Session: Fatherhood Beyond Residence: Policies and Practices for Promoting Non-Resident Father Involvement and Child and Family Well-Being (Society for Social Work and Research 28th Annual Conference - Recentering & Democratizing Knowledge: The Next 30 Years of Social Work Science)

The panel on father involvement focuses on the role of fathers in the lives of their non-resident children, the impact of public policies on nonresident fathers' involvement, and the perception of fairness in child support policies and processes. Four papers are presented that offer unique contributions to the panel. The first paper develops and validates a measure of paternal self-efficacy for non-resident fathers. The study aims to fill a gap in the literature by providing a measure that captures the unique challenges faced by non-resident fathers in their role as parents. The measure is developed through a series of focus groups and tested through a survey of non-resident fathers. The study concludes that paternal self-efficacy is an important factor in fathers' involvement in their children's lives and suggests that the measure can be useful in promoting father involvement. The second paper examines the associations between state driver's license suspension policies and fathers' involvement with their nonresident children. The study merges data on states' license suspension policies with six waves of data from a population-based study of nearly 5000 children born in large US cities. The study finds that living in states with harsher license suspension policies is associated with less frequent engagement with children, less formal child support, and less non-cash support among nonresident fathers. The study highlights the unintended consequences of public policies that harm not only those being penalized but also create harm for children in single-parent families. The third paper explores how custodial parents and obligors perceive fairness in child support policies and processes. The study uses in-depth semi-structured interviews with parents who owe and are owed child support in two Wisconsin counties. The study finds that parents perceive fairness as a complex, multifaceted concept, with concerns about lack of fairness in policies and processes at key junctures within child support cases. The study suggests that perceptions of treatment by individual system actors are only one component contributing to perceptions of fairness, and a fairer system should allow for parent voice at every step, provide clearer information and more frequent communication, and account for the needs of parents and children. The fourth paper aims to examine the correlation between joint physical custody and physical and emotional health. Using data from a national survey, the authors find that children in joint physical custody arrangements have better physical health outcomes compared to those in sole custody arrangements. The study suggests that joint physical custody may be a beneficial arrangement for children’s health, and policymakers need to consider this when designing custody policies. In conclusion, the four papers offer valuable insights into the challenges faced by non-resident fathers and the impact of public policies on their involvement in their children's lives. The papers highlight the importance of paternal self-efficacy, the unintended consequences of harsh public policies, and the multifaceted concept of fairness in child support policies and processes. The findings of these studies have important implications for policymakers and practitioners seeking to promote father involvement and improve child well-being.