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Fathers experiences of the child protection process. Dr.Daryl Dugdale 2015 Men, Masculinities and Messiness:
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Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Jan 01, 2017

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Page 1: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Fathers experiences of the child

protection process.

Dr.Daryl Dugdale 2015

Men, Masculinities and

Messiness:

Page 2: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

“Desirable masculinity is context-dependant:

there is tension between women`s different

constructions of ideal masculinity across

contexts; there is likely to be a strong contextual

element in women`s “taking up” and “putting

down” of different ideal masculinities; and

different contextual masculinities may be

arranged hierarchically in terms of status and

desire.” (Talbot & Quayle, 2010, p258)

Page 3: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Key Questions

• How might men`s understanding of fatherhood influence

their behaviours?

• How might their sense of manliness or masculinity inform

this understanding?

• What changes can be proposed to increase the

likelihood of fathers becoming involved in the social care

process?

Page 4: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Method

• Multiple case study design (4 fathers).

• Triangulation

• Semi structured interviews

• Observations core group meetings and case

conferences

• Focus group interviews

• Use of case files

• Longitudinal

Page 5: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Data collection

• Four first stage interviews.

• Two fathers dropped out two continued to

conclusion.

• Three observations of core group

meetings and case conferences.

• Two focus group meetings with SW

practitioners. (All female)

• Case file notes from two fathers.

Page 6: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Four fathers• Nigel-36 years old, significant custodial sentence, 6 years, unknown reason, but did

have a history of drug use. 13 year old daughter who lives with ex partner, he has a

baby with his new partner.

• Dave-34 years old, history of domestic abuse (acknowledged), violence in the

community alcohol and drug dependency. Two step children 11, & 13 and a birth son

4 years old.

• Donny-36 years old, allegations of domestic abuse (denied) and emotional harm a

consequence of estranged relationship. Three children 14, 11, 6. 14 year old living

with him two youngest children living with their mother he has had no contact for over

nine months.

• Mike- 62 years old, allegations of domestic abuse (denied) concerns about his

parenting, physical chastisement, also emotional harm as a consequence of

relationship with partner breaking down. One birth son 6 years , also cares for his

son`s eight year old half bother for whom he has no PR.

Page 7: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

• Provider/ Carer tension.

• Gendered assumption of motherhood.

• Risk and resource.

• Father/social worker interface.

Key Themes

Page 8: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Provider/carer tension

• Work and additional traditional traits.

• Changing context of modern family and shifting

roles.

• Men`s ability to adapt to a changing context.

• Men`s struggle in combining both carer and

provider elements.

• The relevance of the inter-relationship between

men and women.

Page 9: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Provider/carer tension

“I`ll talk with Ricky more than the other boys, I`m only

their step dad and as much as I`ve been around them for

ten years I`ll be honest I`ve played a limited role in their

lives as such when it comes to certain issues like nappy

changing.” Dave

“I used to sit down with Sam and get nits out of his hair.

One day I didn`t know what to do so what I did I got a

jam jar and filled it half full with a strong disinfectant

something I used for cleaning, half and half with water

and that mixed it up comb his hair, putting in this stuff, I

didn`t know what to do with em.” Mike

Page 10: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Gendered assumption of

motherhood• Hegemonic responsibility means holding

women to account.

• Men still have resistance to certain

aspects of femininity.

• Provides an insight into discussion of the

roles and benefits from their parenting.

• Lack of coherence and contradiction in

men`s narratives.

Page 11: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Gendered assumption of

motherhood• “Well er, one of the main things is teaching

him to be a proper human being, because

his mother is just useless you know she`s

just totally absolutely useless at it. I mean

he swears, he comes to my house he

swears like a chap off a building site.”

Mike

Page 12: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Gendered assumption of

motherhood“I want to take part in this, you know, cos it`s ..err.. It`s

different. But, on the flip side, of me being an aggressive

and angry person and stuff and on a domestic abuse

programme… ermmmm, there`s nothing for women out

there on the violent front. ‘Cos I`m not blaming anything

on Linda but, where as everything on this , sort of,

category of stuff, Linda gets spoke to about and I don`t

really. It`s the other way round on the violent side of stuff

you know, it`s all me and yous, ‘cos you`re a male.”

Dave

Page 13: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Risk and resource

• Practitioners and fathers see risk and

resource in different ways.

• Fathers explicit acknowledgement of risk.

• Risk disguised as a resource.

• Reframing risky behaviours with what they

believed to be examples of resource.

Page 14: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Risk and resource

• “I was surprised actually how easy it was for them to say

alright we think there`s not a risk any more especially

when I`m debating in my head am I a child abuser or

not.” Dave

• “If you were to go around Balton and go into some

places and say do you know Mike, oh yeah Mike we

don`t mess with him I `ve got a reputation and that

reputation is nothing about me being violent, it`s always

when somebody`s been violent towards me.” Mike

Page 15: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Mike

• “The next door neighbour, she`s 10, she comes with me and we go places

and I treat her like my own daughter, and I think children should be treated

like that. They are children. They`re not mine or yours or someone elses.

They`re kids. Kids. And I love them, love them to death. They mean so

much.”

• “I said “she`s lovely, she`s only”, you know what I said every time she used

to go to her mother`s house… what`s that, her nana. Then she used to go

to come along to me first thing she said, “what we having for dinner, what

we got for tea?, I`m hungry.” Every time, and I used to cook all these lovely

meals for her, like, you know, owhh, I`m like a bloody pied piper with her

kids because they get nothing from her.”

• Sam was using my little finger like that to masturbate like that

(demonstrates). I didn`t say nothing and he went (gives a sigh), like that.

Evan Jake said, “ Sam what`s the matter with you ? Why you puffing or

something like that?”

Page 16: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Father social worker interface

• “It`s as if I`ve got no rights. They look at me as though

I`m a piece of dirt, basically. They think I`m scum, they

think I was, you know what I mean, basically they denied

me my parental rights you know, it`s wrong it`s wrong.”

Donny

• I mean if I`ve got to do this every six months to keep

them under child protection I`d rather do that. Because I

think they need to be looked at. She said well if we get

them off the child protection we`ll still follow up, but I

mean they don`t do enough now.” Mike

Page 17: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

Conclusion

• The ever changing social construct of fatherhood acts as

a vehicle to support the transfer of hegemonic

masculinity.

• Complex gendered relations are at work informed by

men`s understanding of how to father, their response to

mothering which connect themselves to the construct of

risk and practitioners response to this.

• Social workers need to address gendered practices to

engage with men`s performance and to investigate

masculinities that present themselves in men`s lifestyle

choices, both as service users and male practitioners.

Page 18: Daryl Dugdale Working with Fathers Presentation

“I propose the development of an alliance

between father figures and practitioners. I

suggest that this should be framed around the

relevance of masculinities and femininities. This

will help support more effective understanding of

behaviour which will ultimately lead to the better

protection of children. It will additionally support

the quest for greater gender equality.”

Dugdale 2013