Violent Fathering and the Risks to Children: The Need for Change.

This book explores the harmful impacts of domestically violent fathering in heterosexual relationships, and emphasizes the urgent need for changes in policy and practice to improve the safety and wellbeing of the children concerned. Data from original qualitative research with 20 violent fathers in the United Kingdom on their parenting practices is used to examine fathers' perceptions of their domestic violence and its impact on children, their relationships with children, and their parenting practices. The book begins by summarizing research on the impact of fathers' violence on children and children's own perspectives of their violent fathers. Chapter 2 discusses the influence of fathers' rights movements on policy formation and the contradictions created for practitioners in trying to negotiate between two different policy discourses: that of safeguarding children and involving violent and abusive fathers in children's lives. Chapter 3 looks at explanations of men's violence against women in intimate and familial relationships and current practice strategies in addressing violent fathering and children's safety. The use of risk identification and assessment, perpetrator programs, and parenting programs for violent fathers are considered. The following chapter discusses findings from the qualitative research that on fathers' parenting practices while living with children and post-separation during child contact. Chapter 5 considers the impacts of perpetrator programs on fathers' own views, and Chapter 6 discusses the policy and practice changes needed in order to safeguard children and protect their welfare. Numerous references.