Teenage fathers: working with the neglected partner in adolescent childbearing
Sander, J.H.; Rosen, J.L.
Family Planning Perspectives 19(3): 107-110
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0014-7354 PMID: 3622739 DOI: 10.2307/2135176Document Number: 348309
In a national research and demonstration project designed to determine the the most effective ways to assist teenage fathers in contributing to their children's well-being, 8 social service agencies from around the US provided nearly 400 young fathers and prospective fathers with counseling, educational assistance and job training. By the end of the project, 56 previously unemployed participants had taken part-time jobs, and 92 participants had found full-time employment. Nearly 1/2 of the non-graduates who were not enrolled in high school when they entered the program had returned to school, had obtained their GEDs, or had enrolled in GED classes. An agressive approach to recruitment and good knowledge of the community were crucial to program success. Men in their 20s or 30s from the same ethnic and cultural background as the teenage clients usually succeeded best as counselors. Ambivalence on the part of a cooperating agency was probably the most serious hindrance to project efforts. Where top-level administrative support was lacking, the program was largely ineffectual. Nonetheless, the project may have helped to erase the stereotype that all teenage fathers neglect their parental responsibilities.