No abstract

This article is based on interviews with 15 men whose children have, or have had, involvement with Norwegian child welfare services (CWS). The aim is to contribute to an increased knowledge of their experience of fatherhood, factors affecting their self-concept and the consequences this has for their fathering practice. The fathers’ relationship to their parents appears important – in terms of what they emphasise in their childcare, and the importance they ascribe themselves as fathers. The fathers constitute their fatherhood as in opposition to their own fathers, and to their children’s mothers. If fathers are uncertain of their role and importance for their children, while being faced with the CWS’ understanding of mothers as primary caregivers, this can cause them to withdraw. There is a need for a greater degree of reflection regarding different understandings of fatherhood, and how the CWS relate to gender roles and to fathers.

This chapter is focused upon social work with single and non-resident fathers. There is a dearth of social work research that explores the experiences of single or non-resident fathers' with social work, so this chapter starts to explore how we can work more sensitively and collaboratively with both groups. Both single and non-resident fatherhood raise challenges for socially constructed gendered norms, hegemonic masculinity and how children and families social work is practiced. Concepts of borderwork and the emotional regime are applied to develop understanding of these fathers' experiences with social work and how practice can change. The chapter is located within wider discourses about the feminised role of caring and increasingly bureaucratic and authoritarian social work systems. Key practice features of assessment and engagement are discussed and suggestions for developing and improving practice are tentatively made.

No abstract