Workplace cultures need to change so that fathers are engaged in child protection, argues Dr Mark Osborn
atherhood in the UK is changing: fathers are becoming more involved in their children’s lives and in recent years they have been engaging more with a wide range of child welfare
services. However, fathers remain peripheral within child protection work, despite the acknowledgement that abusive men are the main cause of safeguarding concerns (Scourfi eld, 2006). This unfairly places the emphasis of
scrutiny and investigation on mothers as well as the responsibility for the child’s welfare.
Dr Mark Osborn is programme manager, safeguarding, at the Fatherhood Institute
Low interest by fathers in children’s education has a stronger negative impact
on their achievement than does contact with police, poverty, family type, social class, housing and child’s personality
care of infants and young children rose 800% between 1975 and 1997, from 15 minutes to two hours on the average working day – at double the rate of mothers’ (Fisher, McCulloch & Gershuny, 1999; Smeaton & Marsh, 2006).
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This is repeatedly a key issue within serious case reviews, and yet little appears to change. The Department for Education has funded the Fatherhood Institute in partnership with Family Rights Group to work with local authorities to develop and trial resources which aim to address this. In recent years there has been signifi cant change in the way that fathers’ roles are developing within the family. British fathers’