Fathers and the child welfare system

Federation of Child and Family Services of B. C. Fathers and the Child Welfare System By:. [...] This essay explores why men and fathers are often not involved in child welfare services, describes how to encourage their involvement, and identifies some of the complexities of increased father involvement in child welfare. [...] Frequently, there were a series of fathers coming and going such as non-resident fathers who played a role in the lives of the women and children and hidden fathers who were scarcely acknowledged because mothers were not willing to do so. [...] To begin, child protection agencies need to acknowledge fathers and fathering persons exist in the lives of child welfare involved children and plan to include them at all stages of intervention. [...] Follow-up communication and official correspondence should be sent to both mothers and fathers, and forms need to be designed to provide space for the views of fathers and not just those of ‘parents’.