What is Father Absence and Why it Matters?
The absence of a father is the single most significant predictor of developmental problems in a child’s life. The social and financial impact of father absence in our community is immeasurable.
According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, “There is a ‘father factor’ in nearly all of the social issues facing America today.”
Conclusive research data continues to confirm the effects of father absence on poverty, maternal and child health, incarceration, crime, teen pregnancy, child abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, education, and childhood obesity. The staff and volunteers at The City Mission see the effects every day in both the adults and children we serve.
Where's Papa? A Symposium on Father Absence
Thank you to everyone who attended the symposium on Wednesday. April 18, 2012 at The City Mission or online.
If you would like to continue the conversation on Twitter, the hashtag for the symposium is #wherespapa.
Our presenter for the symposium was David Stoop, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and the director of the Center for Family Therapy who has studied the impact of father absence and what be done about it.
He is also the author of 25 books including Making Peace with Your Father: Understanding the Role Your Father has Played in your Life - Past to Present, Forgiving Our Parents, Forgiving Ourselves: Healing Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families, and The Complete Parenting Book.
We will post more information and resources on this topic in the future, including Debt Cancelling workshops.
Webinar
The webinar contains most of the content from the symposium.
View Father Absence webinar
Resources for Fathering Issues
Websites Dr. Stoop shared in the symposium for statistics or other information include:
National
Local
Articles
Where Are the Dads? Treating Richmond's Fatherless Epidemic (Christianity Today)
Fixing our fatherless culture is the mission of upcoming symposium (Plain Dealer)
Request information about resources, future events and discussions
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