Dad’s Back! is the signature program of Friends Outside in Los Angeles County (FOLA) and one of our great successes. It’s FOLA’s free program for re-entry dads of all ages and who are out of jail or prison for any period of time.
For more than 40 years, Pasadena-based FOLA has offered no-cost services, including “Parole to Payroll” (an employment program), fatherhood services, support groups, and an after-school program for children and families affected by incarceration. 1 in 100 persons in the U.S. is behind bars, at a cost in California of $50,000 per inmate per year. Unless they receive appropriate services, approximately 60% of them will return to prison. One way that FOLA is turning this around is through its “Dads Back!” program. Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Dads Back!” helps released fathers to improve their relationships with their children and their children’s mother and to get and keep a job. In other words, provide needed services that help these individuals return successfully to our communities.
Here are some of the results of this amazing program.
Responsible Fatherhood
- 5% increase in fathers who are making child support payments/modified payments
- 79.6% of men increased their frequency of healthy interaction with their children
- 99% increased their parenting knowledge and fatherhood skills
Healthy Marriage/Healthy Relationships
- 25% of fathers increased their relationship knowledge and skills
- 66% of fathers included the children’s “co-parents” in family events
Economic Stability
- 80% of fathers became employed; 85% of fathers increased their “soft” employment skills (e.g., how to interview; how to seek employment in the electronic age)
- 69.2% of fathers reported a reduced number of employment barriers.
Financial Management
- 100% of fathers increased their financial literacy