Engaging Fathers: Policy and Practice Issues

Plan New Labour’s social policies Fathers – an overview of the policy issues The role of services Lessons emerging from research into practice

Social policies Responding to new social risks – globalisation, family change, fertility patterns A ‘new’ paradigm – the social investment state (or LEGO?)

The social investment state Knowledge economy Re-defining welfare – integration into the market rather than protection from it (have recent economic events modified this?) Future oriented – investing in children

The knowledge economy ‘We are all in the thin air business. Our children will not have to toil in dark factories, descend into pits or suffocate in mills, to hew raw materials and turn them into manufacturing products. They will make their livings through their creativity, ingenuity and imagination’ Work is becoming more knowledge based and that needs to happen to cope with the challenges posed by globalisation Fact of fiction? The growth of hairdressing!!!!!

Integration into the market Post-war welfare state and extension of social rights for male waged workers However, a new paradigm has emerged across the EU ……. Conditionality – no rights without responsibilities The impact of the economic crisis? ‘Markets need morals’ (Gordon Brown in The Observer, Nov, 9 th, 2008) But !!!!

Investing in children Sure Start and Children’s Centres Expansion of Early Years Role of schools and extended schools Every Child Matters………

Fathers and Family policy Key elements: WFB, uncoupling of parenthood and marriage, state intervention much more extensive and all-encompassing All of these have particular and complex implications for fathers, fathering and fatherhood

WFB policies Key changes – flexible working, child care, new care leaves What are the drivers? Key point is that it’s not gender equality- indeed policies may reinforce childcare as the primary responsibility of mothers

Parenthood is for life Child support Contact Mandatory birth registration Birth fathers rule? From a position in which marriage had been the primary mechanism for grounding fathers’ rights, fathers are now seen to have a more direct unmediated relationship with their children (Collier and Sheldon, 2008)

Responsible parents Host of developments…. Parenting programmes, Every Parent Matters agenda, parenting advisors Role of social policies and the role of law

The role of services Unprecedented naming of parents as mothers and fathers in a range of documents The influence of the Fatherhood Institute

Gender Equality Duty The new duty to promote gender equality came into force in April, The duty affects police, local government, the NHS etc. It also affects private organisations fulfilling public functions. Under previous laws, action could only be taken against public bodies after they discriminated on grounds of sex. Now they must take steps to proactively promote equality between men and women- must take account of their differing needs when making policies and providing services and not just react to complaints when things go wrong.

Every Parent Matters ‘Fathers matter to children’s development. Father-child relationships- be they positive, negative or lacking- have profound and wide ranging impacts on children that last a lifetime, particularly for children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. Research shows that where fathers have early involvement in a child’s life:

Continued… There is a positive relationship to later educational achievement; There is an association with good parent- child relationship in adolescence; and Children in separated families are more protected from mental health problems’ (p, 6).

Barriers to fathers’ involvement (Every Parent Matters) ‘Insensitive’ services Overtly female focus and culture – lack of confidence in explaining to female service users why it is important to engage with fathers Under estimation of the significance of a father’s involvement if he is not visible to the service, or not living with the child

Every Parent Matters continued ….. ‘Irrespective of the degree of involvement they have in the care of their children, fathers should be offered routinely the support and opportunities they need to play their parental role effectively’ (p, 10)

The Children’s Plan ‘standards and training will reflect the need for public services to engage with both fathers and mothers except where there is a clear risk to the child to do so’ (P, 23) Focus in Children’s plan is on birth fathers including those who are non-resident Supporting contact What are the problems with government constructions?

Some ‘lessons’ from research Gender of the worker is not important But it is important to encourage ‘gender talk’ when changing services The anxieties and desires of workers – where is the space??? Context in which service is being delivered is important Fathers, masculinity and help-seeking- seeing fathers as ‘experts’- difficulties with compulsion Recognising mothers as gatekeepers for fathers’ involvement What kind of activities? Opening hours of services Community work approach is often appropriate

‘Fathers Matter’ research Rounds 1 and 2 Complexity of the families Domestic violence and substance misuse issues Lack of recording about fathers Fathers and ‘rights’ talk Mothers wanted services for fathers Lack of training and support for workers Lack of interest or suspicion about the issue – influence of fathers’ rights movement

References Ashley, C, et al ( 2006) Fathers Matter, Roskill, C et al (2008) Fathers Matter 11, Featherstone, B., Rivett, M. and Scourfield, J (2007) Working with men in health and social care, Sage

Some references R. Collier and S. Sheldon (2008) Fragmenting Fatherhood: A Socio-legal study, Hart Publishing Dermott, E (2008) Intimate Fatherhood, Routledge Featherstone, B (forthcoming) Contemporary Fathering: Theory, Policy and Practice, Policy Press Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State and Society (Oxford University Press)