Caring Dads
Caring Dads: The essential information
What is it?
Caring Dads is a group intervention programme aiming to help fathers, of any age, improve their relationship with their children. It helps dads learn how to spend time with children in healthy ways, and to understand the impact on children of controlling, abusive and neglectful actions, which include witnessing domestic violence. The programme is evidence-based and has been refined over the last 10 years.
We also have the shorter Being Dads programme for young and expectant first-time dads.
Who is it for?
This programme is for men who want to be a positive force in their children’s lives.
- We accept referrals from individuals and other organisations.
- We check fathers are suitable for the programme before it starts with a screening interview.
- Fathers need to be having contact with their children at least every two weeks.
What does it do?
Fathers learn how to spend time with children in healthy ways, understanding the impact on children of controlling, abusive and neglectful actions, including domestic violence
Why does this programme exist?
This programme sets out to improve children’s life chances and to stop cycles of abuse. Through 17 group sessions fathers will:
- Learn skills to cope in healthy ways with hard situations.
- Understand how their choices and ways of being a father affect children.
- Increase awareness about how their behaviours and attitudes can be harmful to children.
- Be given ways to strengthen the father-child relationship.
How long does the programme run for?
The Caring Dads group programme runs one evening a week. This programme runs for 17 weeks.
This group offers:
- A unique chance for men to connect as fathers .
- A mix of active group exercises and homework.
Recognising abuse
Does your partner:
- Get jealous and possessive if you go out alone or spend time with friends and family?
- Put you down frequently?
- Tell you what to wear, where to go and who to see?
- Switch without reason from being charming one minute to abusive the next?
- Control your access to money or stop you from working?
- Hit, slap, pull your hair or push you?
- Play mind games and make you doubt your judgment?
- Track your movements using technology or spy on your internet or phone history?
- Stalk you or turn up expectedly at your work or home?
- Pressure you or make you have sex when you don’t want to?
- Make you walk on eggshells to avoid making them angry?
- Use anger and aggression to intimidate and control you?
- Cheat on you or accuse you of cheating?
Are you becoming:
- Much more critical of yourself?
- Scared to talk to your partner because you don’t know how they will react?
- Isolated from friends and family?
- Stressed and anxious?
- Scared when your partner is angry because their behaviour is unpredictable?
