Is your Service Thinking Fathers?
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Find out how Fathers Plus can support you to meet the requirements of the new Dad Test from the DCSF Think Fathers Campaign

• Does your service work with families?
• Are you involved in the development or implementation of policy that affects families?
• Are you involved in the recruitment or training of workers in Family Services?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you need to be aware of the 'Think Fathers' Dad Test.

Launched by the Department for Children, Schools and Families in June 2009 the Dad Test helps managers and practitioners identify the strengths and barriers to father inclusion in ther service. It sets out a range of simple measures to be adopted by family services organisations to ensure that systems, staffing and service delivery meet the needs of fathers and fulfill the requirements of key policies and guidance such as the Gender Equality Duty, Aiming High for Children, Every Parent Matters and the Child Health Promotion Programme.

Fathers Plus provides specialist support to Local Authority Children’s Services and partner agencies to enable them to include fathers in line with current policy and evidence about what works to improve outcomes for children and young people.

Fathers Plus has been working in partnership with Family Services across the U.K. since 1997 to develop father friendly practices and policy. The service currently supports networks of practitioners across the country, provides training and workshops as well as delivering direct services to fathers in schools and children's centres.

Fathers Plus Services can help you meet the requirements of the Think Fathers ‘Dad Test’ from DCSF. Support from Fathers Plus includes:

Read on to view the Dad Test and to find out more about how Fathers Plus can support your service to include fathers. You can contact the team online or call Fathers Plus on 0845 130 7225.

The Dad Test

Leadership

'Strong leadership and a clear strategy are essential in ensuring that everyone in your organisation is committed to engaging with fathers and strengthening father-child relationships. Senior managers must feel confident in their knowledge about why positive father-child relationships are so important to children, and how to support them...' (DCSF 2009)

Workshops for Children's Services Senior Managers and Directors
Fathers Plus senior leadership workshops take from 20 minutes to 2 hours and provide senior management with a strategic overview of the father incluson process. Topics include the case for undertaking the work, opportunities for service improvement, the change management process, examples and case histories.

Workforce Development

'...Take a step back and think about whether dads would feel comfortable dealing with your team. Remember, mothers and fathers have distinct needs and can require different approaches. Many practitioners feel they can relate easily to most mothers, but don’t always consider how well they engage with fathers, and whether or not their actions may unwittingly exclude men.' (DCSF 2009)

All Fathers Plus services have been developed from hands on experience with practioners and fathers in service settings over twelve years. Click here to find out how we could support your workforce development team.

Introductory and Induction Training for Family Services
Developing a 'corporate view of fatherhood' and a shared value base is a vital element for all family services organisations. Fathers Plus induction training programmes ensure that all staff whatever personal or professional experience they have, can articulate and implement the organisation's approach to father inclusion.

Issue Based Training from Fathers Plus
A range of short programmes give staff the skills and confidence to work with fathers and to address specific issues such as 'Dads to Be', 'Young Fathers', 'Including Fathers in their Child's Learning' and 'How to Recruit Fathers into Services.'

Men into Childcare
Fathers Plus helps organisations meet diversity targets and recruit men on to their staff teams. Work with local authorities, colleges and universities makes childcare careers more accessible to fathers and men.

The Developing Men Friendly Organisations Programme
The Developing Men Friendly Organisations Programme supports middle managers and practitioners over a period of three to six months as they assess the strengths, opportunities and barriers to father inclusion. This outcome based programme supports participants to implement changes in their organisations and add their experiences to the body of knowledge about what works for dads in local services.

Environment

'First impressions count, and your service’s physical environment can be a major factor in how comfortable a father will feel getting involved. Think about your décor, displays and promotional material and whether they create the kind of environment that would make fathers feel welcome.' (DCSF 2009)

Father Friendly Resources
Fathers Plus supply father friendly resources to schools, children's centres and other settings across the U.K. and internationally. Posters, practitoner guides, consultation tools, 'Dads Guide' cards and other materials can be adapted and developed to suit local needs. Click here to find out more about how to use father friendly resources in your setting.

Marketing and Communications

'Communicating proactively with fathers will help show them that mainstream services
are for them, as well as for mums. They will be made to feel they are important to your service and will want to become involved. Remember, this is not just about marketing campaigns; all communications, including letters, can unintentionally exclude fathers if not planned carefully' (DCSF 2009)

Communications Guidance for Family Services
Fathers Plus Communications Guidance includes simple tips for staff to ensure that communications include dads. The guidance identifies common pitfalls and gives examples such as use of appropriate language and imagery, diversity and much more.

Recruiting Fathers

'Making your services readily available and accessible to local fathers can be easier than you think. To help as many families as possible, it is best to recruit fathers proactively and routinely rather than as an exception, such as when dads get into difficulty.' (DCSF 2009)

Fathers Plus Recruitment Events
The Celebration of Fatherhood events organised by Fathers Plus have attracted over 12,000 fathers and family members to participate in learning activities and have suported hundreds of organisations in family services to build menaingful contacts with men in their local communities.

Fathers Plus Guide to Registering Fathers in Family Services
Whilst many services are funding work with fathers, staff can be held back by the failure of systems to routinely record fathers' contact information. In most family services there is a huge imbalance between mother and father registrations.

The Fathers Plus Guide to Registration of Fathers in Family Services provides a simple checklist to ensure that your registration systems do not exclude dads and also comply fully with data protection legislation. For more information and to download the guidance click here

Want to Know More?

If you would like to know more about how Fathers Plus can support you, your staff team or your service to develop more inclusive practice, based on a clear strategic vision and backed up by inclusive policies and procedures then contact a member of the Fathers Plus team online or phone 0845 130 7225