The Mission Statement

The Rhode Island Fatherhood Coalition works to develop and promote policies, programs and best practices so that fathers, including those who do not live with their children, will have positive, healthy, supportive relationships with their children.

The Vision Statement

Fathers active and involved in their children's lives.

Early successes in RIPIN’s fatherhood work, supported by funding from The Rhode Island Foundation and The Annie E. Casey Foundation, served as the catalyst for our leadership role in the newly formed Rhode Island Fatherhood Coalition.

The Rhode Island Fatherhood Coalition is made up of representatives from the following Rhode Island state agencies, departments, and organizations: Department of Administration; Department of Education, Department of Elderly Affairs; Department of Human Services, Department of Children Youth and Families, Department of Health, Department of Corrections, Child Support Enforcement, Department of Labor and Training; RI Family Court; the Office of the Governor; and the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Connecting Sites Providence.

In the summer of 2003, members of the Rhode Island Children’s Cabinet decided to coalesce and change state programming, to better support successful outcomes for non-custodial and at-risk parents, primarily fathers. Comprised of representatives from state agencies and other groups, the Coalition’s mission is to, “…develop and promote policies, programs, and best practices so that fathers, including those who do not live with their children, will have positive, healthy, and supportive relationships with their children.”

Today, leaders of key state agencies are engaged and are committed to collaborating on the larger policy issues that will result in better support and services for non-custodial fathers, as well as better outcomes for their children. RIPIN is poised to use the momentum and energy generated within the Father and Family Network, the Governor’s “Children’s Cabinet,” and Cabinet member designees, and the state courts to take the Coalition to the next level. Our next steps involve a series of work group meetings through the end of 2004. Committees will strategize on ways to improve programming within the various state agencies, make recommendations to the group, and use the Coalition as the vehicle to move forward on state policy and funding issues.