National Fatherhood Initiative's 24/7 Dad

Evidence Rating  
Evidence rating: Insufficient Evidence

Strategies with this rating have limited research documenting effects. These strategies need further research, often with stronger designs, to confirm effects.

Health Factors  

24/7 Dad is a voluntary, comprehensive fatherhood program designed to help men improve their parenting skills and fathering knowledge. The program focuses on building self-awareness, self-caring, and parenting, fathering, and relationship skills through 12 weekly, two-hour group or individual sessions1.

What could this strategy improve?

Expected Benefits

Our evidence rating is based on the likelihood of achieving these outcomes:

  • Improved parenting

Potential Benefits

Our evidence rating is not based on these outcomes, but these benefits may also be possible:

  • Improved family functioning

What does the research say about effectiveness?

There is insufficient evidence to determine whether 24/7 Dad improves parenting skills. Available evidence suggests that program participation may improve knowledge about and attitudes towards parenting for a variety of populations2, 34, including those under correctional supervision5. Program participation may also increase fathers’ involvement with their children and improve the quality of the parent-child relationship2. Additional evidence is needed to confirm effects.

Implementation Resources

NFI-Fathersource - National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI). Fathersource.

Footnotes

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1 NFI - National Fatherhood Initiative.

2 Lewin-Bizan 2015 - Lewin-Bizan S. 24/7 Dad Program in Hawaii: Sample, design, and preliminary results. National Fatherhood Initiative; 2015.

3 Hyra 2011 - Hyra A. Outcome evaluation of Puerto Rican Family Institute’s fatherhood involvement grant activities. Washington, DC: Hyra Consulting; 2011.

4 Evans-Rhodes 2010 - Evans-Rhodes D. Dads matters performance measure 2009-2010: Preliminary results for confidence and knowledge. Germantown: National Fatherhood Initiative; 2010.

5 da Rosa 2012 - da Rosa GD, Melby JN. Report on prisoner reentry project: Analysis of 24/7 Dad pre- and post-test results. Ames: Iowa State University; 2012.

Date last updated