Professionals’ Toolkit

A practical guide for support services working with dads and families, the aim of the toolkit is to improve:

  1. Opportunities for dads to access support services

  2. Support services’ approach to working with dads.

Our toolkit is based on research and consultations with dads, mums/partners, families and support services around Australia.

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What’s in the toolkit?

The Professionals’ Toolkit consists of seven elements and provides services with practical support and strategies focused on the following:

  1. Think about dads
  2. Promote to dads
  3. Engage with dads
  4. Work with dads
  5. Motivate dads
  6. Grow a professionals’ network
  7. Learn more about working with dads.

We encourage professionals to explore all seven elements and use them to reflect on their program or service and the interaction they have with dads and families.

Read more below…

elements of the toolkit in a cycle - think, promote, engage, work with dads, motivate, grow, learn more

Element 1 – Think about dads

Thinking about dads is the first step towards doing inclusive and positive work with dads and their families.

We list the reasons why you should include dads and how dads can have positive impacts on their family.

Element 2 – Promote to dads

When dads make contact with a service, there is a greater need to make them feel included and welcome.

Our checklist includes ideas and tips for marketing, language and meetings with dads.

Element 3 – Engage with dads

Dads are not regularly accessing support services, and support services are not used to engaging dads.

Our checklist helps support services to make the most of the work with dads and their families.

Element 4 – Work with dads

We’ve developed a set of guidelines to help support services prepare and deliver their programs to dads in more effective ways.

Element 5 – Motivate dads

Encouraging dads to view fatherhood as “raising the next generation”.

We provide steps to help workers describe dads in positive ways.

Element 6 – Grow a professionals’ network

We discovered that one of the major gaps is the sharing of knowledge and practice between services.

We’ve provided a template for services to start up their own “Working with Dads” network in their local area.

Element 7 – Learn more about working with dads

We are encouraging support services to continue to improve the ways they engage and work with dads.

No one piece of information provides the best way to work with dads and families.

We’ve put together a brief list of existing frameworks and toolkits that might be useful.