CYSCP

The City of York Safeguarding Children Partnership (CYSCP) have identified a priority area for 2024/25 in relation to professionals actively working to build and form relationships with fathers and male carers. 

It has been regularly highlighted both within learning from local reviews of recent cases and also within multi-agency audits, the difficulties professionals have in building relationships with fathers and male carers when working with families as often the focus is usually around mothers for a variety of reasons.

This theme has also be highlighted with the National Panel’s report of the Myth of Invisible Men.

It has been a constant theme highlighted in learning from recent cases and also multi-agency audits how often fathers and male carers are not engaged or consulted with by professionals with the focus of building relationships tending to be focused around mothers. The CYSCP would therefore like to promote the following aims to professionals:

• raise awareness of the importance of building relationships with fathers in relation to improving outcomes for children
• encourage practitioners to 'think family' and consider significant others in the home when working with families
• build a repository of resources for professionals to support effective engagement and work with fathers
• raise awareness from a safeguarding perspective with regards to the risks associated with non engagement with fathers and the impact of this on safeguarding assessments and the welfare of children
• celebrate effective working relationships with fathers and share learning
• encourage and understand fathers voices regarding what they would like from practitioners
• ensure fathers feel welcome in our services and feel part of all family assessments