Caring Dads Programme

The Caring Dads Programme is an internationally accredited intervention for men who have been abusive, neglectful or violent within their families. The online programme consists of fifteen weekly meetings, each one about seventy five minutes long, and led by two facilitators, one man and one woman. Between five and eight men are admitted to the programme.

Caring Dads is designed to improve men's fathering skills. The intervention raises their awareness of abusive parenting behaviours and advances an alternative, child-centred, parenting model. The men learn to replace violent, intimidating or shaming parenting practices with fathering techniques that put the needs of their children first. They are taught to recognise those needs and how they change as their children develop and grow-up and they are taught to modify and adapt their parenting strategies so that are appropriate for their children at every age and stage of their development.

Equally important, the men have to reflect on the impact of the maltreatment and abuse of their wives or partners upon their children. They are taught concrete skills for improving not only their relationships with their children but also with their children’s mothers/caretaking-mothers.

The weekly groups are run as facilitated discussions. The discussions are interactive and men are expected to participate fully them. The groups emphasise strengths-based learning with facilitators build on the parenting strengths the men already possess. Many of the discussions focus on brainstorming and problem-solving solutions to the men’s fathering challenges; they identify, and continually return to, the concrete changes men can implement with their children and/or their wives or partners.

In addition, the men are given homework assignments that must be completed and their record of successes or continuing challenges documented each week in a journal. The emphasis in the homework follows that of the discussions. The assignments consist of focused, specific and concrete exercises that the men are expected to implement at home with their children and/or their wives or partners.

For further information and referral forms, please contact Mark Bond-Webster in email at markbw@menscraft.org.uk or by phone at 07817 570 471.