‘What about the fathers?’ Bringing ‘Dads on Board^™’ with their infants and toddlers following violence

Abstract

This paper examines a group work intervention developed for fathers who had successfully participated in a men's behaviour change program and who wished to undertake further work to strengthen and improve the bond between themselves and their infant/toddler (up to age 4). It focuses on two groups run in 2010-2011, uses material directly taken from each program and explores in detail how this intervention was developed, how the program was structured, the profile of the fathers involved and the subsequent inclusion of their partners within both groups. It also includes a small evaluation. Pivotal to this intervention was the implementation of an 'infant-led' approach.

Fatherhood Matters: An Integrative Review of Fatherhood Intervention Research

“…Participant sample sizes across studies ranged from 5 to 5,102 participants. Fathers of African descent were the predominant ethnic/ racial group in 16 of the 44 articles (Ashburn et al, 2017;Barth et al, 1988;Block et al, 2014;Caldwell et al, 2014;Caldwell et al, 2010;Dilorio et al, 2006;Ellis et al, 2014;Fagan & Iglesias, 1999;Fagan & Stevenson, 2002;Icard et al, 2012;Rienks et al, 2011;Self-Brown et al, 2015;Self-Brown et al, 2017;Siu et al, 2017;Wilczak & Markstrom, 1999;Wood et al, 2014), followed by 11 studies with predominantly Caucasian fathers (Bunston, 2013;Doherty et al, 2006;Houghton et al, 2015;Landreth & Lobaugh, 1998;McConnell et al, 2017;McCrudden et al, 2014;Morrill et al, 2016;Pruett et al, 2005;Sandler et al, 2018;Wilson et al, 2014;Wilson et al, 2016) and 5 studies with predominantly Hispanic/Latino fathers (Chacko et al, 2018;Concha et al, 2016;P. A. Cowan et al, 2014;P.…”

“…The most frequently employed framework for intervention development involved some iteration of social/cognitive learning theory, which was employed in seven studies (Ashburn et al, 2017;Caldwell et al, 2010;Chacko et al, 2018;Cornille et al, 2006;Dilorio et al, 2006;Fagan & Stevenson, 2002;Harrison, 1997). Seven studies utilized frameworks related to families, attachment, or fathering (Bunston, 2013;C. P. Cowan et al, 2005;P.…”

A Diagnosis of Denial: How Mental Health Classification Systems Have Struggled to Recognise Family Violence as a Serious Risk Factor in the Development of Mental Health Issues for Infants, Children, Adolescents and Adults

“…Even those working directly in family violence specific services find it difficult to acknowledge and address the impacts of family violence on children in the early years [ 49 , 149 ]. However, CAMHS is in a powerful position to not only champion the importance of the early identification of family violence, particularly in infancy [ 43 , 150 , 151 , 152 , 153 ], but to offer a therapeutic contribution to lives of the families they serve [ 151 , 154 , 155 , 156 , 157 , 158 , 159 , 160 ]. Furthermore, CAMHS has much to offer in how the prevalence and complexities of violence within families is thought about from a mental health perspective [ 49 , 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 , 165 ].…”

“…Similarly, community based men’s behaviour treatment programs, developed to address men’s violence, have existed for decades [ 176 , 177 , 178 , 179 , 180 ]. Interventions focusing on reparative work with children and their fathers after family violence is relatively newer territory [ 158 , 181 ] as is any concentrated treatment approach for women who perpetrate violence within intimate relationships, or support programs for men who are victims of family violence [ 21 , 22 , 136 , 182 , 183 , 184 ]. Considerably fewer treatment programs to address the impacts of family violence have been developed within CAMHS settings, or within mental health generally, but where they have, there is a strong focus on infants [ 151 , 156 , 157 , 158 , 162 , 185 , 186 ].…”

“…Interventions focusing on reparative work with children and their fathers after family violence is relatively newer territory [ 158 , 181 ] as is any concentrated treatment approach for women who perpetrate violence within intimate relationships, or support programs for men who are victims of family violence [ 21 , 22 , 136 , 182 , 183 , 184 ]. Considerably fewer treatment programs to address the impacts of family violence have been developed within CAMHS settings, or within mental health generally, but where they have, there is a strong focus on infants [ 151 , 156 , 157 , 158 , 162 , 185 , 186 ]. Community based approaches to working with family violence have tended to eschew a recognition of mental health issues or approaches [ 166 , 178 , 187 ].…”