david_vandervelde_york

David Van der VeldeService Manager (Fathers Plus),Children North East

Sustaining Work With Fathers

davidv@fathersplus.orgwww.fathersplus.org

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950)

Sustaining Work With Fathers

Sustaining Work With Fathers

A new approach to family services ?

Sustaining Work With Fathers

What are your fears for the sustainability of work with fathers?

What do you see as the opportunities to include fathers in future service delivery?

What is Your Starting Point

L

E

V

E

R

A

G

E

Systems & Structures

Vision

Patterns of Behaviour

Events

Mental Models

Levels of Perspective (Daniel Kim)

The Impact of Mental Models on Work with Fathers

Mental Models that work

Fathers matter hugely to their children

MM’s that do NOT work

Men represent a risk to children?

Men want what is best for their children

Fathers are less responsive than mothers to the needs of their children

Men are difficult to engage with

Early bonding with baby is important for fathers as well as mothers

The role of family workers is to support mothers and children

Failure of services to engage with male family members puts children at risk

Why Work With Fathers

Fathers matter to their children

Father involvement matters to mothers

Fathering matters to men

Fathering matters to communities and to societies

Sustaining Work With Fathers

"This government understands that fathers today want to be more actively involved in bringing up their children and more are doing so. A father-child relationship has a profound and wide ranging impact on children that lasts a lifetime.

Research has shown that children with involved fathers develop better friendships, more empathy, and higher levels of self-esteem. They are also less likely to become involved with crime or substance abuse."

Sarah Teather MPMinister of State for Children and Families

This is not the Future

Fathers’ involvement in their children’s education matters for children's educational, emotional and social development, for both girls and boys. Mothers’ involvement is not a substitute

Rebecca Goldman, NFPI, 2004

David Van der VeldeService Manager (Fathers Plus),Children North East

Sustaining Work With Fathers

davidv@fathersplus.orgwww.fathersplus.org