SPONSOR: Gragg
This bill designates the month of June as "Fathership Month" in Missouri, encouraging events and activities to raise awareness about the importance of fathers being a part of their children's lives.
Additionally, the bill establishes within the Department of Social Services' Family Support Division the "Missouri Fathership Project", to promote fathership and empower fathers to become successful in fathership.
The bill establishes the "Missouri Fathership Project Grant Program" which is a program and accompanying fund for family- focused community agencies, faith-based agencies, family advocacy programs, and nonprofit organizations to apply for in order to hire, train, and facilitate fathership project specialists, who are to serve as a point of contact for fathers who want to reestablish and strengthen relationships with their children.
The bill specifies the duties of fathership project specialists, including, but not limited to, being dispatched to engage with a father who does not comply with a court-ordered case plan, at which point a court or the division is required to issue a referral to a partnering entity utilizing services from a fathership project specialist.
Statutes affected: