The 28th Annual International Father and Family Practitioners Conference

Welcome to The 28th Annual International Father and Family Practitioners Conference! Join us for a week of learning, networking, and fun at The Bethesdan Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. Connect with fellow practitioners from around the world and gain valuable insights to enhance your practice. Don't miss this opportunity to grow both personally and professionally in the field of family dynamics. We can't wait to see you there!

Info: The Responsible Fatherhood Mentoring & Training Academy: “Mentors and Future Leaders Speak Out” 2025-2026 participants will share their growth and leadership experiences gained over the course of the last year.

Info: Staff employed in any community agency that works with families recognize that their primary clientele are mothers and children. Men and fathers are often reluctant to request assistance for a wide variety of reasons. In order to address this tendency, this session will provide insights into understanding this dynamic and provide specific recommendations to engage males and fathers more effectively

Info: A dedicated project leader for a faith-based Rites of Passage project in the DC-metro area will
share the ciritica need for programs like this today. The program goals, improtance of using an
evidence-based curriculum, triumphs and challenges are among the topics to be covered.

Info: Non-custodial fathers—especially those navigating child support and public service systems—often encounter fragmented processes, inconsistent communication, and difficulty accessing the right support at the right time. These barriers reduce engagement and limit opportunities for fathers to remain active, stable participants in their children’s lives. This workshop focuses on how coordinated service delivery and technology can strengthen fatherhood programs—but only when paired with strong organizational and network readiness.

Participants will explore common obstacles fathers experience and how programs can close these gaps through better referrals, clearer follow-up structures, shared information, and stronger partnerships. The session will use Good Grid as one case example to illustrate broader principles, including how technology has helped organizations improve coordination, track progress, and intervene earlier when fathers need support.

A major emphasis will be placed on readin

Info: To equip fathers with actionable strategies to (1) be recognized as equal educational decision-makers, (2) remove barriers to participation in IEP and 504 process through inclusive protocols, and (3) recognize stigma or bias associated with labels and diagnosis, and 4) navigate disagreement and high-stakes conversations without damaging relationships or being mischaracterized—while ensuring students with disabilities, gifted learners, and 2e students receive appropriate identification, services, and enrichment.

Moderated by Marcy Jackson, Founder of Resh Institute for Educational Leadership, Special Education Advocate, Administrator for Special Education Excellence for Underserved Students, and Author of Pour the Water: Transformative Solutions for Equity & Justice in Special Education, and Co-Author of P.A.R.E.N.T.S. LifeSkills, Literacy & Leadership.

Info: Tired of administrative drudgery? Join Dr. Herbert M. Turner III for an intensive half-day workshop designed to transform Generative AI into your program’s ultimate "force multiplier". This session moves past the hype to show you how to automate grant drafting, case notes, and recruitment flyers in minutes rather than hours. Designed for practitioners and directors, you will build a personalized AI dashboard and leave with an official NPCL AI Course Certificate.

Credential: Participants who actively complete the 'Force Multiplier Lab' will receive the official NPCL AI Course Certificate

Info: This interactive 75-minute session, titled "Building Bonds Through Play: How Father-Child Games Strengthen Communication," will teach fathers how to play group games to improve their communication and self-regulation with their children. Participants will also learn techniques that support co-parenting and men’s mental health. The session is designed to be hands-on and supportive, offering practical tools that fathers can use to strengthen their family bonds through playful interaction.

Info: The author will discuss his new book. Moderator: Mrs. Andrea Thomas

Info: Participants will receive an overview of the fatherhood movement in the 20th and 21st centuries, and gain an understanding of the salient policies and practices that have influenced fatherhood programming and either encouraged or impeded father engagement.

Info: This high-impact workshop utilizes media clips from the forthcoming documentary film "Better Together" to spark conversations on co-parenting, parental alienation, and child wellbeing. Terron Edwards highlights his Milwaukee-based pilot program that empowers fathers and mothers to collaborate rather than conflict. Participants will explore real-life strategies for repairing communication, resolving conflict, and establishing shared decision-making routines. The session also addresses policy and systems levers—from courts to schools—that can enable healthier co-parenting outcomes. Designed for practitioners, parents, policymakers, and influencers, this session bridges grassroots innovation and systemic reform, offering replicable strategies to build family stability.

Info: The attempts to eradicate the negative traits of toxic masculinity is having the unfortunate effect of eradicating the healthy aspects of manhood'fatherhood. We must move beyond the practice of defining men/masculinity only in toxic terms. This workshop will refine and reaffirm the definitions of manhood and masculinity. Participants will be given practical steps for helping men redefine their relationships, identity, capacity, and purpose.

Info: Many fatherhood programs operate in a "reactive" mode, scrambling to respond to last-minute grant opportunities that may not fully align with their mission. This interactive workshop introduces a sustainable, year-round system designed to move organizations from a grant-by-grant approach to a proactive, wholistic funding strategy.

Using the Fathers Making Progress (FMP) case study, participants will learn how to build and maintain a customized Funding Surveillance and Response System. The session focuses on three core components.

Participants will engage in a live "Go/No-Go" decision-making exercise, learning how to protect their organization's most valuable resource: their time. This presentation is designed as a 75-minute interactive session, providing practitioners with the tools needed to bridge the funding gap and compete effectively with larger organizations.

Info: Awards recognition outstanding leaders in the field of fathers and family

Info: Empowering the Path Forward features a dynamic panel discussion with leadership from the National Partnership for Community Leadership (NPCL) and the Center for Policy Research (CPR). The session explores a transformative shift from the $154 billion annual taxpayer cost of compensatory government spending to a proactive human capital investment framework for low-income fathers of color.

Central to this discussion are the strategic observations from Dr. Jeffery M. Johnson’s seminal work, From Endangered to Empowered: Solutions for Thriving in America and the Changing World. The panel will examine how Dr. Johnson’s 7 Pillars of Preservation—covering critical areas such as Economic Engineering, Education as Liberation, and Health Disparities—provide a blueprint for dismantling systemic exclusion.

Supported by the American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM) and Melinda French Gates, this session highlights innovative state-level policies—from evidence-based apprenticeships to justice-syst

Info: This group exercise is designed to identify, address and create effective strategies as to how we can best assist our target population, Juvenile High-Risk Victims. Members will be challenged to discuss current trends, needs and resources affecting this population. Topics will also be presented to present the Child Advocacy /Law Enforcement relationship and developing, addressing our “solvable issues”. Terms and current trends will be introduced and presented to include Covid kids and the relationship between professionals, families and our children who were/are affected by this event. The goal of this module is designed to promote communication/teamwork among MDTs and associated agencies.

Info: The Men, Infants, and Children Make Program is designed to address the emotional well-being of fathers and father figures as a foundational step toward effective parenting. The program recognizes that many men who participate carry unresolved emotional wounds, which can hinder their ability to engage positively with their children. By focusing on healing the “broken heart” of the father or father figure, the program creates a receptive environment for positive parenting education. As participants begin to heal, their intrinsic strengths and nurturing qualities emerge, allowing them to model healthy behaviors and communication. This transformation not only benefits the men themselves but also supports their children’s emotional and developmental needs.

Info: AFIRM invests in Memphis’ fathers by building capacity to reduce dependency. It establishes a pathway to the goal of equipping fathers to provide emotionally and financially for their children. This workshop provides a comprehensive overview of a highly successful program for fathers currently underway in Memphis, TN.

Info: Fatherhood programs across the country are producing life-changing outcomes—yet many struggle to translate their impact into measurable data that influences funding, research, and policy. This workshop bridges the gap between practice and research by equipping practitioners with practical tools to collect, analyze, and communicate both quantitative and qualitative data.
Participants will learn how to design simple but effective pre- and post-test tools, gather meaningful father and mother engagement data, and build evaluation systems that demonstrate measurable outcomes without overwhelming staff or participants

Info: The author will discuss his new book.

Info: This time is set aside for conference attendees to visit their Congressperson(s) on Capitol Hill. Attendees should schedule time in advance with their Congressman for the designated conference time slot. It's also a good idea to bring information (leave behinds) about your program). NPCL can provide talking points for those interested, but essentially this is an opportunity to get to know your Congressman and more importantly, to provide awareness to them about your program, program needs, successes, and to build rapport, which provides tremendous potential for helping to generate new opportunities for your program and families in your state.

Info: Community Based Connections Inc currently serves fathers through a free mentoring and family strengthening support program in Broward County. The Program allows participants to become part of a group in which they learn about relationships, children, parenting, and much more. This program creates a non-threatening environment and staff build trust and rapport with fathers, meeting them where they are (mentally, emotionally, and geographically). CBCI uses an evidence-based approach, recognizing the individualized needs of fathers and the significant impact they have on their children and families.

While participating in the ADAM Program, fathers receive support services that include parenting classes, co-parenting sessions, group services, individualized mental health services, emergency financial support, employment training and job seeking support, and supporting identifying legal services, if necessary.

Upon successful completion of the ADAM Program, CBCI has seen family protective

Info: Economic stability is the foundation of strong families, yet many households continue to struggle despite steady income. This interactive 75-minute workshop explores practical, real-world strategies to improve financial outcomes for families by addressing both the numbers and the behaviors behind them.

Participants will engage in guided discussions, real-life scenarios, and hands-on exercises that examine budgeting, cash-flow management, debt reduction, and the early stages of asset building. The session places special emphasis on fathers and caregivers as economic leaders within the home and highlights how intentional financial systems—not just income—create stability.

Info: This interactive workshop gives practitioners practical, culturally responsive strategies for engaging fathers in meaningful and lasting ways. Drawing from national outreach work and new NRFC tools, we’ll explore how programs can create spaces where fathers from all backgrounds feel respected and supported. Participants will engage in hands-on activities, real-world scenarios, and conversations about trauma, co-parenting, cultural identity, and the role spirituality sometimes plays in fathers’ journeys. The goal is simple: equip you with tools you can use immediately to strengthen your outreach, deepen connection, and help fathers build healthier relationships with their children and families.

Info: Best practices for early childhood development education rely heavily on national experts for guidance on infant safety, bonding, and healthy growth. Yet even the strongest evidence-based recommendations can fall flat when facilitators are not equipped to translate them into clear, practical conversations with caregivers. This session presents a replicable method for converting national best practices into facilitator-ready materials that strengthen parent learning and support safer home environments.

Info: A growing number of family service agency professionals are being asked to do more with less. As their caseload expands and their resources dwindle, many staff struggle with complex ethical decisions on a regular basis, requiring informed sound ethical decision-making. The issues addressed include client confidentiality, personal safety, maintaining health boundaries, fiscal management, working with undocumented families, program eligibility and allocation of scare resources.

This workshop will outline a process for assisting social service providers to resolve ethical situations confronted in the workplace. It will apply an approach to help examine difficult ethical issues and to provide guidelines for the application of ethical decision-making for a range of client populations.

Info: In the evolving field of Fatherhood and social service work, we can't truly support men and families if we as fathers and practitioners, are not prioritizing our wellness.

Join Director of Wellness for the Fatherhood Network and Certified Wellness Practitioner Jacob Pinney-Johnson, as he shares insights, tools, and strategies on the HOPE framework (Healthy Outcomes and Positive Experiences). As well as strategies and templates from the National Wellness Alliance on developing personalized wellness plans.

This session will utilize frameworks geared towards individuals looking to prioritize their wellness. In addition to exploring tools and strategies from the HOPE (Healthy Outcomes & Positive Experiences) framework. These frameworks will be approached with a father, practitioner, and program focus.

As fathers and practitioners working with families and communities. It is crucial that we center our well-being. Just as we plan and develop strategies for our programs. We must plan and b

Info: In 2025, Fathers and Families Center commissioned a study to assess our impact on the fathers we serve and on the Indianapolis economy based on our activities in 2023 and 2024, organized around our four key domains of fatherhood: Parent, person, partner and provider.

Using de-identified participant data, surveys, and interviews with program alumni and staff, teh study demonstrated that our efforts generated meaningful change in each of the four domains, but effect sizes varied significanty. The proposed session will discuss the methodology of that analysis, the challenges encountered in conducting the study, and the conclusions we were able to defend. We will also discuss the limitations of the study and next steps in our research agenda. Finally, we would like to discuss how best to generate meaningful dialogue with other practitioners around the results of the study.

Info: Fatherhood Advocacy & Legal Navigation™ for Service Providers introduces a groundbreaking training framework developed by Alicia M. Crowe, Esq., author of Real Dads Stand Up! What Every Single Father Should Know About Child Support, Rights, and Custody.

This session integrates fatherhood advocacy principles with legal literacy training to help service providers strengthen engagement with fathers who face child support, custody, and co-parenting challenges. Participants will explore trauma-informed and legally aware communication techniques that build trust, reduce barriers, and support long-term family stability. By reframing how practitioners approach 'legal conversations' with fathers, this workshop empowers service providers to become more effective advocates within their own roles bridging systems, not replacing attorneys. (Educational session only; no legal advice provided.)

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