hanging work patterns, the breaking down of traditional family roles and the emergence of the “new man” have seen fathers become involved with their children at a level not previously known. Men are beginning to realise the important role they are able to play in the lives of their children and increasingly fathers are opting to be the primary carer in families. During evenings and weekends throughout the world, many men are involved in running the local sports team, youth group or Scout pack attended often by their own children.

Despite this increased positive informal involvement with children, we know that men continue to remain significantly under-represented in child care as a career. In the past, professional child care was seen as the domain of women and gender inequalities saw this as a relatively low paid occupation. In this context, the centrality of the breadwinner ethic for men’s self image and other beliefs about masculinity and men’s roles have been important determining factors within the career decision making process. Perhaps more recently, emerging revelations about the abuse of children in formal care settings where the perpetrators have primarily been men has led to a culture of suspicion around the place of men in child care further alienating them within and discouraging them from this area of work.

Entrenched attitudes about what men can and can’t do in the face of a changing labour market have limited their career opportunities and continued to impoverish men on many levels. These attitudes are not impervious to reform and 145 years of providing services to children at risk and developing professionalism in the field of child and youth care here at Kibble ( www.kibble.org ) has allowed us to say authoritatively that men can care! Not only can they care, but they are in fact extremely good at it. They offer more than just the compensatory father model for the many children of absent fathers we look after, and do more than provide a natural balanced team of workers or offer apparently ‘natural masculine abilities’ as advocated by essentialist approaches to gender discourse.

Kibble is one of Scotland’s most progressive, forward-thinking charities and social enterprises, providing a comprehensive range of special education, youth training and social welfare services to over 100 young people at risk from across Scotland. Founded in 1859, the centre operates on its original site in Paisley, and today aims to be at the forefront of effective and innovative specialist services for young people with a complex mix of social, emotional, educational and behavioural difficulties. We feel so strongly about the important role men can play in professional child care and are also so concerned about their limited numbers in this area of work that we have established a project partly supported by the European Social Fund offering a life changing opportunity to 34 men who wish to pursue a career in child care.

Project
This innovative project, known as Men Can Care ( www.mencancare.org ) will recruit and provide entry level training to 34 men who may previously have been unaware of career opportunities in child and youth care, or may currently face barriers to employment in this sector or, who may lack the necessary personal, social or technical skills to enter this field. Applications are invited from men of all ages and backgrounds, employed or unemployed and no previous experience or training is required. These Trainee Child and Youth Care Workers will undertake a 39 week programme at 37 hours per week consisting of two days training and three days real work each week with children and young people. A salary will be provided, as well as travelling expenses and child care costs. In addition to the twice-weekly training sessions, which will include input from an expert panel of professionals and practitioners, all trainees will complete the Scottish Progression Award in Working with Children and Young People, an entry level qualification for employees in this sector. All trainees will have a dedicated tutor and be supported in the workplace by their own personal mentor. On successful completion of the programme every trainee will be guaranteed an interview for a post in a child and youth care setting. As well as covering the numerous areas of training necessary for working with children and young people, the training programme will be thematic in its focus on issues around masculinity. It is important to us that the participants are given the opportunity to reflect upon who they are as men, how they feel about this and what the implications of this may be for themselves, their learning, and the children and young people they may go on to work with.
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We know that CYC-Net is a hub of international expertise and experience in child and youth care and we would be keen to receive feedback about Men Can Care, or indeed applications from interested parties. Further details are available from Neil McMillan, Project Manager, Kibble Education and Care Centre, Goudie Street, PAISLEY, PA3 2LG Tel 0141 889 0044 or email neil.mcmillan@kibble.org