Working with fathers
to improve children’s well-being:
What’s going on out there?
Jonathan Scourfield
Cardiff University
Why work with fathers?
• There is plenty of evidence that fathers influence
long-term outcomes for children, positively and
negatively.
• Evidence on interventions is less clear
• Relatively little evidence for fathers specifically
• What we do know shows a mixed picture
• Parenting interventions involving fathers as well as mothers
are more effective (Lundahl et al., 2008)
• But fathers gain less from some parenting programmes
than mothers (Wilson et al., 2012)
Practitioner survey
Web-based (qualtrics)
221 respondents from
53% of UK local
authorities
• 63% universal services
• 29% targeted on fathers who are
vulnerable or in need of support
• 8% specialist services for fathers with
complex needs
Type of service
% of
sample
%
fathers
only
Structured parent training
classes
63%
15%
Practical activities including
play
62%
38%
Unstructured support groups
47%
39%
Advice on employment or
benefits
39%
9%
Legal advice
20%
29%
The commonest named interventions
Triple P
Incredible Years
Solihull Approach
Family Links Nurturing Programme
Mellow Parenting
Caring Dads *
National Childbirth Trust ante-natal classes
Parents Early Education Partnership (PEEP)
Strengthening Families 10-14
Family Caring Trust
Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities
* The only one for fathers only
38 (17%)
25 (11%)
14 (6%)
9 (4%)
5 (2%)
4 (2%)
4 (2%)
4 (2%)
4 (2%)
3 (1%)
3 (1%)
Numbers of fathers in last 12 months
Type of service
mean
median
range
Structured parent training
classes
27
8
0-314
Practical activities including
play
44
20
0-600
Unstructured support groups
20
12
0-70
Advice on employment or
benefits
17
9
0-130
Legal advice
10
6
0-60
All services, including
‘other’
28
10
0-600
Intervention ideology
Mean rank: 7=highest, 1=lowest
Improve father-child attachment
Improve behaviour management
Improve wellbeing of fathers
Take pressure off mothers
Prevent abuse of women and children
Promote fathers’ rights
Respondent’s own reason
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Intervention theory
Mean agreement (7=strongly agree, 1=strongly
disagree)
Behaviourist
Cognitive
Psychodynamic
Material help
Feminist
Counselling
Family systems
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Recruiting fathers to interventions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Attitudinal orientation
Assumption of fathers’ involvement from the start
Better data and recording systems
Flexible working hours
Special events for fathers and children
Providing food as a draw
Acknowledging the need for cultural diversity
Recruitment via mothers
Use of text messaging and email
We need to know more about what works in recruiting
fathers. Contact me if interested
(scourfield@cardiff.ac.uk)
http://workingwithfathers.weebly.com/
References
Lundahl, B., Tollefson, D., Risser, H. and Lovejoy, M. (2008) A metaanalysis of father involvement in parent training. Research on Social Work
Practice 18: 97-106.
Wilson, P., Rush, R., Hussey, S., Puckering, C., Sim,
F., Allely, C.S., Doku, P., McConnachie, A. and
Gillberg, C. (2012) How evidence-based is an
'evidence-based parenting program'? A PRISMA
systematic review and meta-analysis of Triple P. BMC
Medicine, 10:130.