Following Young Fathers: The lived experience of young fatherhood.

Following Young Fathers addresses an important and under-researched topic - the lived experience of young men entering into fatherhood. Young fathers are defined as those entering parenthood under the age of 25, of whom an estimated 25% are in their teens. We currently know relatively little about how and why young men become fathers at an early age, how young fatherhood is constituted and practiced and what impact policy interventions or other kinds of support may have on these processes. We also know little about the dynamics of young fatherhood - how the lives of these young men unfold over time, what their past experiences and future aspirations are, and what barriers and enablers exist to improving their life chances, and potentially the life chances of their children (Alexander et al 2010). The broad aim of this research is to address these gaps in knowledge in ways that are theoretically engaged, empirically innovative and policy relevant. A greater understanding of young fatherhood is essential if policy and practice responses are to be effective.

The study will address the following research questions:
1) How is young fatherhood constituted, practiced and understood in varied socio-economic, relational and familial contexts?
2) What opportunities and challenges are associated with early entry into fatherhood and how do these impact on the life chances of young fathers, and potentially, the life chances of their children?
3) How and why do young men enter into early parenthood? How is young fatherhood 'worked out' over time and how do the life histories and circumstances of young men and their future aspirations impact on their current experiences and practices?
4) What impact do policy interventions and other kinds of support have on the lives of young fathers? How is professional support for young fathers perceived by young men, service providers and practitioners?
5) How effective is current policy and practice in meeting the needs of young fathers and what might lead to more effective strategies and provision?

Building on a baseline study of young fathers (Lau Clayton 2011; Neale and Lau Clayton 2011), our objectives are to investigate the changing practices, values and identities of young fathers, the dynamics of their parenting, partnering, familial and professional relationships, and the development of effective policy and practice responses to young fatherhood. Our core method is a Qualitative Longitudinal (QL) tracking study of a varied sample of 25 young fathers, conducted through 3 waves of in-depth interviews and 2 rounds of focus groups held over the study period. The tracking study will be accompanied by 3 complementary strands of work. We will conduct a secondary analysis of existing qualitative evidence utilising innovative data sharing workshops. This will enable us to scale up the qualitative evidence base on young fatherhood. We will also undertake a review of policy and practice developments of relevance to our topic from the past two decades, and produce an inventory of specialist support for young fathers. Finally we will conduct a case study evaluation of local service provision. The case study involves an evaluation of support for young fathers provided by a new 'Early Start' service for parents from pre-birth to age 5, based on a merger of health visiting and Children's Centre staff. We will use an innovative 'knowledge to action' framework that engages local practitioners in the research. Through our tailored methods and outputs we aim to increase the practical utility and impact of this research for policy and professional practice and for wider audiences.

The proposed study is designed to generate useful and distinctive knowledge for policy and professional practice; we have built in specific research questions designed to address policy and practice concerns. We envisage that it will also benefit young fathers, and will increase understanding of their lives, and the lives of their families and children. The tracking study will yield knowledge on the entry of young men into fatherhood, including their values and attitudes towards contraception and abortion; on the constitution of young fatherhood; the dynamics of their lives; and insights into their life chances. The study will also generate data on their support needs and views on provision. The secondary analysis strand of work will place this new data in wider perspective, thereby ensuring a broad and robust evidence base. The knowledge generated will benefit professionals across a range of fields and in statutory and voluntary sectors wherever support is provided for young men and young parents. This includes those commissioning and providing SRE (Sex and Relationship Education) to young men in varied settings, and those supporting prospective and new young fathers through generic and specialist pre-natal and parenting services, including the Early Start programmes and Family-Nurse partnerships. The study is likely to be of direct interest to parents and young people, and to professionals who work with young men and fathers, including schools, health and social services, family support services, youth groups and parental advice groups. It will benefit policy makers who are engaged in the task of developing effective strategies and practice guidance in response to early pregnancy and fatherhood in a context where current knowledge is patchy and limited. In the light of our base line study, we anticipate too that the young fathers in the sample will benefit directly from their inclusion in a process that seeks to understand their subjective experiences, enables their views to be counted and empowers them in a context where they are often marginalised (Owen et al 2008).

The local case study evaluation will yield data on the effectiveness and appropriateness of service provision for young fathers. This data will be of direct use to local practitioners and service providers as they implement a new early intervention service for young and disadvantaged parents and parents-to-be. The case study will facilitate professionals in tracking and reflecting upon the development of their service. The focus groups will enable them to take stock and reflect collectively on how the initiative is developing and what might improve provision. The research will serve as a mechanism to bring practitioners, service providers and young fathers into conversation with each other, achieved via focus groups and a practitioner training day at which young fathers will be encouraged to speak. More broadly the research has the potential to increase the effectiveness of public services and policy in this important field and in enhancing the quality of life for young fathers and their families.

The anticipated impacts on policy and practice are both instrumental and conceptual and will be achieved through a combination of methods designed to take effect over a relatively short period of time (described further in the pathways to impact). These include a Qualitative Longitudinal (QL) design for the tracking of real time developments; a collaborative 'knowledge to action' framework; targeted outputs and events; and a multi-disciplinary forum for shared information and debate (Following Fathers Network). Research-practice partnerships can be effective in leading to organisational improvements (Nutley 2010). The ethics of this process are important, reflecting a commitment by the research team to enable service providers to develop research-based practice and to gain a sense of joint ownership of the process and outcomes of the study.