Bill Text: CA ACR198 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Father-Friendly Principles.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-06-01 - From printer. [ACR198 Detail]
Download: California-2021-ACR198-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Concurrent Resolution
No. 198
| Introduced by Assembly Member Quirk |
May 31, 2022 |
Relative to Father-Friendly Principles.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 198, as introduced, Quirk.
Father-Friendly Principles.
This measure would encourage state agencies and departments and local agencies and organizations that serve families and children to incorporate fathers’ needs into their service delivery models, to adopt the Father-Friendly Principles, as specified, and to use Father-Friendly Organizational Assessment and Implementation Tools.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee: NOBill Text
WHEREAS, According to the United States Census Bureau, there are more than 72,000,000 fathers across the nation and over 2,000,000 single fathers, approximately 214,000 fathers are stay-at-home dads, and 17 percent of custodial single parents are men; and
WHEREAS, Specific communities have been disproportionately impacted by public and private policies and practices that do not intentionally and proactively engage, support, and serve men and fathers; and
WHEREAS, Because children’s development is customarily viewed through a maternal lens, the needs and roles of fathers may inadvertently be left out of service delivery models; and
WHEREAS, Studies have shown that children with involved, responsive fathers score higher on measures of emotional intelligence, have higher levels of self-esteem, and experience greater academic success and life satisfaction. Conversely, children without fathers actively involved are significantly more likely to suffer from depression and other mental illness, drug and alcohol misuse, teenage pregnancy, school failure, poverty, delinquency, crime, and other negative life factors; and
WHEREAS, In California, 63.7 percent of children have two parents present, while 8.3 percent of children in California are raised by single fathers, and 90 percent of noncustodial parents are fathers; and
WHEREAS, The Board of Supervisors of the County of Alameda and the City of Long Beach adopted the Father-Friendly Principles in 2015 and 2018, respectively;
WHEREAS, The Father-Friendly Principles aim to ensure that every father is fully engaged and supportive of their children and that public agencies and organizations offer father-friendly and father-centered services; and
WHEREAS, The County of Alameda created the Father-Friendly Implementation Tool that is designed to equip agencies and service providers with a framework to apply the Father-Friendly Principles; and
WHEREAS, The Legislature seeks to bring statewide awareness to the Father-Friendly Principles to provide the opportunity to agencies and organizations that serve families and children to intentionally incorporate fathers’ needs into their service delivery models; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature encourages all state agencies and departments, as well as local agencies and organizations, that serve families and children to adopt all of the following Father-Friendly Principles:
(1) Include the needs of fathers in the structure and delivery model of all family services in state and local agencies and organizations.
(2) Provide services to fathers that are open, supportive, helpful, and inclusive toward the needs of fathers, and further the goal of increasing fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives.
(3) Ensure materials, illustrations, posters, brochures, and other collateral
from agencies and organizations include positive, diverse images of fathers. Facilities should provide father-friendly environments consistent with the needs of men and fathers.
(4) Train agency and organization staff working with families to strive to provide training for all staff on working with men and on fatherhood issues.
(5) Task agencies and organizations to develop program policies with a clear expectation that fathers should and will participate.
(6) Encourages agencies and organizations to make every effort to create the image that programs are designed for fathers as well as mothers and children; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature encourages the use of the Father-Friendly Organizational Assessment and Implementation Tools, consisting of three categories:
(A) The Client and Practice Implementation to reflect and incorporate the Father-Friendly Principles into all levels of client interaction and service delivery, such as providing counseling or parenting workshops; and
(B) The Staff Capacity-Building Implementation to build staff and leadership capacity to adopt and implement the Father-Friendly Principles, such as completing an organizational self-assessment of father-friendly services provided; and
(C) The System and Policy Implementation to intervene in systems and institutions that
impact large groups or entire communities, such as the creation of a Fatherhood Advisory Council to monitor the application of the Father-Friendly Principles; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
