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Going Further With Fathers released

The Maxim Institute just released a new research report, Going Further With Fathers: Can fathers make unique contributions to the lives of their children? The report, primarily comprised of a literature review, found that if a father is actively involved in the lives of his children, he can help improve their outcomes in a range of areas, including their educational achievement, psychological well-being and their pro-social behaviour. Crucially, fathers have to go beyond being merely present to positively affect their children.

The ways in which fathers can benefit their children include pathways such as their childcare; being close to, and supportive of, them; and by playing with their children in sensitive and challenging ways. Fathers' involvement seems particularly important during the teenage years. Fathers and mothers are both able to make unique contributions to their children's well-being, but it also appears from the research that the combined input of both parents has an additional positive impact.