Lessons Learned on Recruiting and Retaining Young Fathers in a Parenting and Repeat Pregnancy Prevention Program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Social Work
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Mainstream parenting and pregnancy prevention programs often fail to engage fathers, leading to low participation rates among young men.
• Effective strategies are needed to overcome barriers in recruiting and retaining young fathers in intensive case management services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify effective strategies for engaging young fathers in intensive case management.
• To gather insights from program administrators, case managers, and young fathers themselves.

Main Methods:

• Conducted three focus groups: one with state administrators/managers (n=3) and two with young fathers (n=11) and their case managers (n=5).
• Performed a qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts using a coding scheme based on emerging themes and literature.

Main Results:

• Key strategies for improving male recruitment and retention include incorporating young fathers' feedback into program decisions.
• Facilitating opportunities for young fathers to connect with each other and with services.
• Actively challenging negative stereotypes held by staff regarding young fathers.

Conclusions:

• The study provides valuable insights into professional practices for engaging young fathers in intensive case management.
• Findings contribute to the ongoing discussion on effective strategies for supporting young fathers in parenting and pregnancy prevention programs.