Family practice with fathers, social care, and capabilities

The aim of this article is to offer a novel theoretical perspective on family practitioners' engagement with fathers, through the lens of theories of social care and capabilities. The paper shows how research on low engagement of fathers in family- and child-related social interventions has advanced along three main axes: (a) giving voice to fathers, (b) analyzing workers' perceptions, and (c) what works analysis of father-oriented programs. I point to several problems in existing research: the absence of a unifying theoretical framework and the lack of sufficient attention to issues of relationality and agency. Theories of care and the capabilities approach are offered as a framework. Applying these theoretical frameworks to existing research on father engagement raises new questions and directions for further studies, mainly in two directions: first, relationality and the configurations of relations and power within families and within welfare systems, and second, the effect of agency on father engagement.

Automated summary

The aim of this article is to provide a novel theoretical perspective on family practitioners' engagement with fathers by utilizing theories of social care and capabilities. The research on low engagement of fathers in family and child-related social interventions has evolved along three main axes: fathers' perspectives, workers' perceptions, and effectiveness of father-oriented programs. The existing research is criticized for the lack of a unifying theoretical framework and insufficient attention to relationality and agency issues. The application of theories of care and the capabilities approach raises new questions and directions for further studies on father engagement, particularly in the areas of power dynamics within families and welfare systems, and the influence of agency.