Over the past four years, the Young Dads' Council and Young Dads TV have established themselves as a major source of information and support for fathers under 25 and the professionals who support them.
They are run by Media for Development, a not-for-profit company dedicated to empowering isolated communities through the media. According to the council, fathers under the age of 25 are disproportionately drawn from the poorest communities in the UK, with feelings of isolation compounded by gender bias and a sense of social invisibility.
Scott Colfer, manager of Young Dads TV, says, 'Young fathers often feel isolated from parent support services. Young Dads TV listened to what they had to say and amplified their messages, helping to make services more young-father-friendly. Today, members of the Young Dads' Council are continuing that work and creating more young-father-friendly spaces throughout London.'
ADDRESSING NEEDS
Under its initial funding - a three-year grant from The Monument Trust - Young Dads TV carried out research into the needs of young fathers and established a steering group called the Council of Young Dads to develop initiatives to address these needs.
One such initiative was Me and My Dad, an online soap opera to make young fathers aware of their children's needs and to offer reassurance to them that other young dads experience similar problems.
Another was Dads' Map, local listings of places for dads to take their children and parent support groups. Lack of information was identified as a major problem for young fathers, who are generally unaware of the statutory support available to them and have never heard of Sure Start. Of the 1,500 young fathers in one local authority in 2010-11, only 171 had accessed a children's centre.
ADVOCACY
The council also sought to address the other major need identified for young fathers -advocacy - as many feel that they have no influence over political decisions that affect their lives.
As well as influencing Government recommendations for statutory services on the needs of young fathers, individual members also represented the views of young dads in the national media and have worked with the Mayor's office in London.
The work of the council is now being developed under a Trust for London grant, awarded last September. As a peer advisory service dedicated to reducing the levels of poverty and isolation experienced by young fathers in London, the council will provide statutory services with advice, guidance and tips on how to better engage with fathers. Its 20 members will be paid the London living wage for their time and their travel and childcare costs will be reimbursed.
INDEPENDENT VALUATION
The council hopes to build on the success of Young Dads TV. An independent evaluation by the University of Wolverhampton found that the initiative has helped to:
- develop young dads' identities as fathers
- make young dads aware of their rights
- increase group support networks and resilience in the face of problems
- build self-esteem and confidence
- form new relationships and friendships
- develop wider social networks
- increase young dads' voices at a local level.
Young Dads TV was also awarded a distinction from the United Nations for helping to support the Millennium Development Goals, and won a Nominet Internet Award for empowering citizens.
MORE INFORMATION
- Young Dads' Council, www.youngdadscouncil.co.uk
- Young Dads TV, www.youngdads.tv
- See YouTube for episodes of the show My Dad and Me