School of Social and Political Science

Description

Research studies over the past twenty-five years have consistently found a number of factors that have hindered the initial engagement, and subsequent assessment, of fathers by social workers throughout child protection processes.  This has resulted in missed opportunities for fathers to be assessed as either a risk to, or resource for their children. 

My PhD study has aimed to contribute to this existing knowledge base through considering the factors present in situations where social workers did not only engage with non-resident fathers but successfully assessed, and then placed the children in the care of their fathers on a permanent basis. Thirteen fathers were recruited through Two Local Authorities and one voluntary group in the North of England.  Through the use of narrative interviews and timelines, the study explored the non- resident father’s motivations for agreeing to engage with the assessment, as well as their experience of both the assessment and taking on the role of permanent carer, which for twelve of the fathers, involved being a sole carer.  A secondary aspect of this study involved semi-structured interviews with the social workers involved with these fathers, to again explore their motivations and experiences of engaging with and assessing these fathers.

This presentation will explore some of the main findings of this PhD study. Among these was the timing of when the fathers were made aware of the concerns about their children was crucial and also the quality of the relationship that then developed with their child’s social worker. The motivations of the fathers to be assessed ranged from guilt, loss, redemption, to a fear of their child going into care and future shame should they not have acted, and their children became aware of this later. The social workers in the study considered both the positive and negative aspects of the father past, and present life, in their assessment, with several of the social workers able to negotiate and separate the violent man from the loving and committed father. As well as exploring issues of gender, masculinity and power, the thesis also found that the fluidity of families, examined through the concepts of family practices and family display often facilitated an easier transition for the child into their father’s life.

Lee Sobo-Allen Bio

Lee Sobo-Allen is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work with previous experience as a qualified social worker in child protection, children with disabilities and adults with learning disabilities. His research interests include social work engagement with fathers. 

After qualifying as a social worker at the University of Manchester in 1998, Lee worked in the areas of child protection, children with disabilities and adults with learning disabilities. It was during this time that he developed an interest in, and knowledge of, the need to engage with fathers in childcare social work as both a risk and a resource. This interest has continued in his studies, and in his teaching in social work education at a number of universities. Through an MA in Child Care Law and Practice, Lee was able to explore the socio-legal context of this engagement. Recently he completed a MA in Social Research at the University of Leeds and is currently in the write-up stage of a part-time PhD at Cardiff University where he is exploring the engagement of non-resident fathers by social workers as alternative carers for their children. Lee also specializes in the teaching of all aspects of social work law with a particular specialism in child care legislation.