Low‐Income Fathers and “Responsible Fatherhood” Programs: A Qualitative Investigation of Participants' Experiences^*

Abstract

The authors present the voices of 20 low‐income fathers, all participants in a Responsible Fatherhood (RF) program in a large urban area. A hermeneutic phenomenological methodology was used to document participants' memories of becoming fathers, explain participants' perceptions of the benefits and the barriers to remaining involved with the program, and share participants' suggestions for program improvement. The results provide a preliminary evaluation of the program's services, and we discuss how these findings are helpful to future programmatic and policy initiatives.