First They Have to Show Up: How Dads Back! Academy Successfully Engaged Formerly Incarcerated Fathers in a Responsible Fatherhood Program

Abstract

Programs that prepare incarcerated fathers for their role as parents are important because research indicates that positive father-child relationships can counter the negative effects of parental incarceration for children. However, program recruitment and engagement have been historically problematic. The goal of the Los Angeles-based Dads Back! Academy was to enhance the parenting, relationship, and job preparation skills of non-working reentering fathers to effectively parent their children ages 24 and younger. This descriptive evaluation was based on a five year grant and examined successful strategies for program recruitment and engagement, and also described program dosage. Results indicated that four times as many participants were recruited to reach recruitment targets. Multiple recruitment strategies were used including smaller “focused” approaches and large events. Less effort was needed to contact participants who were ultimately retained. The most engaged participants tended to be older, male, and not looking for work. Those with more initial knowledge of job preparation were significantly more likely to finish the workshops. Eighty-eight percent of workshops were held as planned, and participation per session was high (over 80%). Participants received 3,2 referrals and 17 total service contacts, and 101 hours of curriculum in 15 different topics. These results can be used as possible benchmarks for future programs.