The trouble with fathers: The impact of time and gendered-thinking on working relationships between fathers and social workers in child protection practice in England

Philip, Georgia, Clifton, John and Brandon, Marian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1654-1819 (2019) The trouble with fathers: The impact of time and gendered-thinking on working relationships between fathers and social workers in child protection practice in England. Journal of Family Issues, 40 (16). pp. 2288-2309. ISSN 0192-513X

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Abstract

The lives of families entering the child protection arena may be shaped by a range of troubles, including material deprivation, physical and mental health problems, and substance misuse or domestic abuse. Despite the interest in whole family approaches, the issue of how professionals fail to work effectively with fathers is long-standing and resistant to change. This article illustrates challenges in building working relationships with men, including the challenge of avoiding binary thinking in the assessment of fathers as “risk” or “resource.” Drawing on our qualitative longitudinal study of men’s experiences of child protection in England, we highlight how both organizational (clashing time perspectives) and cultural (gendered-thinking) factors can trouble the potential relationship between social workers and fathers. We argue for a more gender sensitive approach to social work practice, which can respond more fully and effectively to the experiences of fathers and mothers.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	father–child relationship,gender and family,family policy,violence,qualitative,sdg 3 - good health and well-being,sdg 16 - peace, justice and strong institutions ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Social Work
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Child Protection & Family Support Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Research on Children and Families
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?... http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	14 Aug 2018 10:33
Last Modified:	10 Jul 2023 15:31
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/68018
DOI:	10.1177/0192513X18792682

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