This mixed methods research project, involving twenty participating local authorities and eight voluntary organisations from a wide geographic spread across England, was carried out between 2017 and 2019. The study was designed to investigate fathers and their recurring appearance in care proceedings at a macro, meso and micro level, with each element collecting and analysing data for distinct but related research questions. The samples for each element are connected, and provide relevant context for one another, but do not constitute straightforward sub samples.