After the 2021 Western Australian state election commitment by the McGowan government, which expressed the intent to fund the initiative, the Stronger Families Foundation has commenced providing the Caring Dads program in the Peel region.
Caring Dads is a 17-week evidence based group intervention designed to address the strong links between violence against women and violence against children, and to tackle both issues together.
Stronger Families chief Geoff Hart-Davies said Caring Dads starts with the focus on how violence in the home affects children and raises men's awareness about how disrespect towards the mother is also a form of violence against children.
"The Caring Dads Program is devoted to ensuring the safety and well being of some of the Peel community's most vulnerable children through working with fathers who have been abusive, neglectful or violent in their families, or who are deemed to be at high risk for these behaviours," Mr Hart-Davies said.
Stronger Families chair Paul Fitzpatrick said by offering Caring Dads, Stronger Families is committed to engaging with men in the Peel community to promote safe and responsible fatherhood through the provision of evidence-based group intervention programs.
"We are very grateful for the support of the WA State Government and look forward to realising our vision of a community in which families live free from the fear of family and domestic violence," Mr Fitzpatrick said.
Stronger Families is now taking referrals for Caring Dads - for more information, visit www.strongerfamilies.com.au.