Engaging with fathers who are recent arrivals in the UK:    a feasibility study of an innovative strategy for escape from disadvantage for parents and children

This is a collaborative project between UEA and The Fatherhood Institute, funded by Trust For London, from 2012-2014

Background: A substantial body of research shows fathers’ involvement in their children’s early education and care to be associated with higher levels of achievement and fewer behaviour problems right through to adulthood – whatever the family background. The Fatherhood Institute, a national charity, has developed a ground breaking programme (the ‘Dad Factor’) to help schools develop a range of strategies to engage fathers and encourage their involvement in their children’s learning. While project monitoring suggests positive outcomes, The Fatherhood Institute now wishes to adapt this programme for children’s centres and for use specifically with families who have been in the UK for fewer than four years, paying special attention to refugee and asylum seeking families.

This project involves undertaking a feasibility study and substantial evaluation of this programme in four children’s centres (two intervention two controls) in some of the most deprived boroughs of London.  The expectation is that, following the programme, management and staff in the two fully participating centres will, in comparison with controls, have developed strategies to increase engagement with fathers in families who have been in the UK for fewer than four years and will be engaging with more of these men more often and more thoroughly.  A strong body of research suggests that this will in turn improve the children’s English and educational attainment, giving them a head start before starting school and improving their chance of escaping disadvantage.  Their fathers’ English language skills will also improve, facilitating employability, giving them better understanding of UK systems and enhancing their capacity to advocate for their families.

Centre for Research on the Child and Family:

The evaluation is a key part of this intervention, given the increasing demand for evidence-based practice and must be of high quality.  The Dad Factor evaluation will be undertaken under the close direction of Professor Margaret O’Brien, with the researchers Alice Haynes and Michela Franceschelli conducting the evaluation itself. The ‘Dad Factor’ evaluation will ask: what was the aim of the programme, what was done, what was the process?  Intervention and control sites will be matched as far as possible to reduce the likelihood of pre-existing factors impacting on outcomes.  The two intervention sites will receive the ‘Dad Factor’. Pre and post questionnaires and other data collection will measure change in staff attitudes / beliefs / confidence, involvement of new-arrival fathers in the Children’s Centres and other services and outreach projects. Data collection points will be pre-intervention, post training and six month follow up.  Building on the findings, the Fatherhood Institute will reconfigure the ‘Dad Factor’ which, if judged successful, will be introduced in other children centres in London and across the UK.

Anticipated outcomes:

The first step in new-arrival-fathers’ becoming involved in centre activities is, of course, for centres to identify them and draw them in.  For this reason the goal of this project is to promote a father-inclusive family support approach so that management and staff in children’s centres will:

• feel more positive and confident about engaging with fathers and father-figures in families who have been living in the UK for less than four years
• develop strategies to reach out to the men in these families
• attract more such fathers into Centre activities more often, while also engaging more regularly with them in home visits, other outreach and related services.
• support their language/literacy, referring on where necessary and possible