Need for development of services for fathers

“First concern: the retreat of the father in Ireland as in the western world. My corresponding hope is that men will figure more and more centrally in families.... Does anyone really believe that children are better off without a father?.... If we seek a better deal for every Irish child in the third millennium, the difference will be found largely in the quality of fathering”. McKeown et al. (2001)

The development of services for fathers faces a number of specific challenges including:

• Finding out the needs of fathers, particularly the needs of different types of vulnerable fathers, and the most appropriate types of service response; it is worth reflecting that the low uptake of existing services by fathers may itself be an indication that many of these services are inappropriate.

• Adopting and promoting a strengths-based perspective to work with fathers as with families. Generally, too often it would appear that  fathers are seen by professionals from a negative deficit perspective rather than as persons with needs and strengths. 

• Training professionals to see fathers as part of the family even where they are not living in the same household as the mother and child. It is no longer valid to assume that the household and the family are the same thing given the extent of marital breakdown and of births outside marriage.

• Recruiting more men into the caring professions so that services to families are seen as the business of men as much as women. This does not imply that only men can only work with men but it does suggest that the work of caring, both inside and outside the family, is an appropriate calling for both men and women and this is not reflected in the current gender-imbalance in the caring professions.

• Promoting awareness of family services in a way which is seen as supportive of men and fathers at every stage of the life cycle from child birth to old age. Many of the existing images of family services focus primarily on the mother and child.

The practicalities of making family services more inclusive of fathers is a major challenge. Research on best practice in this area suggests that two key stages are involved.

The first involves an audit of existing attitudes among management, staff and parents within the service to the involvement of fathers by asking at least two key questions:

(1) are you in favour of involving fathers in the service? and
(2) what would the service look like if it was more inclusive of fathers?

The second stage involves developing a concrete strategy for father involvement which involves the following key steps:

(1) creating a father-friendly environment within the service by encouraging fathers to become involved, finding out what they want, recognising and addressing the fears of fathers as well as mothers and staff, displaying positive images of fatherhood in the centre, etc;

(2) recruiting men to work in the service, both as staff and volunteers;

(3) designing and delivering programmes of shared and separate activities for fathers, mothers and children as appropriate;

(4) sustain fathers’ involvement through positive feedback, regular reviews of progress, cultivating leadership and building networks. Ideally, all of these activities should be informed by an attitude of tailoring the service to meet the needs of fathers and families generally rather than the reverse.

Checklist for Auditing the Accessibility of a Service to Men and Fathers

Walls and Notice Boards

• Are images of men displayed?
• Are there leaflets, posters and other materials relevant to men available?

Leaflets, Posters and Brochures

• Do the images and text say men are welcome here?
• Are letters addressed to both parents where the service involves children?

Assessing Men’s Involvement

• Are men involved as clients or patients in clinics, groups or education sessions you facilitate?
• Are men actively and continually encouraged to participate?

Staff Attitudes

• Do you relate differently to men and women clients / patients?
• Do you feel more comfortable approaching women than men?
• Do you assume men positively want to be involved?
• Do you expect men will be interested in their children’s health?
• If a mother and father are present with a child, do you listen and talk to both of them?
• Do you value his contribution?
• Do you schedule your visits or appointments to suit both parents?

Recruiting Men

• Do you want men to be involved?
• Are you prepared to make the first contact?
• Can you enlist other local health or community professionals to help with recruitment?
• Can women clients be encouraged to help recruit men?
• Can you ask male clients known to you to approach other men?
• Is providing help specifically for men possible in your work context?
• Can you tap into work, trade union, sports, fitness or leisure networks?

Source: Robertson and Williams, 1998:288.