A Conversation Guide to Support Young Fathers in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems

Overview

This conversation guide, informed by research and guidance from research and practice experts, provides youth-supporting professionals with important context and guidance for having conversations with young fathers who experience the child welfare and/or justice systems. The conversation guide has the following goals:

• • Foster meaningful, supportive conversations with young fathers about their experiences and/or needs in navigating health, human service, and employment/education systems.
  • Increase awareness about and identify the needs of young fathers with experiences in the child welfare and/or juvenile justice systems.
  • Identify opportunities to support and connect young fathers to resources.

This resource first reviews why it’s important to prioritize young fathers’ experiences and offers general considerations to help youth-supporting professionals engage with fathers. Instructions for how to use the conversation guide and links to additional resources are also included.

Suggested citation: Offiong, A., Naylon, K., Beckwith, S., Huang, L. A., & Scott, M. E. (2025). A conversation guide to support young fathers in child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Child Trends.