Examining Practitioner Competencies, Organizational Support and Barriers to Engaging Fathers in Parenting...

Area of Science:

• Family and Social Sciences
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Parenting interventions primarily focus on mothers.
• Limited research exists on father engagement in these programs.
• Understanding practitioner perspectives is crucial for inclusive practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine father attendance rates in parenting interventions.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to father engagement.
• To explore predictors of practitioner competence and father attendance.

Main Methods:

• Online survey administered to 210 practitioners delivering parenting interventions.
• Data collected on father attendance, engagement barriers, organizational support, training, and practitioner competence.
• Logistic regression analysis used to identify predictors.

Main Results:

• Practitioners reported high confidence but low father attendance and limited training.
• Practitioner competence was predicted by training participation.
• Father attendance was associated with practitioner experience, competence, and organizational support.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing father engagement requires targeted training and organizational support for practitioners.
• Policy and practice should prioritize father-inclusive approaches in parenting interventions.
• Addressing barriers and building practitioner capacity are essential for equitable service delivery.