Welcome to the National Father-Inclusive Practice Framework Website
A Challenge to Services
The Principles of Father-Inclusive Practice presented on this website provide a challenge to all services supporting families.
Each of the nine principles suggests important questions to be addressed at different levels of the service:
- Which fathers are currently included in activities?
- Do fathers experience your service as respectful of their fathering role and is your service recognised as an advocate for father-child connection?
- Are fathers from diverse backgrounds represented among those accessing your service?
- Do policies and staff development processes support the building of a mixed gender workforce competent to engage with fathers?
The Father-Inclusive Practice Framework (PDF) is neither an impossible set of tasks nor a starting point for acrimonious debate. The goodwill, creativity and enthusiasm demonstrated during development and implementation suggest that change is certainly possible and the goal of more inclusive services fostering healthier more harmonious families is one to which we all can aspire.
When participants were asked how it would be different if fathers were fully engaged in every aspect of family-related services and activities, a woman with many years experience in welfare and family support services through the Islander community beamed a huge smile as she said “It would be just perfect”.
Acknowledgements
The development of the website was supported by funding from the Australian Government under the stronger Families and Communities Strategy. However the Australian Government is not responsible for the overall content of the website.
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