The Caring Dads Program is an evidence-based intervention specifically designed to help fathers who are at high risk or who have been abusive, neglectful, or violent towards their families.
The program aims to enhance the safety and well-being of children by working with fathers to change their behaviour. This includes improving father-child relationships, promoting child-centred fathering, and fostering respectful and non-abusive co-parenting with a child’s mother.
The program combines elements of parenting education, fathering practices, and child protection strategies.
The primary goals include ensuring child safety, increasing fathers’ awareness of their impact on their children, promoting accountability for abusive behaviours and supporting fathers in becoming positive role models.
Supporting ACT Corrective Services Strategic Plan for a Safer Community
Click the image above for details on how this program Meets ACT Correction Services supports a safer community. ACT Corrective Services endorses this program deliworks with Yeddung Mura as tto meet it's strategic plan of a working as a team for a safer community
Effective Methods
Effective Methods for Learning in Caring Dads:
Group Sessions and Interactive Learning:
The program uses group sessions where fathers learn from each other's experiences. This method leverages social learning theory, where individuals learn through observation, imitation, and modelling. This interactive approach can be seen as accommodating various learning preferences by allowing participants to engage through discussion, role-playing, and reflective practices. Yeddung Mura running programs through yarning circles which meant there was little to adjust from the program to make it suitable for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants
Individualised Case Management:
Each participant receives tailored support through case management, which includes motivational interviewing and goal setting. This personalisation can be viewed as an alternative to learning styles by focusing on individual needs and pacing, making the learning process more effective. Again the program aligned to Yeddung Mura's case management model making this a great fit for their service delivery
Managing Rage & Anger
This program refers to strategies and techniques aimed at controlling and reducing outbursts of anger or rage, which can be harmful to oneself or others.
systems, and processes in place to manage and de-escalate a heightening situation.
Program Eligibility
Many fathers are likely to benefit from participation in this program, but especially men whose relationship with their children or children’s mothers is problematic. This may include over-controlling, over-involved, distant and/or irresponsible, emotionally abusive fathers or fathers who have hostile, highly conflictual, or abusive relationships with the children's mothers. Men are not eligible for the Caring Dads group if a primary concern is men's perpetration of child sexual abuse. Further screening and final decisions around group suitability are done through a clinical intake interview. To be eligible for the program, men must have some regular supervised or unsupervised contact with at least one of their (0-16 year-old) children.
Program Format
The group component of Caring Dads combines elements of parenting, fathering, battering and child protection practice to enhance the safety and well-being of children. Program principles emphasize the need to enhance men’s motivation, promote child-centered fathering, address men’s ability to engage in respectful, non-abusive co-parenting with children’s mothers, recognize that children’s experience of trauma will impact the rate of possible change, and work collaboratively with other service providers to ensure that children benefit (and are not unintentionally harmed) as a result of father’s participation in intervention. A typical group usually runs for 2 hours, one night a week, for 17 weeks. There are usually between 10 and 15 men registered in each group. Groups may only be led by accredited Caring Dads facilitators.
Session Content
Content
Develop sufficient trust and motivation to engage men in the process of examining their fathering.
To increase men’s awareness and application of child-centred fathering.
To increase men’s awareness of, and responsibility for, abusive and neglectful fathering behaviours and their impact on children.
Rebuilding trust and planning for the future.
Child-Centred Fathering (Sessions 4-8)
Goal: To increase men’s awareness and application of child-centred fathering.
Taking REsponsbilities Sessions 9-14
Goal: To increase men’s awareness of, and responsibility for, abusive and neglectful fathering behaviours and their impact on children.
Sessions 15-17
Goal: Consolidating learning, rebuilding trust and planning for the future.
Mother Contact
This component involving systematic outreach to mothers to ensure safety and freedom from coercion. Contact with children’s mothers by devoted program staff or by those working in partnership to ensure women are informed about the program. Collaboration between professionals and with women to anticipate and work to avoid potential unintended negative consequences of men’s involvement in intervention. Provision of referral and of safety planning to children’s mothers, as necessary.
Collaborative Case Management
This component establishes a clear community-based model for accountability to ensure that child safety and well-being is enhanced as a result of fathers’ involvement in intervention. Open communication between Caring Dads program and other professionals working to ensure the safety and well-being of members of the family Joint meetings and planning in response to ongoing or rising risk presented by father. Commitment to working collaboratively to support children.
Yeddung Mura and ACT Corrective Services work together to support a safer community. This section provides information on how key attributes of this program works towards this purpose.
The program builds and maintains community safety. Click the heading for the community safety strategic approaches.
The focuses on anger management and conflict resolution, which can be foundational for rehabilitation and successful reintegration of offenders. Click the heading for how the program supports these goals.
The program fosters environments that are safe, secure, and humane, thereby ensuring participants are treated with humanity, dignity, and respect. Click the heading for how this is achieved.
Yeddung Mura demonstrates several key attributes that ensure the program is delivered with excellence. Click the heading for details on these attributes.
This program incorporates various learning styles to ensure effective education on managing conflict and anger. Click the heading for how they address different learning styles, their intended outcomes and evidence plans.
This program provides a structured approach to managing conflict and de-escalating situations through its group-based program. Click the heading for the systems and processes to manage these situations.