moses from Tulalip Family Havens, Family Spirit Program will also be joining us. They will share how they have been able to work together so these dads can be the father they want to be, and the father their children need them to be. Participants will then be invited to ask questions after hearing about the experiences of these two amazing fathers and dedicated professionals.
Presentation Materials
YouTube Recording - Note - Due to technical difficulties the recording starts part way through the event.