Key takeaways for caregivers
- In the United States, many children are exposed to intimate partner violence, putting them at risk for emotional and behavioral challenges.
- Both women and men in the United States experience intimate partner violence at nearly equal rates (around 50% for women versus 45% for men); however, the consequences of men’s violence on women tend to be much more severe, including higher instances of serious injury and long-term emotional disruption.
- Current care systems, such as courts and child protective services (CPS), do not sufficiently engage fathers or mitigate the ongoing violence affecting children.
- Fathers for Change (F4C) is an intervention program aimed at helping fathers improve their emotional regulation and reflective thinking, which enhances their relationships with their children and co-parents.
- Fathers referred for intimate partner violence interventions who completed F4C showed a significantly lower likelihood of being reported to CPS for maltreatment compared to those who did not complete the program.
- F4C presents a hopeful alternative to traditional batterer intervention programs, which are predominantly used for addressing men’s intimate partner violence.
This blog post is based on research originally published in Beebe, R., Fish, M. C., Grasso, D., Bernstein, B., DiVietro, S., & Stover, C. S. (2023). Reducing Family Violence Through Child Welfare Intervention: A Propensity Score-Matched Study of Fathers for Change. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(21-22), 11666-11691.
Intimate partner violence through a child’s eyes
The following is a fictional portrayal of intimate partner violence seen through a child’s perspective. Derived from clinical cases associated with F4C, it illustrates the profound effects of ongoing violence on children in these environments.
Nobody tells me what is happening. One day my Dad was here, and then he was just gone. There was no goodbye, no answers to my questions. It was all so confusing. I heard shouting, and when I stepped out, I found my mother crying. I was told to stay in my room, but I saw police outside, and I needed to know what was wrong. I saw them putting my Dad into a police car. I wish he wouldn’t hurt my mom, but now I just feel lost. I miss him, even if things were tough. I only want to know that he is okay. I don’t even know if I am safe. My mom says not to worry, but I can tell she doesn’t want me to ask her anything. All I know is something bad happened, and now my Dad is gone. I don’t know where he is, and I’m not allowed to see him. I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.
Intimate partner violence is prevalent
Intimate partner violence encompasses a range of behaviors, including physical, psychological, and sexual abuse among romantic partners. This violence profoundly impacts children, not only during incidents but also through the ongoing reactions from parents and systems like CPS and the courts.
This issue is more widespread than many recognize. According to the CDC’s latest findings, one in two women and two in five men experience some form of sexual violence, physical abuse, or stalking. Female victims are considerably more likely to suffer injuries or develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder compared to male victims.
The impact of intimate partner violence on children
Nearly one in five children in the United States witnesses intimate partner violence, leading to serious trauma-related symptoms. These symptoms can manifest as anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, difficulties with sleep, and intrusive memories of the trauma.
When incidents of intimate partner violence occur, the immediate response often involves separating the perpetrator from the family to ensure safety. While this is sometimes necessary, it can leave children feeling frightened and bewildered.
Many children affected by this violence find themselves involved in the child welfare system, not solely due to violence but also due to intertwined issues like neglect, physical harm, or parental substance misuse.
Even after families are incorporated into these systems, the cycle of abuse frequently continues.
Reports to CPS are formal documents generated during an investigation when a child’s safety is compromised. A CPS investigation usually follows any report of intimate partner violence involving children. Disturbingly, exposure to intimate partner violence features in as many as 70% of CPS cases.
Even more unsettling: despite families’ involvement with the system, the cycle of abuse often persists. Recurrent abuse occurs in 30% to 60% of cases. Current support systems have not sufficiently disrupted the cycle of abuse.
Why current interventions fall short
Existing services often focus on supporting survivors (predominantly mothers) rather than effecting change in the abusive parent. This shift places the burden of recovery and transformation squarely on women, while fathers might be marginalized or pushed into standardized programs that fail to target the root challenges of their violent conduct.
The neglect of fathers’ potential to serve as positive role models for their children presents a missed chance for family healing.
When courts require fathers to complete intimate partner violence interventions, these men usually enter programs that follow a traditional offender model. These programs are generally administered in gender-specific group formats, focusing on men’s use of violence and control in relationships and imparting anger management skills.
However, many fathers find these programs inadequate, with low completion rates (between 30% and 60%) and minimal improvements related to repeat incidents of violence across diverse populations in the U.S. and Canada. The one-size-fits-all nature of these programs fails to address individual fathers’ needs or support their relationships with their children, which can mean lost opportunities for family reconciliation.
Rewriting the script: How Fathers for Change (F4C) empowers fathers to take accountability for their behavior and actively change
F4C is a tailored therapy approach currently in practice within the United States that changes the narrative around fathers. Instead of relegating men to labels of batterers or offenders, F4C emphasizes their motivation to change through their roles as fathers. While traditional programs dwell on coercive patterns and anger management, F4C prioritizes fathers’ understanding of their emotions, the regulation of those feelings, and the restoration of relationships with their children and co-parenting partners.
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels
F4C encourages fathers to contemplate how they want to be perceived and recognize the significance of a healthy co-parent relationship for their children’s well-being. This approach promotes intrinsic motivation for behavior change, steering fathers toward the kind of parent their children need and envision.
The program’s strategy for involving fathers has shown positive outcomes, with completion rates ranging from 67% to 80%, surpassing traditional offender programs. F4C does not condone violence but rather meets fathers where they currently are and inspires them to comprehend their past experiences (e.g., trauma) that contribute to emotional dysregulation and violent behavior.
Measuring F4C’s effect on repeat CPS reports
To evaluate whether F4C leads to significant behavioral changes, we studied its effectiveness in reducing CPS reports of abuse and neglect within the year post-program completion.
We identified 297 fathers in a northeastern U.S. state referred to F4C by CPS following an incident of intimate partner violence. These fathers completed the program between 2015 and early 2020. We matched each of these 297 fathers to another 297 fathers who did not receive F4C treatment due to waiting list constraints. (The comparison group received referrals to other services targeting intimate partner violence, but it is unclear if they enrolled in any intervention programs.)
All fathers in the study were between 18 and 60 years old and had biological children under the age of 14 in heterosexual relationships. To assess F4C’s specific impact, comparison fathers were matched with F4C fathers concerning ethnicity/race, age, child count, prior intimate partner violence severity, past CPS reports, substance use history, CPS risk assessments, and geographic location.
The findings were revealing:
- Only 14% of fathers (40 out of 297) who completed F4C had a new CPS report regarding maltreatment or intimate partner violence in the year after they began the program.
- In contrast, 27% of fathers (80 out of 297) in the comparison group had new CPS reports in the year following their referral for intimate partner violence services, aligning with typical reporting rates after other batterer intervention programs.
- This means the rate of repeat CPS reports was halved for fathers who completed F4C.
These results suggest that F4C substantially influences intimate partner violence, diminishing fathers’ violent behavior in the home. Supporting fathers’ healing and development contributes to the establishment of safer families.
Healthy fathers raise healthy children
The evidence is clear: When programs prioritize fathers and appeal to their desire to be engaged and nurturing parents, they achieve significant, measurable reductions in harm to children. F4C doesn’t promise flawless outcomes. It merely asks fathers to engage, confront their pasts, and adopt healthier methods of caring for and protecting their children.
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels
Fathers and families interested in programs like F4C should seek out providers that emphasize more than just power dynamics; they should encourage fathers to examine the roots and motivations behind their violent behaviors, learn how to manage their emotional responses, and enhance their reflective capacity for their own experiences as well as their relationships with children and co-parents.
- To continue building on these promising results, ongoing research is actively exploring this field, and initiatives are underway to broaden access to F4C programs. Current projects in the U.S. aim to:
- Monitor improvements in F4C based on feedback from victims of intimate partner violence regarding declines in violence and substance use among fathers, and enhancements in parent-child relationships.
- Assess the benefits of F4C in different demographic groups that previously did not participate in this study, such as same-sex couples, and evaluate possible adaptations for various populations.
- Identify specific elements that contribute to the program’s success in diminishing intimate partner violence and understand how they synergize throughout the process.
- Enable F4C in more northeastern U.S. locations, including Veterans Affairs health care facilities in New England, and collaborate with community agencies to extend services to states beyond the northeast, like Florida, Missouri, and Virginia.
At its core, F4C embodies what can be achieved when researchers and practitioners shift from punitive and shaming perspectives toward offering fathers supportive opportunities for change. Balancing this shift with a firm demand for an end to violence can pave the way for safer homes, healthier fathers, and brighter futures for children.
