‘When they were taken it is like grieving’: Understanding and responding to the emotional impact of repeat care proceedings on fathers

Georgia Philip; Lindsay Youansamouth; Karen Broadhurst; John Clifton; Stuart Bedston; Yang Hu; Marian Brandon

doi:10.1111/cfs.13061

journal article Open Access Jun 29, 2023

‘When they were taken it is like grieving’: Understanding and responding to the emotional impact of repeat care proceedings on fathers

Georgia Philip

Lindsay Youansamouth Karen Broadhurst John Clifton Stuart Bedston

Yang Hu

Marian Brandon

Child & Family Social Work Vol. 29 No. 1 pp. 185-194 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/cfs.13061

Abstract

AbstractThere is growing recognition, in the UK and internationally, of the huge costs of recurrent appearances of parents in local authority care proceedings. This paper contributes to pressing policy and practice concerns to reduce recurrence. It presents qualitative longitudinal data from the first study of fathers' experiences of recurrent care proceedings in England. Demonstrating the emotional impact of repeat proceedings and successive loss of children on fathers, in terms of grief, loss and shame, we highlight the trauma and abuse in their developmental histories. We consider complex connections between anger and shame for these fathers, including within the arena of family justice. With the use of literature on complex trauma, shame and parental disengagement, we explore ideas for re‐framing fathers', and professionals', resistance to engagement and for better understanding fathers' intense emotions. We suggest that the link between shame and complex trauma and the value of shame reducing, dignity promoting practice in response provide a valuable way forward for working with fathers. As is recognized to be the case for mothers, without holistic, empathic interventions to address the vulnerabilities of such fathers, the risks for children, mothers and fathers are unlikely to reduce.

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Details

Published: Jun 29, 2023
Vol/Issue: 29(1)
Pages: 185-194
License: View

Authors

G

Georgia Philip

Centre for Research on Children and Families University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park Norwich UK

L

Lindsay Youansamouth

Lancaster University Lancaster UK

K

Karen Broadhurst

Lancaster University Lancaster UK

J

John Clifton

University of East Anglia Norwich UK

S

Stuart Bedston

University of Swansea Swansea UK

Y

Yang Hu

Lancaster University Lancaster UK

M

Marian Brandon

University of East Anglia Norwich UK

Cite This Article

Georgia Philip, Lindsay Youansamouth, Karen Broadhurst, et al. (2023). ‘When they were taken it is like grieving’: Understanding and responding to the emotional impact of repeat care proceedings on fathers. Child & Family Social Work, 29(1), 185-194. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.13061

‘When they were taken it is like grieving’: Understanding and responding to the emotional impact of repeat care proceedings on fathers

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