Theoretical Framework for Father Engagement

In the past, many have used a deficit model when describing the relationship between fathers and their children. The child welfare system has tended to blame fathers for their absence, both from their children's lives and from their presence and participation in CPS. It has been said that the judicial system favored mothers, perhaps, because they had more resources (family support, child rearing and discipline, housing resources) and, thus, more power and influence within their families. According to this perspective, Resource Theory, the decision-making power lies in the person who can offer more resources.

However, the field recognizes the strengths of families, including the importance of fathers. Professionals use a holistic environmental perspective when assessing clients. The Life Course Theory teaches us to be aware of how history, structural/institutional, and social and cultural factors impact people's lives from birth to adulthood.