Who Let The Dads Out? Setting up a group for dads, father figures and their children with beginnings in Chester.

It began in 2003 at Hoole Baptist Church in Chester. The church is at the centre of the community and had provided a range of family support for many years, including a thriving parent and toddler group. The group took place three mornings each week and was bursting at the seams, but it was practically all mums, grandmothers and childminders who attended. There were very few dads. The church knew that dads needed support too but also knew that dads were unlikely to come to the weekday parent and toddler group, so it decided to try a one-off session for dads and male carers on a Saturday. Twenty dads and their children came along to that first session and it was such a success that the group began to take place regularly. It quickly settled on a once-a-month format, and to this day it still runs from 10am to 12 noon on the first Saturday of the month. 

How did the network grow?

Very soon after the Who Let The Dads Out? group in Chester began other churches and organisations heard about it and asked whether they could set up their own groups. The church in Chester put together a small team of volunteers to lead and oversee the project’s development on a national basis. Eventually the responsibility for the project moved from the church to a national charity, and it is now led and managed by Care for the Family. There are over 175 groups in the Who Let The Dads Out? network, and it is growing each year. Attendees often describe the sessions as a place to "get things off your chest, have a brew, a chat, or just listen".

Is it just for churches?

No. Who Let The Dads Out? began and grew in UK churches, and so some of the resources and content provided by Care for the Family is naturally church-oriented. However, any organisation – faith based or not – is welcome to set up a group. 

How do I go about setting-up a group?

Take a look at the Who Let The Dads Out? webpages. You can see a video of a group in action, stream training videos, book an online consultation, see which groups are nearest to you and much more – all free of charge.

It might be worth trying a one-off session to begin with – just to get things off the ground. Advertise it for fathers, father figures and their children, and tell the people who go to weekday parent and toddler groups in your area about it. Finally, get the grill going to fuel a steady supply of bacon/breakfast butties!

You can register your group via the website and details of it will appear in the Who Let The Dads Out? directory. Families regularly find their way to groups after finding details online, so registration is important.   

For further guidance please visit; Run a group - Care for the Family

Two of the main challenges groups have reported experiencing are finding volunteers and getting dads to come for the first time. 

Finding volunteers can be tricky. Perhaps different organisations could work in partnership to run a group in your area, for example a particularly effective Who Let The Dads Out? group was run in a school for many years by a partnership between a church and the pre-school nursery. If possible, identify some dads from the community who will not only come to the group with their children but will volunteer as team members too. This can be very affirming for those dads, and they will naturally publicise the group to their friends and family. 

Some groups get off to a flying start and are popular from the beginning. For others it is more of a slow burn as the group gets known in the community and trust in it grows. You could try advertising it in local social media groups targeted at families. This was particularly effective in Chester in a Facebook group called ‘New Mums of Chester’. The mums read about Who Let The Dads Out? and told the dads of their children. At one session ten new dads came, all of them because their wives, partners or ex-partners had seen it in the Facebook group. 

Medical centres, health visitors, barber shops, fostering and adoption support groups and schools and nurseries have all proved good places to advertise too.

We should not underestimate the impact of a two-hour social/support gathering once a month. Short interventions can have long term impacts. A Who Let The Dads Out? group can:

• Deepen a man’s identity as a father
• Increase his sense of worth and wellbeing
• Give him access to a social support network, in other words give him the opportunity to make friends
• Create memories of a shared experience between him and his children
• Strengthen his relationship with his children
• Positively affect wider family dynamics

For a brief overview of research on fatherhood click here.

Once you have decided you want to set up a Who Let The Dads Out? group, you will need to consider:

• Who will be responsible for the group – a single organisation or a group working together?
• Where the group will be held.
• How often the group will meet, which day and what time.
• What age group of children and their fathers the group will target.
• What resources are needed – toys, games, craft materials, kitchen equipment.
• What refreshments will be provided.
• Who will make up the team.
• How it will be advertised.
• What you hope to achieve and how it will be measured.

Recommendations for Councils

• Provide or subsidise venues in Family Hubs, libraries or schools.
• Promote the group through Family Hubs, early help, health visiting and perinatal mental health pathways.
• Support inclusive practice (accessibility, safeguarding, and links to parenting support).
• Co-fund equipment (toys, craft materials, kitchen essentials) and evaluation.
• Broker partnerships between community organisations (e.g. churches) and education/early years settings.

For further information email [email protected]