Social Work Practice with Fathers: Engagement, Assessment, and Intervention

Social workers need to work with fathers across many service systems, but lack guidance on how to do so. This comprehensive book provides guidance to social work practitioners and researchers on how to engage, assess, and serve fathers, including biases and assumptions about men and fathers, a lack of father-friendly policies and practices, limited training, and limited father-inclusive social work research. It also includes case examples and practical tools.

Format: Hardback
Length: 347 pages
Publication date: 20 October 2022
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

Social workers play a crucial role in working with fathers across various service systems, yet they often lack guidance on how to effectively engage with them. The majority of engagement, assessment, and intervention work within family-serving systems tends to focus primarily on mothers and children. Additionally, there is a scarcity of father-inclusive readings and resources available. To address this gap, this comprehensive book brings together the expertise of renowned research and practice experts in the field. It offers valuable guidance to social work practitioners and researchers on engaging, assessing, and serving fathers. Instructors can utilize the text as a resource for incorporating fathers into courses covering topics such as human behavior and social environment, family systems, clinical practice, diversity, and service systems.

Unfortunately, social service systems have historically struggled to engage men as parents effectively. Recent demographic trends indicate that fathers are increasingly assuming a more direct role in caring for children, and single-father households are experiencing rapid growth in the United States. However, several barriers hinder their successful engagement. These barriers include biases and assumptions about men and fathers, a lack of father-friendly policies and practices in the field, limited training on working with fathers, and relatively limited research on father-inclusive social work until recently.

This book aims to address these barriers and provide social workers with the tools and strategies needed to better serve men as parents. It adopts an ecological and systems perspective, recognizing the interconnectedness of various social service systems and their impact on families. The book offers a wealth of information and practical tools, including multiple case examples, to illustrate the application of theoretical concepts and strategies. It also delves into key topics such as father engagement, organizational "father-friendly" assessments, interventions with fathers, and setting the course for future theory, research, and practice with fathers.

Social Work Practice with Fathers: Engagement, Assessment, and Intervention is a valuable resource for social workers, educators, and policymakers who are committed to promoting father involvement and improving outcomes for families. By embracing an inclusive approach and utilizing the expertise provided in this book, social workers can enhance their ability to engage with fathers, assess their needs, and provide interventions that support their role as parents. This book contributes to the growing body of knowledge on father-inclusive social work and has the potential to make a significant impact on the well-being of families and communities.

Weight: 703g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031136856
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023