News

The Family Resource Centre (FRC) begins its initial Fathers First programme of the year on Monday, 1 February 2021.

The 10-week group sessions, running each Monday, are designed to enhance and support the skills and behaviours of fathers living apart from their children. Started in 2012, the course was set up to support men’s parenting in the household or following divorce and separation.

“The goal of this course is to enhance and support positive parenting by providing participants with the skills and tools for maintaining long-term relationships with their child or children,” explains FRC’s Programme Coordinator Mrs. Charmaine Miller.

“Our interactive sessions encourage input from participants and are specifically designed to benefit the participants and the women and children in their lives,” she adds.

Subjects discussed during the sessions include parenting responsibly, managing children’s behaviours, building a strong support network and overcoming barriers to fathering.

Fathers First is FRC’s response to helping redress the increasing number of children living apart from their biological fathers and the need to strengthen the role of fatherhood in nuclear families.

“Children need their fathers, fathers need their children but parenting doesn’t come with an instruction manual,” says Programme Facilitator Mr. Andrae Bailey.

“The course offers evidence-based strategies to parent effectively. Each session will actively involve fathers in identifying ways for improving their parenting skills and how to address challenges to effective parenting. This is not a course where the facilitator has all the answers, participants are also encouraged to share and come up with practical solutions,” he added.

Research overwhelmingly supports the benefits of father involvement for children, families and the community. Studies also strongly point to the wider benefits men themselves gain from active fathering. Nurturing/present fathering not only enhances the well-being of men it is shown to improve the economic and social welfare of children and mothers. In fact, in some cases the absence of a father is shown to be a major factor in the increase of delinquency and violence.

The FRC confirms that it will offer its Fathers First programme as often as demand dictates. In order to limit barriers to access, free childcare, meals and other inducements will also be available.

For more details and to reserve a place, please contact 949-0006 or email frc@gov.ky.