This article presents data from the first large-scale study of fathers involved in repeat (or recurrent) care proceedings in England. The project complements important research on mothers and recurrence. It consisted of three elements: an analysis of population-level administrative data from the Child and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS), a survey of fathers in pre-proceedings and care proceedings, and a qualitative longitudinal (QL) study of recurrent fathers. Here we report findings from the survey and the QL study, offering an expanded definition and description of fathers and recurrence. Elsewhere, we reported that a significant number of fathers appear in recurrent care proceedings and that the majority return with the same partner. Alongside this, there is also a notable pattern of “missing” fathers demonstrated by the proportion of lone mothers reappearing before the court. Our survey indicates a certain profile of recurrent fathers, but also that recurrent fathers are not straightforwardly a homogenous group. We report on the significance of recurrent fathers’ early lives, on the phenomenon of enduring couple relationships and on the prevalence of issues affecting parenting, such as poor mental health, substance use and domestic abuse. Insights from the QL study in particular reveal legacies of harm, loss, and a lack of emotional and relational resources in childhood, which have debilitating and far-reaching consequences. We argue the importance of understanding the vulnerabilities of recurrent fathers and of challenging certain assumptions in child welfare and family justice practices. There is much to be learnt from existing services for recurrent mothers, but also a need for bespoke or adapted services that may be more responsive to particular circumstances of recurrent fathers and couples.

中文翻译：

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“我没有希望，我根本没有帮助”：对父亲的初步研究和经常性照护程序的见解

本文提供了来自对参与重复（或反复）护理程序的英格兰父亲的首次大规模研究的数据。该项目补充了有关母亲和复发的重要研究。它由三个要素组成：对来自儿童和家庭法院咨询与支持服务中心（CAFCASS）的人口级管理数据的分析，对在进行程序和护理程序中父亲的调查以及对经常性定性研究的定性纵向研究（QL）父亲。在这里，我们报告了调查和QL研究的发现，提供了父亲和复发的扩展定义和描述。在其他地方，我们报告说，有很多父亲出现在定期照护程序中，而大多数父亲是与同伴一起返回的。除此之外，还有一个明显的“失踪”父亲的现象，这是由单身母亲重新出现在法庭上所显示的。我们的调查表明，经常性父亲具有一定的特征，但是经常性父亲并不是直接同质的群体。我们报告了父亲复活的重要性，夫妻关系持久的现象以及影响育儿的问题的普遍性，例如不良的心理健康，药物滥用和家庭虐待。QL研究的见解尤其揭示了童年时期的伤害，损失和缺乏情感和关系资源的遗留遗产，这些遗留资产使人衰弱和影响深远。我们认为理解继任父亲的脆弱性以及挑战儿童福利和家庭司法实践中的某些假设的重要性。