Ventura County Fatherhood Initiative
The core purpose of the Ventura County Department of Child Support Services is to help families thrive. We are committed to achieving this goal by supporting fathers in playing a significant role in their children’s lives through our Fatherhood Initiative. Our initiative is designed to enable fathers to overcome barriers and reach their full potential, resulting in positive outcomes for themselves, their children, and our community.
Our Fatherhood Initiative aims to implement father-friendly practices across Ventura County’s family-serving agencies and organizations and eliminate obstacles that hinder fathers from actively engaging in their children’s lives. By supporting fathers in reaching their full potential, we not only empower them, but also build a stronger foundation for their children to flourish. Ultimately, by positively impacting individual families, we uplift our entire community.
Why Fathers?
The US Census Bureau (2022) reports that 1 in 4 children, are growing up without a father in the United States.[1] According to research, the future of these children is impacted in the following ways:
- Poverty – 47% more likely to live in poverty.[2]
- Teen Pregnancy – 71% of pregnant teens have uninvolved fathers.[3]
- Behavioral Disorders – 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes.[4]
- Drop out of school – 71% of school dropouts come from fatherless homes.[5]
- Substance Abuse – 71% percent of all children who abuse substances come from fatherless homes.[6]
- Prison – 85% of youths in prison don’t have a present father.[7]
- Suicide – 63% of all youth suicides are from children from fatherless homes.[8]
These examples demonstrate that ways children are impacted by the absence of their fathers. The negative impact for children raised without fathers extends beyond the few examples provided, and it affects our community.
How is Ventura County Doing?
The Power of Fatherhood
Our Goals
By removing barriers and providing support for fathers, our Fatherhood Initiative strives for the following outcomes:
- Implement father-friendly practices across Ventura County’s family-serving agencies and organizations
- Promote responsible fatherhood
- Improve father-child relationships
- Enhance parenting skills and knowledge
- Improve family functioning
- Promote personal, social, and economic growth
- Strengthen the connection and involvement between fathers and their community.
Overall, we strive to empower fathers to become more engaged, responsible, and nurturing parents, while also supporting their personal growth and connection to their families and communities.
Our Plan
Through our Fatherhood Initiative, we strive to remove barriers for fathers in the following three ways:
- Formation of a Fatherhood Collaborative
- Establishment of a father support group and educational workshops
- Develop father-focused events
