“I Had No Hope, I Had No Help at All”: Insights from a First Study of Fathers and Recurrent Care Proceedings

Georgia Philip, Lindsay Youansamouth, Stuart Bedston, Karen Broadhurst, Yang Hu, John Clifton and Marian Brandon
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Georgia Philip: Centre for Research on Children and Families, School of Social Work, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR97TJ, UK
Lindsay Youansamouth: Centre for Child and Family Justice Research, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK
Stuart Bedston: Centre for Child and Family Justice Research, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK
Karen Broadhurst: Centre for Child and Family Justice Research, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK
Yang Hu: Centre for Child and Family Justice Research, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK
John Clifton: Centre for Research on Children and Families, School of Social Work, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR97TJ, UK
Marian Brandon: Centre for Research on Children and Families, School of Social Work, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR97TJ, UK

Societies, 2020, vol. 10, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: This article presents data from the first large-scale study of fathers involved in repeat (or recurrent) care proceedings in England. The project complements important research on mothers and recurrence. It consisted of three elements: an analysis of population-level administrative data from the Child and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS), a survey of fathers in pre-proceedings and care proceedings, and a qualitative longitudinal (QL) study of recurrent fathers. Here we report findings from the survey and the QL study, offering an expanded definition and description of fathers and recurrence. Elsewhere, we reported that a significant number of fathers appear in recurrent care proceedings and that the majority return with the same partner. Alongside this, there is also a notable pattern of “missing” fathers demonstrated by the proportion of lone mothers reappearing before the court. Our survey indicates a certain profile of recurrent fathers, but also that recurrent fathers are not straightforwardly a homogenous group. We report on the significance of recurrent fathers’ early lives, on the phenomenon of enduring couple relationships and on the prevalence of issues affecting parenting, such as poor mental health, substance use and domestic abuse. Insights from the QL study in particular reveal legacies of harm, loss, and a lack of emotional and relational resources in childhood, which have debilitating and far-reaching consequences. We argue the importance of understanding the vulnerabilities of recurrent fathers and of challenging certain assumptions in child welfare and family justice practices. There is much to be learnt from existing services for recurrent mothers, but also a need for bespoke or adapted services that may be more responsive to particular circumstances of recurrent fathers and couples.

Keywords: recurrence; fathers; care proceedings; family justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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