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Engaging Black Fathers as Protective Factors: Trauma-Responsive Strategies for Foster Care and Child Welfare with Dr. Charles C. Daniels Jr.
1:00 PMThursday, April 16 2026
12:00 PMThursday, April 16 2026
11:00 AMThursday, April 16 2026
10:00 AMThursday, April 16 2026
9:00 AMThursday, April 16 2026
7:00 AM
Dr. Daniels was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in the small city of Riverdale. He attended Bethune-Cookman University, a Historically Black University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Public Administration.
Following his undergraduate studies, Dr. Daniels moved to Boston to attend Simmons University School of Social Work. He earned his Master’s in Social Work and a certification in Urban Leadership. He was also awarded the Howard Thurman Fellowship, which enabled him to obtain a Master’s in Divinity from The Boston University School of Theology. Continuing his academic journey, he returned to Simmons to complete his Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work. His thesis focused on evaluating the effectiveness of Fathers’ UpLift’s approach to serving fathers.
His research aimed to answer key questions about the program’s impact, including its effectiveness in reducing unmet basic needs, increasing parenting time, improving emotional regulation, and preventing recidivism among recently incarcerated Black fathers. He also explored how program outcomes varied based on participation length, personal traits, prior incarceration history, life distress levels, and types of unmet basic needs.
Before founding Fathers’ UpLift, Dr. Daniels worked at the Boston Public Health Commission Men’s Health and Recovery Program as a substance abuse clinician and oversaw a small shelter for displaced youth in Jonesboro, Georgia.
Professionally, Dr. Daniels looks up to David Simas, the Chief Executive Officer of the Obama Foundation, considering him a role model for his leadership and dedication to public service.
Dr. Daniels is most proud of his children, Clayton and SaMya, who inspire him daily, and his wife, Samantha, who has been his steadfast support through thick and thin.
Father engagement remains one of the most underdeveloped components of foster care and child welfare systems, particularly in relation to Black fathers whose mental health needs are frequently overlooked. This 2-hour training explores the systemic, cultural, and trauma-related factors that impact Black fathers’ mental health and contribute to disengagement from child welfare systems.
Participants will examine how racialized trauma, stigma, and policy barriers intersect with foster care involvement and permanency outcomes. Through case discussion and applied strategies, attendees will gain practical tools to engage fathers in trauma-responsive, culturally informed ways that strengthen child identity development, placement stability, and long-term mental health outcomes.
This program aligns with trauma-responsive foster care practice and supports clinicians seeking to deepen father-inclusive approaches within AHW’s certification framework.
This course is eligible for 2 continuing education credits.
This course is suitable for Psychologists, LMHCs, MFTs, Social Workers, LPCs, and Counselors.
Intermediate
At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Apply at least two trauma-responsive, culturally informed clinical strategies to support Black fathers’ mental health and improve permanency and well-being outcomes for foster-involved youth.
- Identify at least three systemic and trauma-related barriers that disproportionately impact Black fathers’ mental health and contribute to disengagement in child welfare and foster care systems.