Posted: 12 Nov 2007 11:01 am Post subject: Training For Fathers.Expression of interest wlcomed
Hi, we really hope that Lousie is able to sort out the running of this for us .We dont have a fee or a starting date but it wont be mad. Just let me know if you want to attend. Balbriggan area but this is open to all.
Boys for Fathers Parenting module
Raising Boys for Fathers- Link with Suicide Prevention: The Raising Boys for Father course that is one of the ten initiatives in RehabCares the suicide prevention project. This course has been developed by the North Western Area HSE area Health Promotion Department and has been successfully delivered in that region for the past few years.
The reason RehabCare are implementing this course is due to the fact that recent research has found that: Early father involvement with a child is associated with continuing involvement. Father involvement is associated with good parent child relationships in adolescence. Children with involved fathers are less likely to be in trouble with the police. Father involvement is strongly related to children's later educational attainment.
More specifically: Father involvement protects children in separated families against later mental health problems Father involvement can protect against low levels of wellbeing even when maternal involvement and risk factors were accounted for. Results showed that although both father and mothers involvement contributed significantly and independently to offspring happiness, fathers involvement had a stronger effect. A study reported on in Crisis investigated the protective role of parental involvement in adolescent suicide. Results show that the adolescents who had attempted suicide were more likely to have been in trouble with the police, report low levels of parental interest and academic motivation, report suicidal ideation and use alcohol and illegal drugs when stressed. As seen from the above research, parental involvement has an affect on all of the listed characteristics.
It must also be noted that the above characteristics do not predict suicide, but have been shown to be associated with suicide. One of the many protective factors against suicide is the presence of a supportive caring adult in a young persons life. As RehabCare are taking a mental health promotion approach to suicide prevention, in that risk and protective factors associated with suicide are being addressed, this course fits well with the RehabCare suicide prevention project. It produces beneficial effects for both father and son by enhancing the relationship, sense of belonging and communication skills between father and son.
What is Raising Boys for Fathers? Raising Boys for Fathers is a two evening training course for fathers. It was developed in recognition of the fact that fathers were not attending generic parenting programmes. As a result the course, was developed specifically to address the needs of Irish fathers.
The course consists of two evening session. Each session lasts two hours. A breakdown of content of the Raising Boys for Fathers course is outlined below
Session Activity Aim Evening 1 Welcome and Introductions To remind fathers of their importance to their sons. How has boyhood changed over the last 20 years? To get fathers to think about boyhood in general and to break the ice in the group. What are your concerns for boys? To bring the fathers attention to the present, to get fathers to start to share their concerns about boys and make the discussion more personal. Input on statistics about boys To inform fathers about recent research about boys and young mens lives. What do Dads do? To get fathers to think about the roles and activities of a father. Me and my boys To give the fathers a chance to look at what they do with their sons. It gives fathers the opportunity to look more honestly at their fathering. Homework: Questions about my Dad. To make the link between the evenings activities and their lives at home and to get them to listen to their sons about themselves as fathers. Final round To give fathers a chance to say what they thought of the evening. Evening 2 Welcome Feedback from last week. Review of homework To let fathers talk about how they got on with the homework. Boys becoming men To offer one way of understanding what is happening for boys as they grow into men. Helpful hints To offer fathers hints that they can do to build and maintain close relationships and be of use to their sons as they grow up. Final round For fathers to set a goal for themselves and to get a chance to review their experience of the two evening.
Link to Reach Out National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention. This Raising Boys for Fathers course fits with the national strategy for suicide prevention by meeting the following action areas:
Level B: Targeted Approach Acton Area: Young Men. Objective: To develop services and initiatives that will help young men to cope with changing roles in society and involve them in the development of policy and services that affect them.
Level A: General Population Action Area: The Family Objective: To improve support for all families in Irish society, especially those socially excluded and those in crisis.
TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS RING TINA/FIONA at the North Fingal FADE office@ 8413444 cathy
