Centre for Innovation in Fatherhood and Family Research

Our Research

The Centre for Innovation in Fatherhood and Family Research (CFFR) brings together academics, multi-agency practitioners and those with lived experience to address and understand pressing social issues that directly impact on the lives of families.

Building from the foundations of a Future Leaders Fellowship called Following Young Fathers Further, led by Centre Director, Professor Anna Tarrant, the Centre is distinctive within the Higher Education sector for its combined focus on fatherhood and family welfare as core areas of societal significance. Taking this work forwards collaboratively, CFFR advocates for father-inclusion and the wider societal benefits of promoting engaged fatherhood as a route to improving family wellbeing.

Our Mission

A key aim of the Centre is to advance knowledge and expertise in fatherhood and family research, with a view to influencing academic, policy, and practice agendas both locally and (inter)nationally though impactful social sciences research. We are especially committed to the use and development of participatory and collaborative methodologies including co-creation and co-production to ensure interventions are effectively tailored to the needs of both beneficiaries and providers.

Key themes and areas of expertise held by our academic and multi-agency partners include:

  • Parenthood
  • Fatherhood and father-inclusion
  • Promoting gender equality
  • Balancing work and care
  • Education
  • Health and social care
  • Domestic violence
  • Co-creation and peer research.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Our Centre supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which are an urgent call for action to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems, now and into the future.

What We Offer

First established in 2023, the Centre continues to grow and is developing its offer. Core strands of activity include: an annual keynote speaker event; delivery on applied research projects with local and national partners; influencing family policy and other relevant arenas of policy that impact on families; providing consultancy and evaluation; and leading and contributing to national and international research networks and projects.

You can learn more about our work and our outputs by exploring these pages.