"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me."
~ Jim Valvano,
Basketball Coach
"One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters."
~ English Proverb
The Fatherhood Initiative Program began in 1998 as an extension of the Families First Program here at Madonna Place. Services at the time were primarily focused on case management and group work.
In 2000, The CT Department of Social Services, DSS, selected Madonna Place as one of three pilot programs in the state. After a number of years of research by The University of Hartford, The Connecticut Department of Social Services in conjunction with The National Fatherhood Initiative, created a certification process to enusre quality standards of operation for fatherhood programs. The first Fatherhood Certification Program took place in 2005. It included a comprehensive review of our program and Madonna Place successfully completed this process and became one of the original five Certified Fatherhood sites in Connecticut. There are currently 6 Certified sites in Connecticut.
Purpose:
The purpose of the Program is to increase positive involvement and interaction between fathers and their children. We work with fathers to help them increase their ability to meet their parental responsibilities of providing social, emotional, medical, educational and financial assistance to their children.
Types of services offered:
Groups offered through the Fatherhood Program:
The 24/7 Dad Mondays – 5:30PM to 7:00PM
The group is an exciting and rewarding journey for men as they become a 24/7 Dad. Group focuses on characteristics that every father needs and covers the universal aspects of fatherhood so that men of all cultures, races, religions, and backgrounds can benefit from the program. You will hone your fathering skills as you learn about yourself and the important roles that you have with your children and in your family. In addition, you will learn important ways to strengthen your relationship with your wife or with the mother of your children. Finally, you will be given a great opportunity to develop effective strategies to manage your physical and mental health and to help you balance your work and family commitments. Enhancement of the Child Development portion of this program is made possible by our partnership with Building Blocks, a social emotional wellness program for children.
Relationship Group
This is a pioneering new curriculum aimed at promoting an understanding of what it takes to build healthy, mature relationships – kind of committed relationship that strengthens families and communities. The curriculum activities have been designed to recognize the knowledge and experience that each couple brings to the program. Men and women will be introduced to new skills to practice outside of program and learn new ways of relating to each other.
Our program is dedicated to reaching out to more dads in the New London County area. For this reason below are organizations we have partnered with to provide educational parenting skills.
New!! Group held at Backus Hospital Birthing Center
Doctor Dad is a groundbreaking workshop that
enhances a father’s parenting skills in caring for the health and safety of his infant or toddler. The workshop covers topics such as: treating minor cuts and scrapes, when to call a doctor, how to make your home child-safe, and how to keep your child healthy. Certified healthcare professionals, health educators or other qualified persons teach this interactive workshop in four sessions, each lasting 2 hours.
New!! 24/7 Dad Group at SCADD in New London
Substance abuse is a disease and dads who suffer from this have unique struggles with parenting. We are excited to meet the needs of the participants by having a fatherhood staff member and a substance abuse counselor co-facilitating this group. (This portion of our program is only open to clients of SCADD from the New London area.)
Resourceful Links:
www.Fatherhood.org
National Fatherhood Initiative
www.ct.gov/dss
Connecticut Department of Social Services
www.fatherhoodinitiative.state.ct.us/ParenthoodResources.htm
Statewide Fatherhood Programs
www.jud2.ct.gov/webforms
CT Family Court Forms
www.larcc.org
Legal Assistance Resource Center
www.backushospital.org
Backus Hospital
http://scadd.org/contact.html
SCADD
http://www.jud.ct.gov/directory/directory/servcenter.htm#What
State of Connecticut Court Service centers
www.education.com
Parenting Tips
http://www.aap.org/
The American Academy of Pediatrics
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The mission of Madonna Place is to provide services which strengthen families and help to prevent child abuse and neglect.
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What can you find at Madonna Place?
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240 Main Street, Norwich, Connecticut (860) 886-6600 Fax: (860) 892-5411 email: madonnaplace@snet.net
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