Social work practice with West Indian migrant fathers

ABSTRACT

Social workers lack research and practice knowledge related to the challenges faced by West Indian men who migrate to the United States. This article is based on a qualitative study with 76 West Indian immigrant men and women who discuss father involvement. Findings from questionnaires and in-depth interviews indicate contextual factors that impact men’s involvement with their children, including relationship status and conflict, household structure, divergent approaches to parenting, and men’s employment and enrolment in school. The authors discuss implications for social work intervention in order to address interpersonal and environmental issues that hamper optimal father involvement for these migrant men.

KEYWORDS:

• West Indians
• father involvement
• migration

Notes

¹ The term West Indian is used in reference to all persons of African descent from English-speaking countries in the Caribbean, formerly colonized by Britain. However, the term West Indian is not frequently used by West Indians themselves, but is wrapped up in the construct Caribbean. The term Caribbean is therefore understood by the average Caribbean citizen to incorporate West Indians and so both West Indian and Caribbean are often used interchangeably.

² For more on maternal gatekeeping, see Fagan and Barnett (2003), and Krishnakumar and Black (2003).