Making Research Count
Practice Development Seminar
Birth Fathers
of Children Adopted from Care
John Clifton
Centre for Research on the Child and the Family
University of East Anglia
Wednesday 15 June 2011
1.00 – 4.00pm , King’s College London, SE1
“There’s like a fire burning
inside and it’s a lot of anger
and there’s a lot of
frustration…You kinda want
to go down there and kick
off”
Martin, birth father
John will present findings from his
PhD project, a qualitative study which
aims to elucidate the experiences and
feelings of recent birth fathers whose
children have been adopted from
care, usually following care
proceedings. These fathers are
considerably more vulnerable than
their predecessors, and are
sometimes regarded as hard to
engage, uncooperative and unwilling
to accept help.
John will explore the feelings and
perspectives of his participants on a
wide range of personal, child
protection and adoption related
issues and draw out practice
implications for engaging fathers at
each stage as a resource for their
children and as service recipients in
their own right.
John Clifton is a PhD researcher based in the Centre
for Research on the Child and the Family, Faculty of
Social Sciences, University of East Anglia. He has 37
years experience of social work, mainly with children
and families, including field social work, child
protection, court work, family centres, residential
care, fostering and, more recently, adoption. He has
been a social worker, team manager, service
manager, independent reviewing officer,
independent social worker, children’s guardian and
professional adviser, and has worked for several
different organisations.
“I’ve seen that
the children are
happy which
makes me
happy”
Brian, birth
father
Making Research Count
Practice Development Seminar
Birth Fathers
of Children Adopted from Care
Wednesday 15 June 2011
1.00 – 4.00pm , King’s College London, SE1
Booking Form
Name
………………………………………………………………………………
Job Title
………………………………………………………………………………
Agency
………………………………………………………………………………
Email
(required*)
………………………………………………………………………………
Address
………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
Tel no.
………………………………Fax………………………………………….
Specific requirements
(access, etc.) …………………………………………………………………………….......……...
Payment Details
Please tick one of the following:

Free place(s) as member of Making Research Count at University of Bedfordshire

Free place(s) as member of Making Research Count at King’s College London

I enclose a cheque for £……… (£80 per person) made payable to University of
Bedfordshire

Please invoice me/my agency for the cost of my/our place(s), marked for the
attention of (please provide name and address if different from delegate(s)’ details above)
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Please return completed form to:
cara.senouni@beds.ac.uk