Services:

• Family Works Northern
• Enliven Positive Ageing Services (formerly Homecare)
• Coactive Collaborative Disability Services
• Budgeting and Money Management Service
• Older Persons Advocacy and Liaison Service
• Connecting with Parishes
• Presbyterian Opportunity Shoppe
• The Foodbank at St David's

Media Release: New fathering programme for Waitakere men

13 July 2006: Waitakere men keen to be better dads will soon be able to benefit from a new fathering programme developed by Family Works Northern, the child and family services division of Presbyterian Support Northern.

The Living Years programme, has been developed by Family Works Northern’s Waitakere Service Manager Jim Heays and two of his team, John Stone and John Carney, with input from other social services organisations.

“From our work we knew there was an unmet need in the community for a ‘father-friendly’ parenting programme and we decided to fill that gap,” says Jim. 

“While there are some existing men’s programmes they’re mainly focused on violence issues. In addition only a small percentage of the participants on our own programme The Incredible Years are men – which suggested we needed to develop something more attractive to males.”

The 8-10 week fathering programme the Waitakere trio has developed in response will be delivered via facilitated, interactive group sessions.

“As with our other services we’ll take a strengths-based approach and focus on the positives – identifying and building on what fathers are good at.  Each session will have a theme, and when appropriate we’ll invite representatives from relevant organisations along to share their experiences and wisdom,” says Jim.

The programme includes a wide range of topics including: 

• ineffective fathering and its impact
• societal changes and their effect on fathering
• inter-generational connections and cycles
• effective fathering
• parenting strategies
• emotional intelligence.

In the process of developing The Living Years the team consulted many people and organisations, Jim says. “This helped inform us about being “father friendly”, including for example having men running the fathering programme.

The team is planning to start The Living Years programme on 30 July.  Enquiries to John Carney on 837 9060.

For more information:

Toni Skiffington
Communications and Marketing Manager
Presbyterian Support Northern

Ph: 09 520 8622