Summary:
Child welfare services predominately engage mothers, who typically are the primary caregivers of the children. Research on engaging fathers—or fathers and mothers together—in child welfare is limited. This study evaluates engagement of both mothers and fathers in case management services for out-of-home child welfare cases to better understand patterns and quality of parental engagement and the effect of engagement on permanency and stability.
Application:
Findings highlight the need for high-quality engagement with fathers and mothers for positive foster care child outcomes. Future research may assess worker training for boosting outcomes of family engagement in child welfare.
