Are young fathers “hard to reach”? Understanding the importance of relationship building and service sustainability
| Pages | 317-329 |
| Date | 19 December 2016 |
| Published date | 19 December 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-03-2016-0007 |
| Author | Laura Davies |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Children's services,Sociology,Sociology of the family,Children/youth,Parents,Education,Early childhood education,Home culture,Social/physical development |
Are young fathers “hard to reach”?
Understanding the importance of
relationship building and service
sustainability
Laura Davies
Laura Davies is a Senior
Lecturer at the Faculty of Health
and Social Sciences, Leeds
Beckett University, Leeds, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –This paper explores service provision for young fathers through analysis of data from the
three-year ESRC funded project Following Young Fathers. The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea
that young fathers are a “hard to reach”group. It begins with a discussion of literature and research evidence
on this theme. The empirical discussion draws on data collected in interviews and focus groups with
practitioners, service managers and those working to develop and deliver family support services.
Design/methodology/approach –The ESRC Following Young Fathers study used qualitative longitudinal
methods to research the perspectives of fathers under the age of 25, mapping the availability of services to
support them and investigating professional and policy responses to their needs. The strand reported on
here focussed on the perspectives of a range of practitioners, service managers and those involved in
developing and commissioning services.
Findings –The research findings, and those of other projects discussed in the paper, challenge the idea that
young fathers are “hard to reach”, suggesting that we should, conversely, consider that many services are
actually hard to access. Thus, increasing young fathers’engagement requires better understanding of their
often complex needs and a reshaping of service design and delivery to account for them. The paper
highlights how the configuration, funding and delivery of services can inhibit young fathers’use of them, and
identifies ways in which they could be made more accessible.
Originality/value –The ESRC Following Young Fathers Study filled an important gap in knowledge about
the lives of young fathers, developing understandings of their experiences and support needs. The strand
reported on here draws on research with practitioners to provide an in-depth discussion of how services
currently support young fathers, and how they could be better configured to address their often complex and
diverse needs.
Keywords UK, Family support, Funding, Hard to reach, Practitioner/service user relationships,
Young fathers
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
This paper explores service provision for young fathers through analysis of data from the three-
year ESRC funded project Following Young Fathers. It draws on data collected in interviews and
focus groups with practitioners, service managers and those working to develop and deliver
family support services in the UK. The focus of the paper is an exploration of the idea that young
fathers are a “hard to reach”group and it begins with a discussion of literature and research
Received 24 March 2016
Revised 22 June 2016
Accepted 6 July 2016
This research was funded by the
Economic and Social Research
Council, grant no. ES/J022993/1.
The Following Young Fathers data
set can be accessed via the
Timescapes Archive at the
University of Leeds. The author is
grateful to both the research
participants and project colleagues
who made this work possible. The
author also wishes to thank the
anonymous referees for their
helpful comments on an earlier
version of this work.
DOI 10.1108/JCS-03-2016-0007 VOL. 11 NO. 4 2016, pp. 317-329, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-6660
j
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES
j
PAG E 31 7
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