The September 23^rd 2014 PSFC Report serves to this day as the guiding document for the work of THE COMMISSION Statewide.

2015

The Strong Families Commission Incorporated, (THE COMMISSION) was actively engaged in board expansion and development, establishing fiscal and accounting systems, writing policies and procedure statements to accomplish the mission of the corporation, and fashioning a five-year strategic plan. THE COMMISSION received notification of its 501 (c) (3) Federal Tax-Exempt Status in April of 2015.

During 2015, THE COMMISSION released a legal memorandum that addressed the question, “Do Children Have a Fundamental Right to Access Both Parents” (the answer was yes) and thereby sponsored a “National Call to Action Symposium – Serving Children by Engaging Fathers” which was held on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, at the Offices of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker, and Rhoads in the City of Philadelphia.

THE COMMISSION’s National Call to Action was a partnership that included five entities: (1) the Stoneleigh Foundation Fellows’ Project “The Integration of Responsible Fatherhood within Foster Care Service Delivery and Other Children and Youth Servicing Systems”; 2) the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA); (3) the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Region III; (4) Bryn Mawr College, Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research (GSSWSR); and (5) the American Bar Association (ABA) Center on Children and the Law.

2016
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​The Commission held on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, its first 3FA Celebration of 25 Philadelphia Children, Youth, and Family-Focused Agencies that were recognized as inaugural participants completing the requirements for initial certification as a Father Friendly Flagship Agency (3FA).
 
In addition to receiving a Plaque, agency awardees received a certificate of “Initial Certification of Father Friendliness,” based on having met the criteria for a Father Friendly Flagship Agency as developed by the Stoneleigh Foundation Senior Fellow Project “The Integration of Responsible Fatherhood Within Foster Care Service Delivery and Other Children and Youth Servicing Systems”, and approved by The Strong Families Commission, Incorporated.

A 3FA Logo was also provided to each agency to be placed on their website or other published materials.

​All 3FA agencies were given an opportunity to advance to national certification, in collaboration with the Child Welfare League of America and The Strong Families Commission Incorporated, provided they continue to represent 3FA criteria spelled out in the Project “The Integration of Responsible Fatherhood Within Foster Care Service Delivery and Other Children and Youth Servicing Systems”, and actively participate in a continuous community of learning process that meets formally at least quarter-annually, and where all participants are required to: 1) provide proof of Board Endorsement of Father Integration as an organizational priority within service delivery to children and families; 2) commit to the implementation of the strategic plan as proposed in the 3FA Certification Process; 3) Commit to work with THE COMMISSION and the Child Welfare League of America on the development of criteria for final certification, and related educational products to ensure that these criteria can be met; and 4) commit to share what is learned with the broader community through CWLA webinars, conferences, or various publications.  

​Seventeen of the twenty-five Children, Youth, and Family-focused agencies, that were recognized as inaugural participants completing requirements for initial certification as a Father Friendly Flagship Agency (3FA), petitioned THE COMMISSION for full accreditation.

Of the seventeen agencies who petitioned for full accreditation, twelve actually completed the program and became accredited 3FA’s in 2018. Reaccreditation began in 2020 but was not completed as COVID-19 consumed the country’s attention.
 
2017

By 2017, THE COMMISSION recognized that the City of Philadelphia, Department of Human Services was not committed to increasing fiscal resources or change of policy that would support agency transformation that would intentionally include fathers in their service delivery models. With this in mind, THE COMMISSION began its work across Pennsylvania counties, including those surrounding the State Capitol.

Ultimately, THE COMMISSION took its work to the State level of government, thus convening a historic bipartisan and bicameral Symposium on Child Well-Being in Pennsylvania and the Urgent Need for Father Involvement, held at the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, eight miles west of the State Capitol.  Symposium convening partners included the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU); AMACHI, Inc.; Child Welfare League of America, Inc.; Delta Community Supports, Inc.; and the Fathers Collaborative Council of Western Pennsylvania. Legislative Sponsors included State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams, (D) Philadelphia; State Senator Patrick M. Browne, (R) Lehigh County; Representative Edward C. Gainey, (D) Pittsburgh; and Representative Harold A. English, (R) Allegheny County.

Every year since then THE COMMISSION has sponsored a statewide conference free of charge to the public that emphasizes the importance of fathers in the well-being of children. All of our work with different themes is sponsored under the title: Child Well-Being in Pennsylvania and the Urgent Need for Father Involvement.

2018

On January 11, 2018 the Free Library of Philadelphia served as host to America’s first accredited group of children, youth and family-focused agencies that were accredited as 3FAs (Father Friendly Flagship Agencies). 3FAs are entities (Agencies, Institutions, or Systems) that are dedicated to the well-being of children, youth and families, and are committed to the inclusion of fathers in their service delivery models. The 3FA concept evolved from a Stoneleigh Foundation Senior Fellow Project Initiative titled: “The Integration of Responsible Fatherhood within Foster Care Service Delivery and Other Children and Youth Servicing Systems.” 

The over-arching goal of the 3FA process is the enhancement of child well-being, via the expansion of the capacity of children, youth and family-focused agencies to increase and sustain their ability to involve fathers in the lives of their children, through quality father engagement philosophy, policies, practice, programs, procedures, and protocols, known as THE COMMISSION’s Six Standards of Excellence (6Ps).  

Initial 3FA Agency Certification required the following: 

• Completion of a series of IAWF Father Friendly Flagship Agency Self-Assessment Surveys, (not less than two). 
• Active participation in the Project Community of Learning, through a Trans-Disciplinary Approach to knowledge building and exchange, including submission of documents for consultation and review.
• Identification and Commencement of a Capacity Building Initiative, starting with defining the unit of study, anticipated outcomes, proposed activities, and method of independent evaluation.
• Presentation of Agency’s Father Integration Strategic Plan to internal and external audiences. 
• Fulfillment of the requirements of the 3FA Agency Performance Matrix, which among other items required that the agency submit a board approved vision, mission, or some other public statement that undergirds the value and philosophy of the agency that a father’s love and full involvement in his children’s life is crucial to their health, well-being, and development; and
• Participation in a Project Exit Interview designed to assess: 1) increased conversation among participating agencies regarding the value of fathers in the lives of children; 2) early father inclusion in case planning; 3) agency/client benefits, if any, as a result of participation in the project; 4) short-term effect of project public discourse highlighting the consequences for dependent and delinquent children and youth, who currently are, or are at risk of becoming, involved in multiple systems of care; and 5) new program initiatives, if any, as a result of project participation.

THE COMMISSION’s  Agency Accreditation Initiative is based on demonstrated commitment to the principals of Father Friendliness & Continued Agency Self-Assessment; willingness to engage in pro bono work designed to consider alternative strategies to removing children from their home and extended family members; readiness to stand firm in their belief and value of the importance of fathers being included in their respective service delivery models to children and families; and achievement of all of the criteria defined to become a 3FA. 

Since the project began in 2012, 35 agencies within metropolitan Philadelphia with varied service agendas and populations have participated in the design process of the 3FA Initiative. 25 agencies completed the initial certification process in April 2016, and 12 agencies were accredited in January 2018. In addition to the successful implementation of the 3FA Project, THE COMMISSION convened it second state-wide conference inclusive of Father, Child & Family Advocates under the banner that “Fathers Have the Same Responsibilities and, Importantly, the Same Rights as Mothers.” as quoted from Pennsylvania’s late Chief Justice Max Baer.

Also, THE COMMISSION in 2018 released a comprehensive report released on the work of The Strong Families Commission over the last two years that explored the topic Child Well-Being in Pennsylvania and the Urgent Need for Father Involvement that included feedback from both the 2017 & 2018 State-Wide SOC Symposium Proceedings. Systems explored included the Administration of Justice/Public Safety; Behavioral Health; Child Support Services and Enforcement; Dependent, Delinquent and Crossover Children and Youth; Early Childhood Development; Education; Employment and Training; Housing, Supervised Independent Living, and Homelessness; Parent Education and Support Services; and Public Health.

The recommendations contained in the Report did not necessarily represent, in total, the opinions and/or consensus of all participants, nor did it represent a complete picture of the myriads of State-administered programs critical to the well-being of children, fathers, and families.

The Report does, however, reflect the consensus of participants and various Pennsylvania state and local leaders that the role of fathers in the lives of their children is critical to their emotional, social, educational and economic health. 

Furthermore, the Report underscores participants support for implementing a “systems integration approach” (e.g., a statewide plan) that emphasizes: a) the urgent need for father involvement by removing systemic barriers; and b) adopting policies that allow for the provision of father-inclusive services throughout the family care network of agencies within the Commonwealth. 

2019

By 2019, THE COMMISSION held its 3rd Annual Symposium titled “From the Beginning…Early Childhood Development and the Role of Fathers.” This also was the year that the COMMISSION held its first Press Conference in the Main Rotunda at the State Capital with the title “From Practitioners to Policymakers: A Statewide Call to Action for Greater Father Involvement in the Lives of Pennsylvania’s Children and Families.”

On Tuesday, December 10th 2019, THE COMMISSION celebrated its 5th Anniversary by the pinning of its Board of Directors, known as Commissioners; National Fellows; Corporate Staff; and Event Volunteers, as well as introduced opportunities for volunteer service in the following seven programmatic initiatives: Division of Accreditation, Continuing Education, and Quality Assurance; National Council of Fellows; SIR/PEAL- System Impediment Review, Public Education, & Advocacy Initiative; Schuylkill West Mobilization Project; Task Force on the Right of Children to have access to both Biological Parents; Southeastern Pennsylvania Men Advisory Board for the Recruitment, Study and Mentoring of Men Helping to Raise Children; and IAWF Harvey House, Research Center for Family Well-Being, Dedicated to Educating Fathers Raising Children. 
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2020

2020 was a difficult year for most of mankind throughout the world, however, THE COMMISSION decided that notwithstanding Covid-19 or the Coronavirus Pandemic, it could not afford to go an entire year and miss the opportunity of continuing to share the message of the urgent need for greater father involvement in the life of children, families and communities.
 
In this regard, THE COMMISSION hosted its first virtual event titled: “2020 SOC Symposium Better Futures for Our Children…Through Greater Father Family Involvement” Pennsylvania’s Journey – A Three Part (Series) Virtual Presentation – designed to educate the importance of child well-being, safety, and permanency through greater father family involvement, by examining where are we? What are the Consequences? and What is the Call to Action?

2021

In 2021, for the first time in Commonwealth History, the Bureau of Child Support Enforcement partnered with an outside non-government entity (THE COMMISSION) to co-sponsor a conference that addressed “Understanding Pennsylvania’s Child Support Services and Program Initiatives.” Prior to our partnership, THE COMMISSION advocated for the development, design, and adoption of the Child and Family Advocates Advisory Board (CFAAB) within the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Bureau of Child Support Enforcement. The Chair of THE COMMISSION was asked by the Department to serve as a Special Advisor to the Board and Bureau Director, which he accepted.

2022

The 6th Annual SOC Conference held in 2022 was hosted in Pittsburgh and jointly sponsored by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit under the title: “Cultivating Connections Across Systems.”

In addition, during 2022, thanks to the work of THE COMMISSION, Pennsylvania now has a public law that states: The public policy of the Commonwealth is to end institutional barriers that may impede fathers in fostering supportive connections with their children, establish support mechanisms to enhance the ability of fathers to assume a beneficial parenting role and assist men in preparing for the legal, financial and emotional responsibilities of fatherhood.

Governor Tom Wolf signed H.B. 1731, Printer’s Number 2953 into law on November 3, 2022, which created a Pennsylvania Advisory Committee on Greater Father Involvement. A copy of the Act can be found under the following title: GREATER FATHER INVOLVEMENT ACT – ENACTMENT Act of Nov. 3, 2022, P.L. 1747, No. 114.

2023

In the Pennsylvania Act 114 of 2022, the Pennsylvania General Assembly wrote that the Joint State Government Commission (JSGC) was to make recommendations regarding the possible establishment of a long-term or permanent fatherhood commission and its powers, duties and funding. Further, JSGC was instructed to issue by December 31, 2023, a report to the Governor and the General Assembly regarding responsible fatherhood programs and issues within this Commonwealth and make recommendations to aid in understanding, evaluating or improving the successful implementation of these programs and issues.

THE COMMISSION was pleased to be noted in the Joint State Government Commission’s Report, to the Governor and members of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as “…instrumental in advocating for the formation of the Advisory Committee and the study represented by the report.”

THE COMMISSION’s 7^th Annual SOC Symposium also occurred in 2023, with the title “Child Well-Being Through the Lens of Fathers.” THE COMMISSION brought to the public’s attention the strong message that “Fatherhood Programming was on Pennsylvania’s State Government Leaders Agenda” Again, THE COMMISSION is leading Pennsylvania’s Fatherhood Movement.

2024

In April of this year, the Founder of The Strong Families Commission was given the privilege of serving as Interim President of the newly formed Commonwealth Citizens Council (CCC).

Under the leadership of THE COMMISSION, the CCC represents a new network of Pennsylvania Citizens in partnership with their state legislative leaders, keeping track of Pennsylvania’s commitment to ending institutional barriers that may impede fathers in fostering supportive connections with their children; establishing support mechanisms to enhance the ability of fathers to assume a beneficial parenting role; and assisting men to prepare for the legal, financial and emotional responsibilities of fatherhood, and much more.

Question, why the formal creation of a Commonwealth Citizens Council (CCC) and why now?

The answer is simple, it has been nearly two years since Pennsylvania Act 114 of 2022 has been signed by the Governor, which took effect immediately toward the end of 2022. Yet, we the citizens still don’t know where the Fatherhood Commission will be housed nor how we will fund its program operations and expected duties.

It is during this period that it became obvious to THE COMMISSION that Fatherhood Commission Advocates who have experienced success, and thought that the campaign was over in 2022, awoken one day only to realize that the work of the JSGC still had its task to do, and then report same, to the Governor of Pennsylvania, as well as the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

The question still to be asked, why the formal creation of the Commonwealth Citizens Council and why now? Again, it is simple, although a statutory act regarding a Fatherhood Commission has been unanimously voted on and signed by the Governor of the State, and the release of a formal report produced (January 2024) by the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission recommending a permanent Fatherhood Commission, nothing else formally had been scheduled to take place before this year’s Legislative Session ends in November 30, 2024. 

THE COMMISSION knowing what it has learned over time, reminds us all that we cannot afford to fight for something and as soon as it appears it has been accomplished, walk away as though the job is finish, in fact, the job is never finish as long as we are concerned with the issue (s) at hand.

Thus, the CCC, through citizen participation has been tasked to monitor the implementation of Pennsylvania ACT 114 of 2022, and collaborate with local, state, and national government leaders to remove systemic obstacles that impede greater father-family involvement, thereby demonstrating state and national commitment to both maternal and paternal involvement in the well-being of children.