Dadly Does It < Go back
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What we aim to achieve
The system for children and families burdens women and often stereotypes or does not value men. Some services and communities largely ignore dads or see them as a threat or a risk.
Dads are a hugely underused asset in the lives of children and young people. Many professionals do not seek out or actively engage dads. They have had little or no training in working with dads.
Through Dadly Does It spreading positive fatherhood, the effects and benefits are:
- dads improve their self-control, self-confidence and well-being
- dads are engaged as a positive asset, and some activities are led by men
- services are reshaped with mums and dads
- demand on services and professionals is reduced
- environments are equally appropriate for dads and mums
The long-term system change that we are seeking should lead to:
- improved well-being of children and young people
- improved quality of family relationships
- improved well-being of partners and ex-partners
- improved well-being of dads
More details and resources are available on the Dadly Does It website.
What we do
The original Dadly Does It project ran over six years in three disadvantaged communities. It worked with fathers with an aim to understand whether or not positive fatherhood impacts on the health and well-being of children. In each neighbourhood, Dadly Does It focussed on ‘what’s strong, not what’s wrong’, and drew on the strengths, assets and hidden wisdom of communities. It used a ‘positive deviance’approach.
The Dadly Does It approach:
- uses strengths-based working with dads
- relates to dads as dads, rather than as men
- includes the dad when working work with a family and, if possible, work with dad and mum as a team, affording them equal importance
- enables dads to work together, ‘shoulder to shoulder’
- integrates positive fatherhood as a consistent theme in all learning and development
We know things are working when:
- fatherhood is seen as a positive asset
- more dads are engaged, in a timely way
- fatherhood is talked about positively at all levels; what dads do well is actively recognised
- fathers see themselves as parents and adjust well to the role
- consideration is given to when, where and how to meet with dads
More details and resources are available on the Dadly Does It website.
Dadly Does It also led to Speaking Dadly on the role of fathers in the speech, language and communication of children. This informed the research behind the BBC’s Tiny Happy People campaign.
Where we operate
The original project ran in Little Hulton in Salford, Winton in Salford, and Langley in Rochdale Borough.
Dadly Does It now spreads positive fatherhood across Greater Manchester.
Who is eligible
Fathers and other men in a father role
Who to Contact
Chris Dabbs (Chief Executive)
Contact details below