Working with parents
'Father engagement' should be inspected by Ofsted, says pressure group
'Father engagement' should be included in Ofsted's inspection framework for early years services and schools, says the Fatherhood Institute in its response to the Government's families green paper.
Currently in nursery inspections, information is only collected on 'parental involvement' and is not broken down further. Children's centres are required to gather information on fathers' participation.
Adrienne Burgess, head of research at the Fatherhood Institute, said, 'The problem is when things are measured by parental involvement, as most people focus on the mother and see fathers as being optional in a child's life. The DCSF only requires children's centres to collect gender-specific data, not nurseries or schools, which masks the differences between mothers and fathers.'
The Institute makes its recommendations as part of the consultation on Support for All - Families and relationships, the green paper published in January (News, 28 January).
It also recommends that skills in working with fathers and with couples be featured in a common curriculum for all professionals who work with children and families, particularly those in ante-natal care and early years.
The Institute says that despite services being required to involve men in their work, many fail to reflect this in their practice or in training, where modules concerning fathers are not required in order to qualify professionally, or are absent altogether.
It says a postcode lottery means that some excellent practitioners work alongside others who lack the knowledge, skills and confidence to address issues effectively.
Ms Burgess said, 'Professionals are not engaging with fathers and are missing things. Look at the Baby P case, for instance. We need to stress how important fathers are and to help practitioners to address dads and gain the confidence to use the skills they already possess.'
The Fatherhood Institute is also calling for fathers to have their own paternity leave entitlement in the first year of a child's life, rather then having to share the take-up with the mother.
It suggests that the UK introduces an egalitarian system of paid parental leave, similar to the Swedish model, where men and women can decide themselves which parent will take leave.
Further information: For the Fatherhood Institute's full response visit www.fatherhoodinstitute.org
