Program aims to help family relationships through Conscious Fathering

St. Joseph Mercy Oakland’s (SJMO) Conscious Fathering program will conduct two free, fatherhood workshops for new and expecting fathers.

The two-hour workshops are designed to give new or expecting fathers the tools they need to be great fathers and real partners in caring for their babies.Workshop participants will learn the five basic needs of the baby and strategies to become partners and not just assistants in fostering healthy family development. The program also focuses on the father’s relationship with the child’s mother and the changes that happen when a new baby joins the family, with the goal of improving birth outcomes and promote child health and well-being.

A workshop in Spanish will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010, at La Casa Amiga, 76 Williams St., Pontiac. A workshop in English will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010, in the Avci Room in the SJMO Franco Communications Center, 44405 Woodward Ave., Pontiac.

Light refreshments will be served. For information or to register, call Healthy Start Group Specialist Sean Sylvester, 248-858-6943.

This special father engagement effort is part of SJMO’s Healthy Start/Healthy Families Oakland program, an award-winning, fully credentialed collaborative program that provides home visitation services for vulnerable families with infants and young children throughout Oakland County. Conscious Fathering is part of the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative supported by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.