The Effect of Dads Matter–HV on Father Engagement in Home Visiting Services

Effective interventions to increase father inclusive practice

“…The study with the highest level of evidence (Level II, RCT) trialled the most intensive and comprehensive professional development and training, including an all-day face-to-face workshop, a booster session and ongoing supervision sessions. 20 Compared to the control group who did not receive the training, health professionals who received the father-inclusive practice training reported greater use of the father-inclusive strategies and content in home visits with families, and greater father involvement in the sessions. The study found no intervention effects for the quality of the relationship between the home visitor and fathers.…”

“…One study also included online training for individual learning and reflection 19 and another offered staff ongoing supervision in working with fathers. 20 The content varied across interventions but generally focused on the importance of working with fathers and strategies for engaging with fathers (see Appendix 3).…”

“…Only one high-quality RCT of a professional development and training package for home-visiting staff reported a positive intervention effect for increased father engagement in health services, as well as health professionals' use of father-inclusive strategies. 20 This study, conducted in the US, looked at vulnerable families receiving home visits and may not be directly applicable to home-visiting services provided by maternal and child health nurses in Australia.…”

Parent–Worker Relationships in Home Visiting: Intersections of Parental Gender, Ethnicity, and Immigrant Status

“…More recently, researchers have begun to study father engagement in home visiting, and the parent–worker relationship is thus emerging as a factor in variations of father and mother engagement in services. For example, a recent study of the Dads Matter-HV intervention found that the father-worker relationship mediated his engagement in services, and workers also qualitatively described their approaches to engaging mothers and fathers in home visiting services differently (Bellamy et al, 2023; 2022). Similarly, research examining mothering and fathering as separate constructs demonstrates that mothers and fathers engage differently in parenting, maintain unique predictors, and report differential impacts on child well-being and development (Rienks et al, 2011).…”

“…Hence, there is little understanding of whether and how the effects of fathers’ characteristics are similar to or different from those of mothers’. This research gap is important to address given that father engagement is essential to ensure the success of home visiting (Bellamy et al, 2023). Some studies in the fields of individual, couple, or family therapy have shown that levels of working alliances differ by gender, and that gender also moderates the effects of other factors on the working alliance (Knerr et al, 2011; Porter & Ketring, 2011).…”