Practitioners’ understanding of father engagement in the context of family dispute resolution*

The 2006 Australian family law reforms preserve the ‘best interests of the child’ as the guiding principle for making decisions about post-separation parenting but also require, with some exceptions, that parents attempt to resolve disputes in the first instance via mediation or ‘family dispute resolution’ processes. In placing greater emphasis on the child’s right to a ‘meaningful’ relationship with both parents after separation, the legislation also in effect seeks to elevate the role of fathers in the lives of their children and move beyond the more stereotyped view of these fathers as financial providers and ‘visitors’ to their children. An important element in the successful mediation of post-separation parenting disputes is the engagement of fathers. But how is this done and what does ‘engaging fathers’ mean? This study sought to identify steps taken by family relationship practitioners to engage fathers in the dispute resolution process. The analysis revealed that in engaging with fathers in mediation, practitioners drew on four types of competencies to facilitate two basic steps, one of showing respect, the other of reframing the issue of sharing the parenting.