Resilient Dads

Resilient Dads is a holistic personal development and parenting skills programme developed by Sharing Voices which aims to develop the skills and competence of dads/male carers to support the social, emotional, and cognitive development of their 0-3s.

It was developed to support dads/male carers, who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which may impact on their own parenting.

The project organised engagement activities for dads/male carers of 0-3s and initiated discussions about the challenges of being a parent of a young child. These led to opportunities to take part in groups to talk about their experiences, strengths and challenges.

Support was tailored to each individual’s level of comfort and uses a flexible approach to learning. It uses methods such as sport and team building to help participants engage with the programme.

For those dads/male carers (self-selected) who were seeking greater support, therapeutic 1-1s were provided with trained practitioners to help them address difficulties in their relationship with their child, often arising from challenges in their own upbringing and early relationships.

Why this project was developed

Very few dads/male carers were engaging with existing interventions in the Better Start Bradford area for a variety of reasons. Using existing community networks, Sharing Voices targeted dads/male carers in hard-to-reach communities, including those coming out of the prison system.

This project aimed to work with fathers who themselves have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) which has been further exacerbated by poverty and deprivation and may impact their parenting.