Caring Dads is a group work program that helps men who have used violence and focuses on improving parenting practices.

By connection with other men, they learn how to cope with frustrating situations in healthy ways and to strengthen and repair relationships with their kids.

Caring Dads combines elements of parenting, fathering and child protection practice to enhance the safety and well-being of children. Program principles:

• Increasing motivation
• Promoting child-centred fathering
• Encouraging respectful and non-abusive co-parenting with children’s mothers
• Recognising children’s experience of trauma will effect change, and
• Work collaboratively with other services.

Groups run weekly for a couple of hours each session and are coordinated by accredited Caring Dads facilitators.

Who this service is for

You must have some regular supervised or unsupervised contact with at least one (0-16 year-old) child. Men are not eligible if a primary concern is men’s perpetration of child sexual abuse. Eligibility is determined during a required assessment interview.

Is Caring Dads for you or someone you care about?

• Are you a father, step-father, grandfather or someone who plays a fathering role?
• Do you worry about how angry you get with your children?
• Do you criticise or blame your children’s mother in front of your children?
• Do you feel like your children actively annoy you on purpose?
• Is there violence between you and your partner or other adults in the home?
• Do you feel like you interrogate your children about what goes on at their mother’s home?
• Do you ever complain to your children about their child support is spent?
• Are you working with a professional who thinks this program might help you?

If you answered yes to some of these questions, Caring Dads might be the right program for you or someone you care about.

Cost

Free

Opening Hours

Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Groups are run based on the needs of participants, this includes evenings.

Accessibility Support

Groups are held in accessible locations, and transport options can be discussed with the facilitators.

How this service is delivered

• Face-to-face

  Groups are held in different locations in the North and South of the state.

  Please contact us and ask to speak with a Caring Dads facilitator to find out about the next group.

• Call or visit us online

  Caring Dads facilitators are available by phone weekdays from 9am to 5pm.

• We'll come to you (outreach)

  Caring Dads facilitators will visit you at home or in the community before you start your group, and can be contacted to talk about transport options to attend groups.