NYS Office of Children and Family Services Hosts First-Ever Fatherhood Convening

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) hosted the first-ever New York State Fatherhood Convening to promote father engagement across child welfare, juvenile justice and other family serving systems and to launch a new Statewide Fatherhood Steering Committee on June 3, 2026.

“Today is an impor tant moment for New York State, not because fatherhood engagement is a new conversation – rather there is grow ing recognition that fathers must be intentionally included in the work of strengthening children, families and communities,” said OCFS Commissioner Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden. ““Research continues to affirm what many families and communities have always known: when fathers and father figures are meaningfully and positively engaged, children and youth are more likely to experience better educational out comes, fewer behavioral concerns, greater long term stability and overall well-being.”

The convening, which was co-hosted by Casey Family Programs, brought together more than 100 leaders from child welfare, juvenile justice and other human services fields; government officials; representatives from fatherhood organizations and other community-based organizations; and individuals with lived experience.

Kenneth Braswell, chief executive officer of Fathers Incorporated, gave the keynote address on the topic of reimagining fatherhood engagement in New York State. The convening also included a ceremony welcoming the members of the new Statewide Fatherhood Steering Committee. The commit tee is a cross-sector body established by OCFS to help guide statewide fatherhood engagement efforts and strengthen collaboration across family-serving systems.

Commissioner Harris Madden recounted con versations with Governor Hochul and elected offi cials, all of whom empha sized the importance of strengthening families, protecting children, and expanding access to high quality services, pro grams and supports. She added, “Today’s inaugu ral launch of the OCFS Fatherhood Steering Committee makes good on the promise I made to include the community on setting new strategic priorities. Fatherhood engagement intersects directly with OCFS’s priorities because when families are stronger, children are safer. When fathers are supported, entire communities benefit.”

The day-long convening, held at the OCFS Human Services Training Center in Rensselaer, included panel discussions on leadership and systems change; ways to honor the past while shaping the future of fatherhood engagement; and developing next steps for the Statewide Fatherhood Steering Committee.

In addition to the Fatherhood Convening, OCFS recently launched a series of podcast episodes designed to pro mote fatherhood engagement and highlight the importance of involving fathers to improve child safety, reduce trauma and strengthen permanency outcomes for children.

Each episode in the fatherhood podcast series, now available on the OCFS Spotify and YouTube channels, focus es on a different aspect of fatherhood engagement, including the emotional role fathers play in children’s lives and how fathers can interact with the child welfare system if necessary.

OCFS last year hired Troy Grant, a licensed clinical social worker and behavioral health clinician, as a statewide fatherhood engagement family policy advisor.

“Growing up in the foster care system, I wit nessed the difference in how my parents were engaged,” Grant said. “As a mental health clinician, I observed fathers being excluded and overlooked in practice. Later, becoming a father strengthened my commitment for meaningful father engagement. It is impor tant to listen to fathers, honor their lived experiences and support their emotional well-being.”

OCFS continues to develop and support efforts to fully engage fathers to improve child welfare outcomes and well-being. The agency collaborates with father hood programs statewide to uplift the voices of fathers in child welfare to create a support system that promotes positive father and father-figure engagement.

Since 2007, OCFS has also been working with the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to better serve non-custodial parents, mostly fathers, who want to become more involved in their children’s lives, pay child support, and gain the skills that will strengthen their ability to be effective fathers.

Studies have demonstrated numerous benefits to children when their fathers are involved in their children’s lives:

• Children are 80% less likely to spend time in jail (National Father hood Initiative, 2024).

• Children are 43% less likely to exhibit behavioral problems (U.S. Department of Health & Human Ser vices, 2023).

• Children are 33% less likely to repeat a grade (All for Kids: A Father’s Impact on Child Development, 2024).

• Children in the child welfare system who have an engaged father or father-figure are twice as likely to achieve reunification with their families and experience fewer placement disruptions (National Fatherhood Initiative, 2012; Malmet al, 2019).

Studies show when fathers are not involved:

• Children are four times more likely to live in poverty than children with engaged fathers (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023).

• Youth are twice as likely to drop out of high school (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022).

• Youth are twice as likely to drop out of high school (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022).

For more information, visit the Fatherhood Engagement page on the OCFS website