This study aimed to identify the characteristics of current Canadian intervention programs designed to support father involvement. Sixty-one projects in the 10 provinces constituted the sample. Results show that most of the projects operate on limited budgets. The activities they offer mostly target fathers themselves to the exclusion of key people in their social environment. The discussion underscores the strenghts and weaknesses of father support programs, and guidelines for future intervention in this area are proposed.It is generally recognized today that children benefit from the presence of their father. Compared to children whose father is absent, those who maintain relations with him benefit affectively, cognitively, and morally, and make gains in the development of social skills and sexual identity (Amato & Gilbreth, 1999;Lamb, 2004). In contrast, the absence of the father, or his weak level of participation, is associated with depressive symptoms, behavioural difficulties, and low self-esteem in children (Phares, 1999). Even though it cannot be established with certainty whether these symptoms are associated with the father's absence or with the conditions of single parenting, research tends to show that, overall, children who are close to their father, rather than removed from him, display a better course of development. A connection has also been established between the father's sense of competence and the prevention of negligence towards children (Dubowitz, Black, Kerr, Starr, & Harrington, 2000).It has also been established that today's fathers are more involved than their own were (Pleck, 1997). Changes in the nature of the family, structurally and functionally, have had major impacts on the father's role. Single fathering and, in the case of joint custody, sharing the care and education of children when the mother works full-time, as well as alterations in gender and parental roles in general, have all increased the tendency among many fathers to invest more in their children. An American study shows that fathers who divorced during the 90s were more involved with their children than divorced fathers from the 80s (Hetherington & Kelly, 2002). Still, a large number of children gradually lose contact with their father, particularly following the separation of their parents (Marcil-Gratton & Le Bourdais, 1999).The positive impact of fathers' involvement with their children, their desire to get involved even though they have not been socialized to assume the care and 5
