“The myth of invisible men”: safeguarding children under one

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has published a review of the circumstances involved in cases where babies under-one-year-old have been harmed or killed by their fathers or other males in a caring role. Findings include: a range of risk factors were common in many of the cases, a lack of information sharing was a key factor that prevented practitioners from responding to risk to babies, and many services aimed at new parents are predominantly focused on the mother. Recommendations include: the government should fund pilots to develop holistic work with fathers and the engagement of fathers must be embedded in prospective and current family-focused programmes. NSPCC Learning has published a CASPAR briefing summarising learning from the review.

Read the news story: New review investigates babies harmed by fathers and stepfathers

Read the report: Safeguarding children under 1 year old from non-accidental injury

Read the CASPAR briefing: Summary of “The myth of invisible men”: safeguarding children under one from non-accidental injury caused by male carers: CASPAR briefing