Fathers in the Social Services
This flagship research program examines the complex relationship between fathers, family welfare systems, and social policy in Israel and internationally. Despite evolving societal views on fatherhood, social services frequently operate under a “mother-based intervention model” or the “primary contact person assumption,” which can result in the structural exclusion of fathers or their involvement primarily in contexts of risk or conflict.
Our work combines empirical field research, policy analysis, and theoretical development to understand organizational constraints, social workers’ perceptions, and fathers’ lived experiences—offering actionable insights for gender-sensitive and inclusive family practice.
Core Research Themes & Questions
- Institutional & Gendered Biases: How organizational routines, risk assessment protocols, and historical frameworks reinforce the marginalization of fathers in family practice.
- The Triangle of Power: Dynamics and micro-aggressions between social workers, mothers, and fathers in separated or high-conflict family settings.
- Non-Hegemonic & Intersectional Fatherhoods: How socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and legal status shape father engagement with social services.
- Participatory & Inclusive Practice Models: Developing conceptual and practical frameworks to involve fathers meaningfully in child and family welfare interventions.
Research Grants & Funding
- 2021–2023: The Triangle of Power: Fathers, Mothers and Social Workers — Israel Science Foundation (ISF, 377,400 NIS) — Principal Investigator.
- 2019–2021: Obstacles to Father Engagement in the Departments of Social Services — Ministry of Science and Technology (344,363 NIS) — Principal Investigator.
- 2017–2020: Engaging Fathers in the Israeli Social Services: The Role of Organizational Structure — Israel Science Foundation (ISF, 360,000 NIS) — Principal Investigator.
Mentorship & Related Research Projects
- Dr. Ayana Halpern (Post-Doctoral Fellow, 2024): “Fathers in the Eyes of Family Welfare Services’ Social Workers in Germany and Israel: Feminism, Ideals, and Disappointments” (Co-supervised with Prof. Ulrike Urban-Stahl, Free University Berlin).
- Raz Cohen (M.A. Thesis): “Secondary Traumatization Among Fathers of Police Officers Following the October 7 Terrorist Attack.”
Project Publications
Perez-Vaisvidovsky, N., Haworth, S., & Saar-Heiman, Y. (2026). Participatory research with fathers: A conceptual model. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2025.2590503
Halpern, A., Urban-Stahl, U., Perez-Vaisvidovsky, N., & Mizrahi, R. (2025). Fathers in the eyes of family welfare services social workers in Germany and Israel: Feminism, ideals and disappointments. International Social Work, 68(3), 461-475. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728241309480
Halpern, A., Perez-Vaisvidovsky, N., & Mizrahi, R. (under review). “She told me: You’re being violent… so I kept quiet”: Micro-aggression and dynamics between social workers and fathers treated in Israeli family social services departments. Men and Masculinities.
Perez-Vaisvidovsky, N., Halpern, A., Mizrahi, R., & Salamy, Z. A. (2024). Single Moms, absent Dads: Neglecting fathers and burdening mothers in social work practice with separated families. European Journal of Social Work, 27(1), 205-219. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2023.2222927
Perez-Vaisvidovsky, N. (2023). Family practice with fathers, social care, and capabilities. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 15(4), 748-763. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12528
Perez-Vaisvidovsky, N., Halpern, A., Mizrahi, R., & Atalla, Z. (2023). “Fathers are very important, but they aren’t our contact persons”: The primary contact person assumption and the absence of fathers in social work interventions. Families in Society, 104(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894221145751
Halpern, A., Perez-Vaisvidovsky, N., & Mizrahi, R. (2022). Involving fathers in family social services in Israel: In the shadow of a conflicted policy. Families, Relationships and Societies, 11(4), 499-516. https://doi.org/10.1332/204674321X16297306778771
Perez-Vaisvidovsky, N., Halpern, A., & Mizrahi, R. (2022). A systemic perspective on father engagement with child- and family-related social work interventions in Israel. In A. Tarrant, L. Ladlow, & L. Way (Eds.), Fathers and Their Welfare. Policy Press.
Strier, R., & Perez-Vaisvidovsky, N. (2021). Intersectionality and fatherhood: Theorizing non-hegemonic fatherhoods. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 13(3), 334-346. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12412
Perez-Vaisvidovsky, N., Mizrahi, R., & Halpern, A. (2020). The mother-based intervention: Policy, social work, and the absence of fathers in the social services in Israel. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxaa004