Appendix B: Survey cover letter from AIFS
«Contact_name»
«org_name»
«Postal_Address»
«Suburb_Town» «State» «Postcode»
<<Date>>
Dear <<LA, ItG or CfC>> Service Provider,
There is growing awareness about the important role positive father involvement plays in healthy child development. Increasingly, social and welfare services are becoming more aware of the need to actively engage men in child development and family strengthening strategies for the benefit of children, mums and dads, family relationships and communities.
The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) is undertaking a study exploring the participation of fathers in Stronger Families and Communities Strategy (SFCS) funded parenting, family orientated and child development and wellbeing programs and services. The purpose of the study is to provide assessment and evaluation of father engagement within the strategy as part of the national evaluation of the SFCS.
Our study will:
- Evaluate the proportion of fathers participating in SFCS programs and services;
- Explore the ways in which men are experiencing their involvement with SFCS programs and services;
- Explore service managers and staff perceptions and experiences surrounding father engagement;
- Identify promising practice in engaging fathers; and
- Contribute to building the Australian knowledge base about strategies for engaging fathers and meeting fathers' needs.
Learning more about the fathers participating in Commonwealth-funded projects is an important part of our study. You can make a valuable contribution by completing the attached survey about father participation in your service or program: «Project_name».
We will also be conducting interviews with a small number of program managers and staff, and focus groups with father participants during a second stage of the study. Please indicate at the end of the survey if you are happy for AIFS to contact you regarding the in-depth fieldwork phase of the research.
Agreeing to be contacted at this stage of the study does not commit you to participation-you will be provided with more detailed information on what the study involves, and will be at complete liberty to refuse participation.
If your service is selected to take part in fieldwork we will contact you by telephone to formally invite you to participate in the second stage of the study and to make further arrangements.
Your participation in the study is entirely voluntary and you are under no obligation to return the enclosed survey.
Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in our research. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have.
Kind Regards,
[Contact details removed]