The Fatherhood Institute’s Post

Latest blog for #internationalmensday at The Fatherhood Institute. For most men, being the best dad they can is their main goal in life. Let’s do a better job of helping them achieve it. #6weeksfordads #lookingoutfordad

Earlier this year, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting MP announced that a Labour government would consider introducing a men's health strategy - something that we, together with Men's Health Forum and others, have been calling for since 2022. Disappointingly, Mr Streeting’s rationale focused on the need to solve a ‘crisis in masculinity’ – which seems to lay the blame for our country’s poor male health outcomes on men themselves, rather than on services’ failure to make space for men.  💡 Fatherhood is a clear case in point. It’s central to most men’s lives, and fathers’ health outcomes matter hugely, yet the paternal journey still goes unrecognised in NHS service design. 👉 Read more in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/eFEwfhSw Charities calling for a Men's Health Strategy since 2022 include, amongst others: Men and Boys Coalition MANKIND INITIATIVE Global Action on Men's Health UK Men's Sheds Association Oral Health Foundation Future Men #menshealth #fatherhood #mentalhealthawarenessweek #fatherinclusivepractice #healthservices #government #generalelection Mental Health Foundation NHS England The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) Royal College of General Practitioners

One Guardian reader, whose great-niece is in care despite their willingness to provide care, tells of their frustration of being left out of solutions by children’s services. They wish to see their niece but say the system is intentionally ambiguous, raising concerns in the family about her whereabouts and well-being. The reader is also alarmed by regional disparities in the rates of children in care and worries that in areas like Blackpool, local authority care is now the default, instead of including family in the solution. As reports about unregulated and profit-led children’s homes accumulate, it’s time that we prioritise family-based solutions. Kinship care helps to reduce disruption for children by keeping them connected to people who already know and love them. It makes economic sense too. Research by charity Kinship suggests that ‘for every 1000 children raised in kinship care rather than in local authority care, the state saves £40 million per year’. Kinship care options should always be appropriately assessed before placing children elsewhere, this includes international options. We help local authorities locate and assess possible overseas family carers for children thanks to our unique access to partner agencies in over 130 countries. Let’s ensure that family comes first for every child, no matter where their family lives. https://lnkd.in/gUbU4Ngh

Food for thought from our Executive Director Melisa Wong at a sharing with SUSS module on Fundraising & Philanthropy: If you had $100, which cause would you donate to? Many charities share compelling narratives and will need donations to sustain our work. However, not all organisations have the same resources or capabilities to reach out effectively to share their causes. What if you could redirect the cost of one comfort beverage a month —your favourite bubble tea or artisan coffee—towards making a difference? Will you take the first step to support the cause you resonate with? If we have inspired you to support your cause, we humbly ask you to consider donating a small token of a dollar to us. https://lnkd.in/getiKtT7 This small gesture affirms that we have created impact and not competition. With dollar matching your contribution will be double! Every contribution, big or small, helps us all to continue our work. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us! #DonateWithPurpose #MakeADifference #SmallActsBigImpact

2024 Winter Appeal, Brighter futures for homeless young people Uniting is raising funds to support young people between the ages of 12 to 25 who access our Specialist Homelessness Services. Often, these young people are escaping family and domestic violence or unstable home environments and coping with mental health challenges. Increasingly, they’re also facing the nation’s shortage of affordable housing and experiencing poverty. Help us reach our giving goal this winter. I hope you will consider donating to the Uniting EOFY Appeal and give a young person who is homeless or at risk of homelessness the gift of essentials that many of us take for granted such as groceries, bed linen, spare underwear, or a trip to the cinema. Any amount you can afford to gift at tax time can make a big difference to the 1,700 young people who access our Specialist Homelessness Services each year. How to donate to the Uniting EOFY Appeal, It’s easy to donate using a debit or credit card via the public donation page on our website. You can donate up until Sunday 30 June 2024. As Uniting is a registered charity, any donation you make above $2.00 is tax deductible. Even a small donation can make a really big difference and will go directly to the young people who need it most. Read more on our website about how the funds will be used. Your generosity directly supports the vital work of our Specialist Homelessness Services for young people. 

Step Up Parents' 2023 Annual Report chronicles our achievements and advancements during a busy and impactful year. In 2023, our catchment area grew to include New Hampshire and an expansion into York County, Maine, and we experienced an increased need for services and helped more families than ever before. Step Up Parents also brought on new staff and board members to help us chart a course for a strong, effective future. Most importantly, the 2023 Annual Report highlights the people who make Step Up Parents so special: kinship caregivers who have stepped up to raise children profoundly impacted by parental substance use disorder. These stories illustrate why Step Up Parents is such an important part of the network that supports kinship families in Maine and New Hampshire. Read our 2023 Annual Report: https://lnkd.in/e7cRkVPK

Step into a structured and supportive environment tailored to help mothers reintegrate into society. 🌟 #SupportiveEnvironment #Reintegration #IHRM Learn more: https://smpl.is/96a3a

Save the efforts valuing the #humanity #socialresponsibility & please support to run it more effectively🙏 https://lnkd.in/g95axtyY Donate Now https://lnkd.in/gi8Y-Uv7

Just over a decade ago, a scoping study led by Pamela Cox for the Suffolk Family Justice Council set out to identify the extent to which (locally) mothers were repeatedly having their children removed. As a result, this ‘national problem with no name…and no data’ was identified and, together with other local studies, influenced a new field of national collaborative interdisciplinary research and practice. Since then our research group, including Vanessa Baxter Frances Blumenfeld and Danny Taggart, has been supporting councils and charities around the country to develop and evaluate services to support these families. We have now published the first evidence review in the field. This review focuses on effective components of support including the importance of recognising unresolved loss, complex grief and trauma. https://lnkd.in/eXj5DgkA We have a second review forthcoming focusing on psychological and cost-benefit outcomes of services.

Yesterday, Action for Children launched a brand-new campaign, 'A Place to Call Home', calling on UK governments to take immediate action on children’s social care, so children in care get the high-quality homes, love and support they need to thrive. Every 15 minutes, a child goes into care in the UK. They’ve already faced huge challenges in their young lives. Challenges no child deserves. But they're still a child, like any other. A child with a favourite TV show. A favourite food. A child that deserves to feel safe and loved in a place they can call home. Yet 1 in 4 of those who grew up in care say it was a negative experience. And 9 in 10 say they were lonely and isolated. We think this is unacceptable. That’s why we’ve launched our campaign, which I’d love you to support. We launched the campaign with a successful stunt outside the Houses of Parliament, which include a model playhouse decorated with quotes from care-experienced young people and older people, as well as an artist/social media influencer painting a giant teddy bear to raise awareness of the campaign. We were lucky to have care-experienced young people and older people, care-experienced celebrities, Parliamentarians and members of the public for coming along to support us. Now we just need governments to listen. You can find out more about the campaign, read our five fantastic policy reports and contact your MP here: https://lnkd.in/eMRFR9AX #APlaceToCallHome #childrenincare #childrenssocialcare #charityCEOs