Hostname: page-component-669899f699-cf6xr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-24T12:14:39.168Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

‘If we get the mums and kids in, we are doing well’: Father absence in the context of child welfare: A review of the literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

Joe Fleming
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article looks at the area of father absence in child welfare, which is a growing topic of interest in Australia and elsewhere. Based on the author’s PhD research undertaken so far, the article provides a brief overview of the literature surrounding the area of father absence in child welfare. This literature review is an attempt to highlight current key practice issues that workers and managers may face when delivering services to families.

Type
Research Article
Information
Children Australia , Volume 32 , Issue 3 , 2007 , pp. 13 - 20
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2003) Family characteristics, Australia, Cat. No. 442.0, Canberra, Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006) Social trends, Cat. No. 4102.0, ABS, Canberra.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Family Studies (2004) Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, AIFS, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Australian Medical Association (2005) Position statement on men’s health, <www.ama.com.au>..>Google Scholar
Bachrach, C. & Sonenstein, F. (1998) ‘Male fertility and family formation: Research and data needs on the pathways to fatherhood’, Nurturing fatherhood: Improving data and research on male fertility, family formation and fatherhood, report on the conference on Fathering and Male Fertility, March 13–14, Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, USA.Google Scholar
Bayram, C., Britt, H., Kelly, Z. & Valenti, L. (2003) Male consultation in general practice in Australia 1999–90, General Practice Series No. 11, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.Google Scholar
Beck-Gemsheim, E (2002) Reinventing the family: In search of new lifestyles, Polity Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Bender, W. & Bender, R. (2007) The Deadbeat Dad Myth: Strategies and research in defense of men in divorce by Government, University of Georgia, Institute of Government.Google Scholar
Biddulph, S. (1998) Raising boys, Finch Publishing, Australia.Google Scholar
Bornat, J., Dimmnock, B., Jones, D. & Peace, S. (1999) ‘The impact of family change on older people: The case of stepfamilies’, in McRae, S. (ed), Changing Britain: Families and households in the 1990s, pp.248–262, Oxford University Press, Oxford.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradshaw, J., Stimson, C., Skinner, C. & Williams, J. (1999) Absent fathers?, Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Brown, T. (2003) ‘Fathers and child abuse allegations in the context of parental separation and divorce’, Family Court Review, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp.367–380.Google Scholar
Burgess, A. & Ruxton, S. (1996) Men and their children. Institute for Public Policy Research, London.Google Scholar
Burghes, A., Clarke, L. & Cronin, N. (1997) Fathers and fatherhood in Britain, Family Policy Studies Centre, London.Google Scholar
Campbell, I. & Charlesworth, S. (2004) Background report: Key work and family trends in Australia, Centre for Applied Social Research, RMIT, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Christie, A. (1998) ‘Is social work a “non-traditional” occupation for men?’, British Journal of Social Work, 28, pp.491–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christie, A. (2006) ‘Negotiating the uncomfortable intersections between gender and professional identities in social work’, Critical Social Policy, Vol. 26, pp.390–411.Google Scholar
Craig, L. (2003) Do Australians share parenting? Time-diary evidence on fathers’ and mothers’ time with children, paper presented at the 8th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, 12–14 February, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Craig, L. (2006) ‘Does father care mean fathers share?: A comparison of how mothers and fathers intact families spend time with children, Gender & Society, 20, 259–281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
D’Cruz, H. (2002) ‘Constructing the identities of “responsible mothers, invisible men” in child protection practice’, Sociological Research Online, Vol 7, No. 1, <www.socresonline.org.uk/7/l/d’cruz.html>.Google Scholar
Dale, P., Davies, M., Morrison, T. & Waters, T. (1986) Dangerous families: Assessment and treatment of child abuse, 2nd edn, Tavistock, London.Google Scholar
Daniel, B. & Taylor, J (1999) ‘The rhetoric versus the reality: A critical perspective on practice with fathers in child care and protection work’, Child and Family Social Work, 4, pp.209–220.Google Scholar
Dempsey, D. (2006) ‘Active fathers, natural families and children’s origins: Dominant themes in the Australian political debate over eligibility for assisted reproductive technology’, Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp.28–44, <<http://www.swin.edu.au/sbs/ajets/journal/issue6-V4NI/V4NI-dempsey.pdf> (accessed 23/05/2005).Google Scholar
Dempster, H. (1993) ‘The aftermath of child sexual abuse: Women’s perspectives’, in Waterhouse, L. (ed), Child abuse and child abusers: Protection and prevention, Jessica Kingsley, London.Google Scholar
Dench, G. (1996) The place of men in changing family cultures, Institute of Community Studies, London.Google Scholar
Dollahite, D.C. (ed) (1998) Fathering, faith, and spirituality, special issue, Journal of Men’s Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1, Fall.Google Scholar
Dubowitz, H. (2006) ‘Where’s Dad? A need to understand father’s role in child maltreatment’, Child Abuse & Neglect, Vol. 30, No. 5, pp.461–465.Google Scholar
Dudley, J.R. (1996) ‘Noncustodial fathers speak about their parental role’, Family and Conciliation Courts Review, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp.410–426.Google Scholar
Farmer, E. & Owen, M. (1998) ‘Gender and the child protection process’, British Journal of Social Work, 28, pp.545–564.Google Scholar
Farmer, E. (1997) ‘Paradox in child protection practice: Regulated mothers and protected fathers’, in Saunders, P. & Eardley, T. (eds), States, markets, communities: Remapping the boundaries, proceedings of the National Social Policy Conference, Sydney, 16–18 July, National Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Reports and Proceedings No. 137, Vol 2, pp.57–68.Google Scholar
Featherstone, B (2003) ‘Taking Fathers Seriously’, British Journal of Social Work, 33, p239–254.Google Scholar
Featherstone, B. (2006) ‘Why gender matters in child welfare and protection’, Critical Social Policy, 26, pp.294–314.Google Scholar
Fleming, J. (2002) ‘Just the two of us: The involvement of fathers in building stronger families’, Developing Practice, 4, pp.60–70.Google Scholar
Fleming, J. (2004) ‘The importance of fathers in building stronger families’, Children Australia, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp.30–34.Google Scholar
Fletcher, R., Silberberg, S. & Baxter, R. (2001) Fathers’access to family-related services: Research report, Family Action Centre. University of Newcastle.Google Scholar
Fletcher, R. & Willoughby, P. (2002) Fatherhood: Legal, biological and social definitions. University of Newcastle.Google Scholar
Flood, M. (2003) ‘Fatherhood and fatherlessness’, Discussion Paper No 59, The Australia Institute.Google Scholar
Funder, K. & Smyth, B. (1996) Family Law Evaluation Project 1996: Parental responsibilities: Two national surveys. (Part One: Report), Attorney General’s Department, Canberra, ACT.Google Scholar
Ghate, D., Shaw, C. & Hazel, N. (2000) Fathers and Family Centres: Engaging fathers in preventive services, Joseph Rowntree Foundation/YPS, York, <http://www.prb.org.uk/publications/P103reportv12RN20.10.05.pdf>.Google Scholar
Gillingham, P. (2006) ‘Male social workers in child and family welfare: New directions for research’, Social Work, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp.83–85.Google Scholar
Golombok, S., Spencer, A. & Rutter, M. (1983) ‘Children in lesbian and single parent households: Psychosexual and psychiatric appraisal’, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24, pp.551–72.Google Scholar
Gorell Barnes, G., Thompson, P., Daniel, G. & Burchardt, N. (1998) Growing up in stepfamilies, Oxford University Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Greif, G. & Bailey, C. (1990) ‘Where are the fathers in social work literature?’, Families in Society, Vol. 71, No. 2, pp.88–92.Google Scholar
Hammond, C., Fletcher, R, Lester, J and Pascoe, S (2004) ‘Young Aboriginal fathers: The findings and impact of a research project undertaken in the Hunter Valley, NSW’, Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, Vol 28, No. 5, pp.5–7.Google Scholar
Haskett, M., Marziano, B. & Dover, E. (1996) ‘Absence of males in maltreatment research: A survey of recent literature’, Child Abuse & Neglect, Vol. 20, No. 12, pp.1175–1182.Google Scholar
Hawkins, A. & Dollahite, D. (eds) (1997) Generative fathering: Beyond deficit perspectives, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.Google Scholar
Hawthorne, B. (2005) ‘Children’s rights to be parented by both parents after separation’, World Congress on Family Law and Children’s Rights, Cape Town, <http://www.lawrights.asn.au/docs/hawthorne2005.pdf> (accessed 10/06/2006).Google Scholar
Hester, M. & Harne, L. (1999) ‘Fatherhood, children and violence: Placing the UK in an international context’, in Watson, S. and Doyal, L. (eds.), Engendering social policy, Open University Press, Buckingham, pp. 148–164.Google Scholar
Hetherington, E. (1993) ‘An overview of the Virginia Longitudinal Study of divorce and remarriage: A focus on early adolescence’, Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 7, pp.39–57.Google Scholar
Holland, A. (1994) ‘Father’s involvement in child rearing: Chasing an ideal or challenging barriers’, Children Australia, 19(3), 9–13.Google Scholar
Howard, S. (2003) ‘Dialogue with dads: Fathers’ perceptions of their roles’, paper presented at 8th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, 12 February, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Johnson, D. (1999) Father presence matters: A review of the literature, National Centre on Fathers and Families, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.Google Scholar
Kearney, J., Mansson, S., Plantin, L., Pringle, K. & Quaid, S. (2000) Fatherhood and masculinities. University of Sunderland, Sunderland.Google Scholar
Kiernan, K. (1999) ‘Childbearing outside marriage in Western Europe’, Population Trends, December.Google Scholar
King, A. (2005) ‘The “quiet revolution” amongst men: Developing the practice of working with men in family relationships’, Children Australia, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp.33–37.Google Scholar
Kosberg, J. (2002) ‘Heterosexual males: A group forgotten by the profession of social work’, Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, Vol. 29, No. 3, p.51.Google Scholar
Kullberg, C. (2005) ‘Differences in the seriousness of problems and deservingness of help: Swedish social workers’ assessments of single mothers and fathers’, British Journal of Social Work, 35(3), 373–386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamb, M. (ed) (1997) The role of father in child development, 3rd edn., Wiley and Sons, NY.Google Scholar
Lewis, C. (2000) A man’s place in the home: Fathers and families in the UK, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York.Google Scholar
Lewis, C., Papacosta, A. & Warin, J. (2002) Cohabitation, separation and fatherhood, York Publishing Services, York.Google Scholar
Lloyd, T. (2001) What works with fathers, Working With Men, London.Google Scholar
Lupton, D. & Barklay, L. (1997) Constructing fatherhood: Discourses and experiences, Sage Publications, London.Google Scholar
Maloney, L. (2002) ‘Coming out of the shed: Reflections on men and fathers’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp.69–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milner, J. (1993a) ‘A disappearing act: The differing career paths of fathers and mothers in child protection investigations’, Critical Social Policy, 38, pp.48–63.Google Scholar
Milner, J. (1993b) ‘Avoiding violent men: The gendered nature of child protection policy and practice’ in Ferguson, H., Gilligan, R. and Torode, R. (eds). Surviving childhood adversity: Issues for policy and practice, Social Studies Press, Dublin.Google Scholar
Milner, J. (2004) ‘From “disappearing” to “demonizing”: The effects on men and women of professional interventions based on challenging men who are violent’, Critical Social Policy, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp.79–101.Google Scholar
Moore, K. (2004) ‘Bodgies, widgies and moral panic in Australia 1955-1959’, paper presented at the Social Change in the 21th Century Conference, 29 October, Queensland University of Technology, <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00000633/01/moore_keith.pdf>.Google Scholar
Moss, P. (1994) ‘Father, dear father’, Community Care, Oct/Nov.Google Scholar
O’Hagan, K (1997) ‘The problem of engaging men in child protection work’, British Journal of Social Work, 27, p25–42.Google Scholar
O’Hagan, K. & Dillenberger, K. (1995) The abuse of women within child care work. Open University Press, Buckingham.Google Scholar
Oakley, A. &. Rigby, A. (1998) ‘Are men good for the welfare of women and children’, in Popay, J., Hearn, J. & Edwards, J. (eds), Men, gender divisions and welfare, pp. 101–127, Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Owen, C., Cameron, C. & Moss, P. (eds) (1998) Men as workers in services for young children: Issues of a mixed gender workforce, Institute of Education, University of London, London.Google Scholar
Pasley, K. & Minton, C. (1997) ‘Generative fathering after divorce and remarriage’, in Hawkins, A. & Dollahite, D. (eds), Generative fathering: Beyond deficit perspectives, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks CA, pp.118–133.Google Scholar
Peled, E. (2000) ‘Parenting by men who abuse women: Issues and dilemmas’, British Journal of Social Work, 30, pp.25–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phares, V. (1996) Fathers and developmental psychopathology, John Wiley and Sons Inc, New York.Google Scholar
Pittman, J. & Buckley, R. (2006) ‘Comparing maltreating fathers and mothers in terms of personal distress, interpersonal functioning, and perceptions of family climate’, Child Abuse & Neglect, Vol. 30, No. 5, pp.481–496.Google Scholar
Pringle, K. (1998a) ‘Men as workers in professional child care settings’, in Owen, C., Cameron, C. & Moss, P. (eds), Men as workers in services for young children: Issues of a mixed gender workforce, Institute of Education, University of London, London.Google Scholar
Pringle, K. (1998b) ‘Current profeminist debates regarding men and social welfare: Some national and transnational perspectives’, British Journal of Social Work, 28, pp.623–633.Google Scholar
Pruett, K.D. (1989) ‘The nurturing male: A longitudinal study of primary nurturing fathers’, in Cath, S.H., Gurwitt, A. & Ginsberg, L. (eds.), Fathers and their families, The Analytic Press, Hillsdale, NJ, pp.389–405.Google Scholar
Robinson, B. (2001) Fathering from the fast lane: Practical ideas for busy dads, Finch, Australia.Google Scholar
Russell, G., Barclay, L., Edgecombe, G., Donovan, J., Habib, G., Callaghan, H. & Pawson, Q. (1999) Fitting fathers into families: Men and fatherhood role in contemporary Australia, a report for the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, Canberra.Google Scholar
Ryan, M. (2000) Working with fathers, Radcliffe Medical Press.Google Scholar
Scourfield, J (2001a) ‘Constructing men in child protection work’, Men and Masculinities, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp.70–89.Google Scholar
Scourfield, J. (2001b) ‘Constructing women in child protection work’, Child and Family Social Work, Vol. 6, pp.77–87.Google Scholar
Scourfield, J. (2003) Gender and child protection, Palgrave McMillan, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scourfield, J. (2006) ‘The challenge of enganging fathers in child protection process’, Critical Social Policy, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp.440–449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smart, C. & Stevens, P. (2000) Cohabitation breakdown, Family Policy Studies Centre, London.Google Scholar
Smit, R. (2005) ‘Involved fathering: Expanding conceptualisations of men’s paternal caring’, paper presented at University of Johannesburg Sociology Seminar, 31 May, University of Johannesburg.Google Scholar
Smith, J. (2004) ‘Men, masculinity and help seeking: The reluctant users of health services’, Public Health Futures Conference, 9 October, Adelaide, SA.Google Scholar
Sullivan, R. (2000) ‘Fathering and children: The contemporary context’, Family Futures: Issues in Research and Policy Conference, 24–26 July, Sydney, Australian Institute of Family Studies, <http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/afrc7.sullivanl.html>..>Google Scholar
White, N. (1989) ‘Men’s interpretation of their fathers’ roles’, paper presented at Third Australian Family Research Conference, Ballarat.Google Scholar
White, N. (1994) ‘About fathers: Masculinity and the social construction of fatherhood’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp.119–131.Google Scholar
White, T. & Russell, G. (2005) First-time father: Pregnancy, birth and starting out as a dad, Finch Publishing, Australia.Google Scholar
Williams, D. (2005) ‘Giving fathers a fairer go’, Time, No. 11, March, pp.48–57.Google Scholar