fathers figure

8/14/2019 Fathers Figure

1/8

Interim report One Year On - Draft

1. Engaging fathers is not easy1 -Why work withthem?

SureStart Kingstanding has taken the boldstep of committing time and resources towork with fathers and male carers in itscatchment area. In this they are attemptingto fulfil part of the stated aims of the nationalSureStart philosophy; to raise theachievement and standards for the whole

family group.

FACT - When in positive contact with theirfathers, children grow up to have fewertroubles with the policeand areless likelyto have mental health problems.2

Yet many SureStart branches have choseneither deliberately or by omission not to work with fathers7 why? Fathers arethe major earners, they are out of the house all day, they already have enoughflexibility and resources in their lives to deal with problems as they arise. Evenif this truth were as widespread as its acceptance, it still would jibe with the

aims of SureStart, derived from the U.S programmes HeadStart (1965) andEarly HeadStart(1994). Our British version is being evaluated via a 16.9million programme at the Institute for the Study of Children, Families & SocialIssues, Birkbeck College. ISCFSIs Director - Professor Jay Belsky is aworld reknowned expert on the effects fathers can hace on child development,and holistic childrearing generally.

The National Evaluation of SureStart (NESS) has conducted a root andbranch evaluation of how well many SureStart programmes are engaging withfathers.1 It has identified a number of issues common across the country,

citing predominantly female

environments and lack of anymeaningful male presence inSureStart services. In a genderimbalanced climate the ongoingprogramming of work oftenunintentionally results in themarginalisation of fathers and othermale carers.

Social policy makers have yet tocome to grips with the changing and diversifying roles of British men, in the

[email protected] Page 1 DRAFT

Fathers Figure! Work and Play with Fathers


2/8

inner cities and now in the outer ring estates, which Kingstanding typifies. Thefirst aim of SureStart Kingstandings work with fathers must be to exploreways in which the reasons for and results of working with fathers can becomethe foundation for best practice elsewhere. Only by changing the way that

statutory services are delivered at a national level can real change be madelocally to improve real peoples lives. The second aim must be to createopportunities for personal change via exciting and educational experiences forthe fathers in the area, enhancing the way fathers feel about themselves andincreasing their ability to contribute to their childrens lives.

FACT - In Kingstanding nearly 200 children are being lone parented byfathers4.

2. Who Does The Work ?

Usually, though not exclusively, male workers are considered key for this kindof engagement work. Negative responses to fathers from female SureStartstaff (and male managers) are documented repeatedly in SureStart surveysand evaluations,1,7,8 SureStart Kingstanding has shown a lead in trying tosource male staff with the skill and temperament to work in the Kingstandingcatchment.

I have spoken to several dozen residents and adozen or so professionals working on theground through various agencies and all saidthis was beneficial. All the fathers and male

carers I spoke to said that it was important tothem to have a face that dads and other mencould identify with.

The initial work in the area was done by Lee, anagency worker recruited by SureStart. This is avery difficult position to fill, as it requirescertified skills and experience, combined withcredibility on the ground. Like primary schoolteaching this is a field that men do not tend to

go into, and when they do they either charge tothe top or move on through.

Lee worked from August to November and did an excellent job on the ground,meeting fathers and making his face known in the area. Lee and I walked the




3/8

estate and beyond at least three times, meeting fathers and other outreachprofessionals, and putting forwardthe SureStart agenda.

Lee ran his Fathers Groups at theEx Service Mans Club on alternateweeks, befriending fathers anddiscussing their issues.

After Lee had moved on, we werelucky enough to have the help ofAlan, the most active Fathers Groupparticipant, volunteering to lead it between November and January.

Alan, (who with his experience as bus driver beat all the other dads to claim

first prize on the Karting day) lives on the Kingstanding estate, close to ThePimple, in one of the areas suffering most from poor housing design and antisocial behaviour. Alan was the key to a deeper understanding of local lifeand the realities and expectations of local fathers.

Alan took over the biweekly Fathers Meeting, but this had now outgrown itsusefulness and relevance. We worked together to follow up Lees plan tocreate a snooker session, and while this generated some interest it finallyproved unworkable.

FACT - While volunteering at the branch Alan became interested in

training to be a Fathers Worker professionally. Working Links picked uphis reemployment contract and have given him the opportunity toretrain.

3. Prospects for Local Fathers - Worklessness at the root ?

Outwardly, Kingstanding seems a pleasant and stable place to live and raise afamily. It is highly accessible from central Birmingham, with well maintainedpublic transport, infrastructure and roads. Land use is fairly well zoned, and

there are excellent schools, shops, a library and a modern leisure centre.Many houses have their own gardens, and there is also abundant greenspace - yet it features so prominently in Government deprivation indexes3

The movement out of the area of the two major semi-skilled employers WestMidlands Transport and IMI - has lead to a sense of dislocation anddisenfranchisement amongst local men.9 Employability is the capacity to gainand keep a job, to cope with changes at work and in the wider economy, andthe ability to get a new job if necessary6. Promoting the employability ofparents is an important function of SureStart local programmes.

FACT - Current research links parental employability with childrensmental health, behaviour and social integration.6 There is also evidence




4/8

to show that children with employed parents do better at school andtherefore improve their own earning potential in the long run.2

If you are a working man in Kingstanding you are 10% more likely than the

national average to be in a profession currently vulnerable to downsizing

3,

andyour wage level is also declining faster than thenational average3. If you lose your job your chanceof re-employment is in the UKs worst 7%3. Twiceas many Kingstanding men have never worked atall than are employed at a managerial level in anycompany.3

Kingstanding men have been particularly hard hitby the growing trend of employing flexible staffwith lower overheads. In the sample group we

spoke to about 35 men - this was perceived asmajor source of anxiety it seemed easier for theirwives and even their mothers to get work insupermarkets, as packers or in other casualoccupations than for themselves.9

This feeling of uncertainty and frustration impacts on mens health andlearning prospects. On average, men in Kingstanding live two years less thanthe national average3; accordingly there are more men under 14 and less over453. This means that the (so called) family forming cohort is displaced downthe (so called) population pyramid men in Kingstanding leave school,

father children, grow infirm and die earlier than the national average. 15

Some men, especially young men, are opting out of what is seen as a mugsgame and into gang culture; selling and using drugs, stealing scooters andriding them over the greenspace, etc. Of 28 offenders in a sample11 all wereaged 10 - 17 and only one was female. Of 110 registered drugs offenders onthe West Midlands Police database, 84 were male. 44 were under 21 andanother 51 between 20-29.11

Working Links and many other agencies are now geared up to regenerate thearea. SRB monies have been spent. There are many active partnerships -

such as RAIK - and other committed professionals working in the area, manyof whom live locally. It is important however to engage fathers in doingsomething for themselves and their families.

FACT - practicing fatherhood helps men at risk of social exclusion re-engage with their communities and their opportunities in life.2




5/8

4. What do Fathers know ? What do others think ?

The fathers that we engaged with during the first year were, for the most part,white, working class and struggling to hold down a job while contributing to

their family. In general they: wanted to engage with SureStart at some level, even if they saw it as just

another initiative9

wanted a conventional life a job, a house, a family, to be a good father

even if they felt the odds were stacked against them9

were quietly resentful about youth in the gang / counter culture They felt

many younger men in the area have adopted an absent father approach;the mothers of their children living separately, usually with their childsgrandmother.9

knew that they too could play benefits but were looking for something

that would give them self respect.9

For many in the catchment, extreme rightwing politics have become a bulwarkagainst feelings of anxiety. Despite being in the overwhelming majority, fromour discussions it seems thatworking class white men feelexcluded and disenfranchised andevidence exists of hostility togroups with agendas such asSureStart's5. Some local pubs andgangs such as the Kingstanding

Ku Klux Klan - are networkingopportunities for right wing activists,and the BNP and NF polled 1633votes at the 2004 elections if theyhadnt have split the vote theywould have won; Labour coming inat 1625 votes.12 More conventional outreach work needs to be done,especially targeting disenfranchised young fathers in the local gangs, to get abetter picture of the situation.

Fathers we spoke to felt that greenspace areas such as The Pimple are

unsafe, or at least unwholesome,in the evenings, and traditionalactivities such as taking boys for afootball kickabout have beenmarginalised.9

Regarding SureStart; workingfathers, like working mothers, areconstrained by employment in their

involvement with their children.Working fathers told us that they




6/8

are often so exhausted at the end of the day that were just too tired for anySureStart activity in the evenings.Frequently they work shifts, often asmany as they can to bring in needed

cash.

Accordingly, after many hours spentlooking after the children, wives orpartners see evenings as "their" time usually to go out and reconnectwith female friends.10,9,16

Non-working fathers are of courseable to access the services and activities put on by SureStart during theschool day. They told us the barriers are in terms of perceptions theirs and

others of male / female role models, or not feeling welcome. Several fatherstold us that they thought that schools would be a good place to reach fathers,picking up and dropping off children, but we didn't see any evidence of this inpractice.10

5. What are the highlights so far ?

Nationally, the proportion of parents taking part in SureStart employment andtraining activities, even in the most active and encouraging programmes, is

low.6 Those who do take part are almostexclusively mothers.6 We took six fathers

karting in November 2004. This was as manyas we could fit in the bus, and was a positivebonding experience. It is these dads whohave remained in touch with us ever since.

The biweekly Fathers Meeting from earlyOctober at the Ex-Servicemans club, whilenever a success, did offer us a beach headin the local community, with between fourdads and no dads turning up each time. An

offer to let use the snooker tables when noone wanted them ended up stalled, but theleafleting was a success with six new dads

contacting Alan.

We have interviewed and made contact with many local stakeholders and inparticular people working on the ground for different agencies. This has beenone of the most successful strands of enquiry, as much has previously beendone in the area via voluntary and ad-hoc programmes which SureStartKingstanding could support. It was in this way we found out about the IkonGallery Fathers Group at Warren Farm School, which is an exemplary




7/8

organisation. Listening to the many local fathers and professionals over thepast year and reading and collating a very wide number of texts and reportsboth on the area and fathers nationally has helped to synthesize anunderstanding of the situation on the ground.

6. Whats Next ?

While much groundwork has been done it must be remembered that, in thisgeographical and social context, men form a hard to reach group, andoutreach methods must be employed to engage them.7

We found no evidence to suggest a complicated network of support servicesor special classes for men was required. In fact, most men told us that theywanted exactly the same sorts of events SureStart Kingstanding put on for

women, just targeted at them.

It is this targeting and also reaching the above mentioned excluded groups that we need to approach next.The most effective way to do thiswould be through high profile, one-off events or series of events,working with partner organisationsor agencies to meet joint goals,such as those around smokingcessation, health checks, G.P.registration, keep fit,breastfeeding, childrens first aidand money issues etc. We need toexploit local avenues for information, such as the library,the betting shop (who put up our snooker posters) the video libraries, the pubsand other friendly and familiar institutions were local fathers feel confident andat home. Not yet having a public building gives SureStart Kingstanding achance to permeate the local community and approach and include reluctantfathers where they least expect it.




8/8

7. Bibliography

1. "Fathers in SureStart Local Programmes" (NESS, Aug 2003)2. "Psychological Bulletin" (Bakermans Kraneburg, 2003)3. "Index of Multiple Deprivation" (ONS/DETR,2000)

4. "Census Area Statistics - CASt", (BCC / ONS 2001)5. Discussion with BCC officer in Kingstanding (Nov 2004)6. Improving the employability of parents in Sure Start local programmes

(Meadows Garbers NESS 2004)7. Involving Fathers (SureStart 2004)8. Engaging Fathers (SureStart 2004)9. Discussions with fathers (2003, 2004)10. Discussions with workers on the ground (2003, 2004)11. Community Safety Profile of Kingstanding (Crime Concern, 1999)12. Mirror Group News (2004)13. Kingstanding Ward Development Plan (Birmingham City Council)

14. Youth Works Audit Report Wyrley Birch (Crime Concern, 2000)15. Public Health Report 2004 (North Birmingham NHS)16. Discussions with partners of SureStart Dads (2003, 2004)



fathers figure

Documents