Mind Body Fitness - Including Men in North Tyneside

Mind Body Fitness Programme



Dads from Howdon and Wallsend get a taste of Thai Martial Arts at Howdon Children’s Centre


Delivered in partnership with local children’s services, the Mind Body Fitness programme engages fathers/male carers and their families around the issues of mental and physical health, stress management and relationships. It impacts on the health and well being of children and their families and reduces incidences of domestic violence.

The programme strengthens relationships between family members, within communities and helps fathers gain access to other services. It enables existing service providers to engage with ‘hard to reach’ fathers and consult with them on the development of future services

The programme will run over eight weeks with activity in each of five wards. Qualified trainers from Mind Body Fitness and Children North East Fathers Plus will work in partnership with local workers from the statutory and voluntary/community sector to deliver the programme. Each week the fathers/male carers will address a different aspect of mental and physical health and fitness and link this to everyday family and relationship issues.

The programme helps build bridges to other services, supporting partner workers, such as Parental Outreach Workers/Youth Workers/YOT/BEST team workers to engage and consult with fathers and provide access to additional support where required

The Mind Body Fitness programme has been proven to be effective in improving father-child relationships, reducing family stress, building community and helping to resolve family conflicts.

The programme has worked effectively with fathers in a number of settings including County Durham Sure Start, quoted as an example of good practice in the revised Children’s Centre guidance.

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