Susan Ollerhead

Establishing Acceptable "Rules of Engagement" to Encourage Young Susan Ollerhead

The need to engage with young fathers is increasingly a key theme in central and local government research, policy and practice. Young fathers are usually defined by service providers as male parents under the ages of 25. Since teenage pregnancies usually involve 18 or 19 year-old females, most young fathers are in their early twenties (Dudley, 2001). In addition to statutory obligations for equal treatment of men and women in public services (as is now required by the Gender Equality Duty, enshrined in The Equality Act 2006, which became law in April 2007), local authorities are encouraged to adopt a strategic and joined up approach to fulfilling government policies. This included direction from the government in the Every Child Matters (ECM) framework(Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2003) underpinned by The Children Act 2004 that local services must be focused on engaging with fathers and supporting their relationships with children. Sure Start Children?s Centres (SSCC) were set up to serve England?s most disadvantaged communities in England with one planned for every community by 2010.