Abstract

In this chapter, we draw on insights from the first wave of semi- structured interviews for a qualitative longitudinal study called Following Young Fathers Further (hereafter FYFF). The substantive foci of the interviews were adapted to explore the diverse impacts of the COVID- 19 pandemic on young fathers and the services that engage them. Evidence suggests that
even prior to the pandemic, these young men were already more likely to be experiencing family poverty and/ or social disadvantage (Hadley, 2017; Neale et al, 2015) and to be living in low- income families and contexts. They also negotiate stigma because of their young age and gender (Beggs Weber, 2012; Neale et al, 2015a) and therefore face a unique set of challenges in their transitions to parenthood and throughout their parenting journeys.