How Save the Children Can Transform the Role of Fathers and Improve the Lives of Children. A report to Save the Children

Fatherhood and fathers’ role as caregivers is a rapidly emerging issue around the world; it represents a changing reality in the lives of children. Save the Children (SC) can contribute to such changes through advocacy for policy changes and public campaigning to promote the ideals of engaged, non-violent, equitable fatherhood. 

This report, prepared by Michael Kaufman, proposes ways to make SC’s efforts (in relation to engaging fathers to ensure the rights and meet the needs of children) more effective, conscious, evidence-based, systematic, integrated throughout its programmes, inclusive of clearer advocacy goals, and capable of going to scale in partnership with other agencies. SC has a unique role to play in emerging international efforts to transform fathers’ relationships with children in order to better protect and meet the needs of children, and is at the forefront of fatherhood programming through direct implementation and strong networks with local and international partners. This report is a first step for moving from piloting and testing innovations to scaling up the work through partnerships and advocacy.

This paper, divided into four parts, covers the following specific topics: 

  · Why father-inclusive work is important to SC: the evidence and rationale.

 · How SC is meeting various challenges in this aspect of its work.

 · Potential areas of focus.

 · Specific recommendations.