Parent Network - Latest headlines in Caerphilly

"Dads R Us" in Newport are holding thier annual Pantomime this yeat on Saturday 11th December. It is "The Smartest Giant in Town" is being held at Community House, Eton Road, Maindee, Newport and the fun starts at 11am.

As a dad, are you interested in getting together with other Dads?
There is a new group being run by Surestart on Friday mornings in Risca between 10 & 11.30
If you want further information then contact Margaret Gallagher on 01685 840635

Surestart also run a Dads group at Fochrhiw family centre every Thursday between 12.30 and 2.20.

A successful visit to the Dad R Us group was held on the 1st of May. Members of the Network attended the Saturday morning session and the dads at Dads R Us were very welcoming and answered our questions patiently. We were treated to a showing of the Christmas panto DVD and everyone agreed that there is very good work being done with both the dads and the children. The Network will be looking to develop the father's work further this next year so keep a lookout for developments!

Our Development Officer, Ann, was fortunate enough to take part in the Fathers Direct National Conference on fatherhood held in London on the 5th of April 2004.

With research showing that having a positive father figure is essential for a child's emotional and educational well-being, it is vital that organisations are aware of how to include fathers and how to develop a father friendly service.

The network hopes to acquire some funding that will enable us to employ a Dads Worker. The information gathered at the conference will form some of the working practice.

· Parents supporting parents' programmes tend to work best· Research had been done on how best to give out information to fathers. It was noted that in nurseries, for example, there was' wall-to-wall butterflies and fluffy rabbits', and while this was very appealing to most children and women, it wasn't very inviting to men.· Men responded much better to more formal, business like information with a more direct approach of what they were required to do and why.· We tend to celebrate cultural differences but don't approach gender differences in the same way. From research of 1,500 parenting programmes 1,400 were geared towards mothers.· Research shows that interventions involving fathers appear to be significantly more effective than interventions focusing on mothers only.· When developing group work with fathers it was important to allowing the group time to feel comfortable with each other and to build up trust with in the group was essential to the success of the project.

Interesting Dad Data *

Want to be a Cool! Dad…. younger kids love to do things with their parents, need grownups to notice them and what they are doing.
Children want Dad to be active, have interests, sports and hobbies and to be good fun!
Children need to know they are loved, even when parents are cross with them or have rows.
Older children want to be treated as equals; younger ones want to be asked what they think.
· " Your children love you. They want to play with you. How long do you think it will last? …We have a few short years with our children when they're the ones that want us around. After that, you'll be running after them for a bit of attention. It's so fast, Peter, just a few years and it's over … and you are missing it." Wendy speaking to Peter in "Hook"
· Kids are twice as likely to offend if they get on badly with their Dads than if they get on well with him.
· In schools, around 90% of children with behaviour problems are boys.
· Funny! … the TV chef Gordon Ramsey on herbs. "We haven't agreed a name yet. But I love the herb coriander and I thought it would make a great name for a girl. Had it been a boy, I suppose the obvious name would be Basil!"
* Extracts taken from FatherWork Magazine

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