‘The secret sauce’: Experience of a group‐based intervention for Black and Latino fathers

Abstract

Fatherhood interventions have emerged as significant tools for strengthening father identity and parenting skills. Despite the growing evidence of the effectiveness and benefits of these interventions for fathers and their families, there are limited studies on fathers' and providers' perspectives and experiences with the implementation of father‐based interventions. To fill this gap, we explore the unique experiences of the Black and Latino programme staff and fathers in the implementation of the 24/7 Dad® intervention. Qualitative data were collected between October 2021 and February 2022 from all programme staff (n = 7) and selected Dad 24/7 fathers (n = 20) from the English (n = 10) and Spanish (n = 10) intervention groups. All programme staff completed a semi‐structured interview via phone and/or video conferencing. A qualitative descriptive approach was used for analysis. Average age of staff was 53 years; mean age of fathers was 43 years. Among staff, 43% were Black, and 57% were Latino. Fathers self‐identified as Black (30%) and Latino (70%). Three key staff themes were benefits to fathers, impact on fathers and facilitators, and ways to strengthen fatherhood interventions. Three key father themes were intervention benefits, intervention impact (what ‘made it work’) and ways to strengthen intervention services. Fathering is a key component in maintaining healthy families and communities. Fatherhood interventions have great potential for empowering fathers and strengthening families. Finding ways to a relational approach, allocating more time for robust participation and building on facilitators' experiences and assets can help strengthen the impact of fatherhood interventions.