Fathers can play a hugely constructive role in a range of child and family outcomes. When fathers come into contact with practitioners, from midwives and health visitors in a child’s early weeks through to child protection social workers, men say they feel overlooked. They're overlooked as a resource for their children and in the difficulties they might be facing with health, housing, money or relationships (Bateson et al, 2017; Brandon et al, 2017; Hogg, 2014).

Family dynamics

Family demographics have changed over recent decades. In some families, it's not always obvious who the ‘father’ is. This is because the child’s birth father may live apart from the child, possibly with a new partner and children, just as the mother might have a new partner who acts towards the child as a ‘social’ or ‘step’ father. Often, fathers have positive contributions to make but are not involved with the children because of parental separation. Other fathers present risks to their children’s development, through their harmful behaviour either directly to the child, to the mother or to other family members. In these circumstances, children’s outcomes, both in the present and in the longer term, are put at risk. Social workers and practitioners must assess if it's safe or in the child’s best interests to have contact with their father.

The NSPCC conducted research in April 2015 from case reviews and identified two categories of ‘hidden’ men:

• who posed a risk to the child which resulted in them suffering harm
• for example, estranged fathers who could protect and nurture the child but were overlooked by professionals.

Studies repeatedly show that child protection work tends to focus on mothers, with fathers having a peripheral presence in case files, child protection conferences and home visits. This has given rise to a series of descriptions of fathers as ‘invisible’ (Strega et al, 2008); ‘ghosts’ (Brown et al, 2009), or ‘shadows’ (Ewart-Boyle et al, 2015).

What are the barriers?

There are several barriers that could impact men’s engagement with services, such as:

• a belief that they do not matter to their children’s welfare or the stigma associated with seeking help
• some fathers fear being told how to parent, others believe such services are for mothers rather than parents and/or fathers, and this could be misconstrued as resistance
• mental health difficulties
• levels of education and employment,
• parental separation and the degree to which the father has coped with feelings of loss or separation.

Some studies have highlighted connections between fathers’ patterns of engagement and their own experience as children. Understanding a man’s own background and experiences may offer one way to understand their behaviour and relationships, with both their own children and their engagement with services. This requires the professional to get information about them, the role they play within the family and to build a relationship of trust.

When birth fathers are cohabiting with the mother and child, it's relatively straightforward to begin this process. Identifying fathers when they are not living with the child, as well as identifying new male partners in the household can be more challenging. It's important for Medway professionals who are involved with the family to share information about potential risks with other professionals who are known to be supporting the children and partners of those men.

There can be an emphasis to rely too much on mothers to share information about the men involved in their children’s lives. If mothers are putting their own needs first, they may not be honest about the risk these men pose to their children or overlook the ability of estranged fathers to provide safe care for their children. Medway practitioners are encouraged to:

• show professional curiosity when working with families
• talk to other people involved in a child’s life, such as the mother’s estranged partner(s), siblings, extended family and friends.

This can result in finding out crucial information and being able to spot any inconsistencies in the mother’s account.

How can professionals engage fathers and men in their services?

The NSPCC ‘hidden men’ briefing from case reviews and research conducted by Sandstrom et al (2015) provide specific recommendations about identifying fathers and male carers which can be used in a local context. In Medway, professionals are encouraged to:

• make active enquiries during pregnancy and after birth about the child’s father, the mother’s relationships and any adults in contact with the child and record these details
• emphasise to parents how crucial the father’s role is to the child’s wellbeing from the beginning
• be clear with mothers about the importance of speaking to the father and including him in the process, while also ensuring that she would not be put at risk
• identify and carry out checks on any new adults who have significant contact with children and clarify who the members of a household are each time you visit a family
• be mindful that when a relationship between parents has broken down, the mother may not wish the father to be involved, even if he may potentially provide good enough care to the child. These conversations need to tackled at the earliest opportunity, this sets up expectations that the service will take a whole family approach from the beginning
• speak separately to the father rather than gathering information solely through the mother
• arrange separate home visits if necessary to explain the relevance of his involvement with the child, communicating a willingness to include him in decisions
• be aware that some individuals will have a number of aliases. Try to find out what these are and carry out checks accordingly. You might also receive names which are incorrectly spelt. Make sure you carry out checks which allow for different spellings of a surname
• encourage fathers to attend ante-natal appointments and classes
• inform men that, unless otherwise stated, Medway services are open to them for support, information, advice and guidance
• involve fathers and male carers in assessments. Ask them directly about risky behaviours such as drug and alcohol use and offer them services based on their needs
• make appointment times convenient to them including virtual appointments, around working hours in necessary
• make sure fathers and male carers (including those who are not directly involved in mothers’ and children’s lives) know about concerns relating to their child. Consult them about plans, invite them to child protection conferences and include them on core groups
• explore the potential of estranged fathers to offer protective care and stability
• estranged fathers and ex-partners may be able to give crucial information about a mother and her children. Likewise, the siblings of an at risk child can give insights into family dynamics and important people in their lives
• in an assessment, always put the child’s needs before those of an adult
• Involve men and fathers in the development of Medway services, making these more relevant to men so that they feel more comfortable to engage
• offer men-to-men peer support or father only groups
• offer a holistic or “wraparound” service to respond to all aspects of a father’s life
• build trust and create links with other Medway or national organisations that can provide support
• identify and develop training for practitioners to improve the effectiveness of their work with fathers, including opportunities to reflect on own attitudes towards gender and experience with fathers and motivational interviewing.

It's now well established that the role of the father in the family matters to children’s wellbeing. When fathers who do not pose a risk are positively involved in their children’s lives, their children are more likely to:

• do better at school
• have better relationships with their peers
• have better mental health and are less likely to be in trouble with the police.

When social workers work with fathers to improve their involvement with children, they can help to improve outcomes for children.

This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Procedures. Fact sheet developed in reference to The NSPCC Learning ‘Hidden men’ briefing. Published March 2023.