It is widely recognized as problematic that there are generally low levels of engagement with child welfare services from biological and social fathers. The result can be limited resources for children's care and potentially poor risk assessment and management. This paper reviews the published research from 2000 to 2010 about the barriers to and facilitators of better father engagement, as well as the very limited evidence on the effectiveness of work with maltreating fathers. There is relatively little known about what works in engaging men, but there are some promising indicators from family support and child protection practice contexts. These include early identification and early involvement of fathers; a proactive approach, including an insistence on men's involvement with services; and the use of practical activities. In the light of what is known about the characteristics of maltreating fathers, there is a logical fit with cognitive‐behavioural approaches. Although there is no direct evidence of the effectiveness of motivational interviewing in this context, its effectiveness in allied fields of practice would suggest that it may hold some promise for the initial engagement of fathers who pose a risk to children.

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It is widely recognised that, in a child protection context, practitioners tend to focus on working with mothers more than fathers. This may undermine risk management and limit the resources available for the care of children. This paper discusses the process of developing and running a training intervention for child protection social workers, designed to improve father engagement (with ‘fathers’ defined inclusively). A short course was provided, consisting of one day of awareness‐raising about the importance of work with fathers and one day of motivational interviewing skills training. The emphasis in the paper is on insights from the qualitative elements of the mixed‐method process evaluation, namely, observation and pre‐ and post‐course interviews. In particular, there is discussion of the potential benefits and challenges of this kind of training, with consideration given to the general issue of father engagement and more specifically the potential for using motivational interviewing in child protection practice. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages The pilot of the Cardiff University Fathers and Child Protection course resulted in improved engagement of fathers, according to social workers self‐report. Motivational interviewing has potential for developing practitioners' skills in working with fathers when children are at risk. There are some inherent challenges in attempting to improve the engagement of fathers in a child protection context.

The Distress Disclosure Index (Kahn & Hessling, 2001) measures the tendency to disclose psychological distress and is important in understanding psychological well‐being, interpersonal relationships, and help seeking. This paper used the disclosure decision model (Omarzu, 2000) to explore the theoretical antecedents of distress disclosure. Results of a community‐based survey of 17–18‐year‐olds in South Wales (United Kingdom), suggesting that private self‐consciousness, social support, and femininity were associated with higher distress disclosure. Shame was associated with lower distress disclosure. Moderating effects of gender and gender identity were also explored. Social support and femininity both interacted with gender to predict distress disclosure. The results suggest a number of interventions to increase distress disclosure in young men and women.

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This paper presents findings from a study undertaken in Wales on the safeguarding of children educated at home. Findings revealed that just under a third of home educators had children with additional learning needs who were removed from school due to what parents reported as negative experiences. These experiences included the suitability of a school system based upon assessment and attainment for children with additional learning needs and a failure to provide adequate support. The decision to home educate was not taken lightly with parents persevering in attempts to make school work for their children. Similar issues are identified in recent media coverage in England and Wales which has suggested that rises in home education may be due to parents 'off rolling' their children because they feel forced out of schools that are unable or unwilling to promote inclusive practices. Findings showed that it was not school-based education that was rejected intrinsically but rather the extent to which schools could meet their child's needs. In the advent of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 these findings suggest that a more nuanced understanding of education is required where home education, either full-time or combined with school attendance, may be in the best interests of the child.

2019. When young people in and leaving state care become parents: What happens and why? Children and Youth Services Review 104 , p.

Objective: Using data from our evaluation of the Frontline fast-track social work training program, introduced by the Government in England, we compare the performance of the first cohort of Frontline trainees with students from regular social work programs using simulated practice. Method: Forty-nine Frontline trainees were compared with 36 postgraduate students in high-tariff universities and 30 students from a range of other regular programs. Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to compare the performance of the three groups in interviews and written reflections. Results: Frontline trainees were rated significantly higher than comparison groups for the quality of their interviewing and written reflection. Despite these higher ratings for practice quality, the Frontline trainees’ rating of their own confidence in their abilities was lower than their counterparts on regular programs. Conclusions: The practice quality of Frontline graduates is promising. Longitudinal research is needed in real practice settings.