Sole father’s experiences of accessing social services. (original) (raw)
The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences and perspectives of sole fathers when accessing assistance and supports from statutory and nongovernment agencies. This will be achieved by addressing the experiences of men who undertook the role of sole fathers to support their family with the aid of statutory and non-government agencies. The research took a qualitative approach and utilised in-depth semi-structured interviews to gain insight into the experiences of the participants. Eight sole fathers were interviewed, four of the participants identified themselves as straight; while the remaining four participants were divided into two subsets from the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersexed and Queer/Questioning (GLBTIQ) community namely, three being gay and one identified as bisexual. The study’s findings were congruent with existing literature on the experiences of fathers who accessed social services in the hope of supporting their family. The findings included factors contributing to the discourse fathers felt in accessing supports and their rationale for choosing not to engage with further supports. Furthermore, there were four key findings namely, (1). Men who assume gender reversal roles like that of sole parent, who experience discrimination and minimisation based on gender and sexual identity of their basic human rights as set out in legislation, religion and societies disposition towards men taking up this role. (2). There is still much work to be done to create truly inclusive support services, and an authentically respectful social consensus on issues like marriage equality and non-traditional family types. (3). How social workers can apply this knowledge when supporting and advocating for fathers who are experiencing institutional barriers to accessing social services. (4). The findings provided knowledge around the challenges sole fathers faced in Aotearoa New Zealand when accessing supports in the hope to support and care for their families. These include recommendations to establish a Ministry for Men that oversee men’s health, and the required changes to ensure that sole fathers can access social service supports. Therefore, it is the hope that this research supports social workers when they apply this knowledge in supporting and advocating for fathers who are experiencing institutional barriers to accessing social services.
Related papers
'Briefing paper no. 6: Hard to reach? Rethinking support for young fathers' (2015)
There is a widespread view in research and practice that young fathers are ‘hard to reach’: “They do not push themselves to the front of the queue to be engaged by professionals. They will often do the opposite and make themselves scarce” (Nicoll et al 1999: 4). This perception is pervasive; it has become part of the orthodoxy of professional knowledge and thinking about young fathers. However, as Reeves (2006: 80) notes, while young fathers are said to rarely turn to professionals for assistance, fathers themselves report that their needs as service users often go unacknowledged. Further, across a variety of professional contexts, practitioners report a lack of knowledge of young fathers, while young fathers report feeling excluded by professionals (Ross et al 2010; Ferguson 2015). This gulf in perceptions implies that practitioners and young fathers are operating in parallel universes, with limited understanding on either side.
Child & Family Social Work, 2018
Within Northern Europe, gendered roles and responsibilities within the family have been challenged through an emergence of different family forms, increasing cultural diversity, and progressive developments in welfare policies. To varying degrees, welfare policies in different countries support a dual‐earner model and encourage men to be more active as fathers by reinforcing statutory rights and responsibilities. In child welfare practice, there has traditionally been a strong emphasis on the mother as primary carer for the child; the father has been less visible. This paper explores, in four national welfare contexts, how child welfare social workers include fathers in practice decisions. Data were collected using focus group interviews with social workers from England, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. Similarities and differences emerge in relation to services and the focus of social work assessments. However, overall, the research suggests that despite gains in policy and legislation...
Giving up the ghost: Findings on fathers and social work from a study of pre-birth child protection
Qualitative Social Work, 2021
This article reports findings from an ethnographic study of pre-birth child protection, conducted in an urban Scottish setting. The study was designed to explore the interactions between practitioners and families in the context of child protection involvement during a pregnancy. This research aimed to understand the activities that constituted pre-birth child protection assessment, and the meaning attached to those activities by social workers and expectant parents. Very different perspectives on fathers and fatherhood emerged through the study. Fathers shared their feelings of familial tenderness in the context of research interviews. Yet social workers often focused on the risks that the fathers posed. This focus on risk led professionals to ignore or exclude fathers in significant ways. Fathers were denied opportunities to take an active role in their families and care planning for their infants, whilst mothers were over-responsibilised. Children meanwhile were potentially denie...
Including fathers in work with vulnerable families
A partnership approach, 2009
This chapter will enable you to: 1. Recognise the potential of child and family practitioners in health and education settings to engage fathers (and father figures) of vulnerable children in ways that will enhance their ability to nurture and protect their children 2. Understand how community and staff perceptions, social policy and institutional practices may act as barriers to fathers' participation in child and family settings 3. Become familiar with recent research evidence pointing to fathers' positive influence on children's well-being and consider the implications of this 4. Recognise the complexity of changing service procedures and practice to include fathers fully in a way that enhances family well-being 5. Reflect on the professional and personal challenges that may be faced when attempting to include fathers in services targeting vulnerable children and their families.
Fathers' involvement with the Child Welfare Service
Despite an increased focus on fathers' importance for children's development and the Nordic countries' focus on gender equality, a number of studies claimthat the ChildWelfare Service (CWS) fails to involve fathers. However, few studies have taken the perspective of CWS workers. The aimof the article is to identify central discourses on fathers among CWS workers in Norway. Two central questions are: How do CWS workers understand fathers? And from their perspectives:What promotes and inhibits the involvement of fathers? To explore these themes, four focus group interviews were conducted, with 14 CWS workers. Four central discourses on fathers were identified: Mothers and fathers as gender neutral, fathers as little involved, fathers as (more) involved, and mothers and fathers as different. Factors that promote the involvement of fathers were society's increased focus on gender equality, society's and fathers' own changed perception of fathers' role, and increased focus on children's networks. Factors identified as inhibiting involvementwere lack of resources, fear of conflicts, negative descriptions of fathers, and uncertainty regarding legislation. Explanations for fathers' own lack of involvement were fear of confrontations, prioritisation of a new family, and a lack of understanding of their importance for the child. Different discourses on fathers lead to different practices regarding the involvement of fathers. By failing to involve fathers, an incomplete picture of the family's resources and challenges is provided. This hampers targeted measures to ensure the best outcome for the child.
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.