Unseen men: learning from case reviews
Summary of key issues and learning for improved practice around ‘unseen’ men
Men can play a vital role in their children’s development and wellbeing and have a major influence on the children they care for. However, an analysis of serious case reviews shows that fathers, male caregivers and male partners sometimes go ‘unseen’ by services involved with children due to:
- a lack of professional engagement and curiosity
- an over-focus on the quality of care children receive from their mothers
- inadequate information sharing between services.
Two main types of unseen men (sometimes referred to as ‘hidden’ men) have been identified in these case reviews:
- men who posed a risk to a child, which resulted in the child suffering serious harm or death
- men who could have protected and nurtured the child in their life but were overlooked by professionals.
This briefing is based on learning from a sample of case reviews published since 2020 that highlight the issue of professionals not identifying or assessing key men involved in the care of children who died or suffered harm.
Browse our full series of learning from case reviews briefings
Our series of thematic briefings highlight the learning from case reviews conducted when a child dies, or is seriously harmed, as a result of abuse or neglect. Each briefing focuses on a different topic or learning for specific sectors, pulling together key risk factors and practice recommendations.
More about case reviews
We work with local safeguarding partners to ensure that learning from case reviews can be accessed and shared at a local, regional and national level.
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