Present mothers and sufficiently absernt fathers: Social service assessments of mothers and fathers as care-givers. This article focuses upon how mothers and fathers as care-givers are scrutinized and assessed by the social services in cases of neglect, and analyses why the parents are treated differently. The empirical material consists of written reports from 26 cases were children have been placed in foster care. Three features of social service practice are used to understand the different ways in which mothers and fathers are assessed: the knowledge base of social work; the function of the written report in working practice; and the different conduct of mothers and fathers in relation to the social service.