The Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention (ADCANP) has expanded the number and services of fatherhood programs in the state with increased funding from the Department of Human Resources (DHR), utilizing Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) dollars. Each program is evaluated by Auburn University. Each will serve families, including mothers, while tracking child support payments, job placements, enrollment in food assistance programs and other elements if applicable, such as re-entry programs and non-custodial parents. Many thanks to the Commissioner of Human Resources, Nancy Buckner, and our colleagues at DHR for securing the funding necessary to continue these worthy programs in Alabama.

In addition to our standard fatherhood programs, we also recently partnered with DHR to launch the Strengthening Families through Fathers pilot program in three regions of the state. This program involves fathers (and mothers) who are involved in SNAP, the child care subsidy program, and child support cases to engage them as participants in a free program to gain education and employment services, while also training them in the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework.