Division of Community Services

Responsible Fatherhood Initiative

Purpose: To train, educate, encourage, and assist fathers in becoming responsible fathers, and in assuming responsibility for the nurturing, growth, and development of their children.

Goal: The goal of the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative is to assist fathers in becoming "Team Parents;" to share the legal, financial, and emotional responsibilities of parenthood with the mother(s) of their children; and to improve the self image of fathers and their families.

The primary strategies to achieve this goal are:

• To develop activities supported by a curriculum addressing the challenges that fathers and their families face in the nurturing of a holistic support system for child development;

• To develop activities responsive to the situations of fathers and to appropriate activity modification;

• To identify current systemic and policy barriers to effective fathering; and

• To identify area resources to assist in the development of fathers and their families.



THE ABSENCE OF A FATHER CREATES A VOID IN THE:

• Physical,
• Emotional,
• Psychological, and
• Spiritual well being of children.



Psychologist Samuel Osherson states, "The psychological and physical absence of fathers is one of the greatest underestimated tragedies of our time". Unfortunately, the role of the father in the family has been neglected.

IF YOU DON'T TALK TO, LISTEN TO, ENCOURAGE, AND EMBRACE YOUR CHILDREN, SOMEBODY WILL!!!  DO YOU WANT THAT??? A RESPONSIBLE FATHER SAYS NO!

For additional information on attending a Responsible Fatherhood workshop or participating as a coach or assistant coach, please contact the Mississippi Department of Human Services, Division of Community Services.

Contacts for Information and Assistance

Mississippi Department of Human Services
Division of Community Services
1-800-345-6347