News & Events 
7 July 2011 - The Dads for Life movement, in collaboration with the Social Service Training Institute, the training academy of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), organised a first-ever conference for social service practitioners focused on fathers. The event, Working with Fathers – Engagement and Intervention that Works, was held at the Orchard Hotel and was attended by more than 350 practitioners.
Major-General (MG) (NS) Chan Chun Sing, Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), was the Guest of Honour. In his opening address, MG (NS) Chan acknowledged the challenges fathers faced. Said MG (NS) Chan, “Fatherhood is a marathon, rather than a sprint. We want to survive the long haul, but we must also make sure to take in the sights, refuel and recharge when we need to, and register the lessons we have learnt along the way. It will be challenging, but the burden can be lightened when we forge strategic partnerships that leverage each of our strengths and expertise”.
Mr Richard Seow, Chairman of the Fathers Action Network then presented MG (NS) Chan with the newly launched handbook for practitioners, Working with Fathers: Engagement and Intervention that Works. Mr Seow highlighted that this handbook will empower social service practitioners with knowledge and localised examples to better engage fathers and father figures in the course of their work.
The conference's first keynote speaker was Ms Adrienne Burgess, Head of Research at the Fatherhood Institute (UK). Ms Burgess rallied the practitioners to ensure that they consciously engaged fathers rather than just mothers. Said Ms Burgess, “The dominant cultural prescription is that mothers matter and fathers are an optional extra.” She urged practitioners to break away from this mental model and be more sensitive to parental relationships. She also highlighted the importance of developing policy and inspection frameworks that will ensure that father involvement is expected rather than optional.
Mr W.C. Hoecke, Director of Family Information and Education, Family Connection (US), delivered the conference's closing keynote, drawing on his personal experiences of raising children with special needs. He outlined the value of a father figure in raising a child. He also offered suggestions of how practitioners can be more father-inclusive and increase their sense of competence, including using terminologies such as Fathers Network instead of Fathers Support Group.
The conference included two plenary sessions with presenters from the MCYS, Centre for Family Harmony, the National Institute of Education and a parenting coach. The audience engaged the keynote and plenary speakers in a lively discussion following the presentations. Some key concerns raised included methods of proactively preparing fathers for parenthood and engaging non-residential fathers.
Ms Burgess reiterated that the attitudes of the practitioners were paramount. Said Ms Burgess, “[Practitioners] need an absolute belief that the father needs to be involved. Too often, fathers are seen as auxiliary figures and are excluded or face obstacles in engaging their child.” Mr Karam Singh, speaking in the second plenary, reiterated this point, urging practitioners to step out of their comfort zone and go the extra mile in engaging fathers.
The inaugural conference and the handbook for practitioners is a step in the right direction in building a father-friendly social service sector.
About the Author: The Dads for Life Resource Team comprises local content writers and experts, including psychologists, counsellors, educators and social service professionals, dedicated to developing useful resources for dads.
