top of page
45.jpg

Fathers and safeguarding

Keeping children safe by improving family services' practice with fathers

Why change is needed

Children with supportive, warm, and positively involved fathers tend to be more well-adjusted, have greater cognitive ability, social behaviour and psychological well-being, and do better at school.

 

Fathers, like mothers, can also have negative impacts, and may pose serious risks to children – but services are much less likely to engage with and assess men in their parenting roles, or provide appropriate support and challenge. 

What needs to happen

We want there to be a step-change in social care and other safeguarding services’ engagement with fathers and other men in children’s families – to better protect children and improve their life chances.

 

This will require:

  • Leadership and investment from Government and other relevant agencies

  • Redesign of services and interventions

  • Improved administrative systems

  • More gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation

  • More confident father-inclusive practice by social workers and other family professionals 

Key actions

We develop, refine and deliver the highest quality evidence-based father-inclusive practice training courses.

 

These transform the practice of individual practitioners within the health visiting, Family Hubs, early years, social care and other family-focused services that collectively contribute to the safeguarding of Britain’s children

We are part of a team working to adapt the Fathers for Change intervention for trial in the UK. Following an adaptation phase, we are now conducting a feasibility study. This work is funded by Foundations, the What Works Centre for Children and Families as part of its REACH plan

We conducted two rapid systematic reviews of evidence about non-accidental injury of infants by fathers, father-figures and other informal male caregivers, as part of a national inquiry by the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel – whose hard-hitting final report, the Myth of Invisible Men (2021), has been fuelling innovation in the safeguarding sector

We’ve produced a range of resources for safeguarding practitioners and leaders, including research summaries, videos co-produced with North East Young Dads and Lads and practice guides for ISAFE, and a guide to Engaging Men in Social Care, to help social work teams and leaders audit their father-engagement and develop more father-inclusive approaches

We developed ISAFE (Improving Safeguarding through Audited Father Engagement) – an online training intervention package with a ‘practice pathway’ for child protection social workers and a ‘systems pathway’ for their managers. Read our article on ISAFE, published in the International Journal of Child Maltreatment, here

How you can help

Commission us to deliver a webinar or training at your workplace

Make a donation to support our ongoing policy work

SUPPORT US

By giving today, you are helping to create a more equitable society in which both mothers and fathers are valued and supported as carers

NOTE we do not fundraise in person, only online - if you are approached by someone claiming to represent FI, please take their details and report them to Action Fraud, do not give them any money

CONTACT US

For media enquiries only:

J.Davies@fatherhoodinstitute.org, or on Whatsapp 0780 371 1692

​

*On 30th June only* contact Adrienne Burgess on 0774 714 5146

Registered address: 57 Chevening Road, London SE10 0LA

© Copyright The Fatherhood Institute 2023. Registered charity number: 1075104.

​

Private limited company number: 03709549. VAT registration number: 763194319

bottom of page