Fathers Direct: promote positive relationships between men and their children
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Fathers Direct: promote positive relationships between men and their children |
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EuoPROFEM - The European Men Profeminist Network http://www.europrofem.org
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| Fathers Direct | |
| Mission | Fathers Direct exists to promote close and positive relationships between men and their children. |
| First Year Activities | Providing
information to fathers: a new guide for
expectant fathers for inclusion in the Bounty Pack, distributed to 600,000 families a
year; a website as a national information resource for fathers and an opportunity for
exchange of experience; a telephone helpline developed with ParentLine. Supporting family service providers: an on-line newsletter for family service providers working with men; joint projects with larger organisations to pilot initiatives that improve access of services to fathers.Developing policy: hosting, in partnership with relevant policy organisations, a Forum to identify appropriate roles for public policy in fostering involved fathering. |
| Why? | Family structures and work patterns are changing, inviting men to develop new roles within families. Being actively involved in child-rearing is beginning to be seen as an important part of being a responsible and fulfilled father. Society needs to adapt to these changes. Meanwhile, many fathers remain isolated, lacking basic information and contact with other parents, and family services tend to exclude men, assuming that intimate parenting is for mothers only. New information, new channels of communication, new services and new policies are required to engage effectively with men who aspire to close and positive relationships with their children. |
| Organisation | Fathers Direct was initiated in 1999 by the
following people: David Bartlett, Manager of Fatherhood Programme of National NEWPIN; father of one
daughter and one son; Adrienne
Burgess, author of Fatherhood Reclaimed, the
book that changed the debate about fatherhood in UK; mother of one daughter; Duncan Fisher, voluntary sector manager and fund-raiser; father of one daughter; Trefor Lloyd, Manager of Working with Men, which has pioneered a variety of work with men,
particularly young men; father of two sons; Jack O’Sullivan, Associate
Editor of The Independent and well-known writer on family and fatherhood issues;
father of one daughter; Alan Richardson, manager of
Fathers Plus project in Newcastle; father of two daughters. Fathers Direct is registered as a limited company (3709549) and is currently obtaining registered charity status from the Charity Commission. The Founding Trustees of Fathers Direct are: Sir Robert Salisbury, Headmaster of Garibaldi School and well-known educational ‘trouble-shooter’. Dr Elsa Ferri, pioneer of research on fathers in families. Richard Stein, lawyer. |
| Funding | Fathers Direct was launched with a grant from the Department of Health. |
| Further information | David Bartlett, 171 Saint Asaph Road, LONDON SE4 2DY. Tel: 0171-732 6316/358 5916. Fax: 0171-701 2660. E-mail: dbart@dial.pipex.com |
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