NEYDL-Annual-Rep-2023.indd

‘You were the only one that I could ask for help and you were always there for me.’ (Young Dad) 14 North East Young Lads & Dads | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 DAD2DAD PEER SUPPORT YEAR 1 INDEPENDENT EVALUATION By Dr Linzi Ladlow & Professor Anna Tarrant Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, the Dad2Dad Peer Support project began in May 2022. In May 2023, we submitted an interim report evaluating the first year of the programme. Dad2Dad Peer Support provides direct and intensive 1:1 support and peer supported group work opportunities for young fathers and expectant fathers living in the regions of Tyne and Wear and Teesside. Led by two ‘Peer Enablers’, Will and Andy, Dad2Dad sets out to reach and support disadvantaged young men in these areas, including young fathers who fall outside the threshold of ‘teenage fatherhood’ or who live in geographic areas of greatest need. NEYDL remains the only dedicated service provision for young fathers in the region.  We conducted in-depth qualitative longitudinal interviews with two young fathers and four support workers to evaluate whether the programme was meeting it’s 5 key objectives: 1. Helping young dads to recognise their potential and establish positive support networks.   2. Improving parenting skills and relationships leading to safer and more resilient families.    3. Addressing social, health and financial issues to break the cycle of poverty and overcome inequalities.   4. Enabling dads to attend and navigate complex and stressful private family court and child protection proceedings, leading to safer families and more stable child contact arrangements for dads and their children.   5. Providing practical support to develop employability skills.   Against the 5 key objectives, we found that Dad2Dad Peer Support is successfully meeting its outcomes. The passion and skillset of the support workers, alongside the resources available to them, has enabled Dad2Dad Peer Support to establish itself as an essential support service for young fathers that has adapted well to new local conditions.    The provision provides proactive and reactive support, responding directly and immediately to the varied needs of the young fathers who attend each week, as well as proactively building on long-term goals. Dad2Dad is having a significant and meaningful impact on the young men and their families with reported improvements in parenting skills, relationships, confidence and social networks. Young men have also received more holistic support around their finances, preparing for or gaining employment, and moving to better housing. Dad2Dad Peer Support effectively utilises the strengths of the Peer-Support workers and the available resources in each location, creating tangible investments in these young men and their employability. From the interviews, one story was particularly striking. Andy supported a young father, his partner and their daughter, to move from unsuitable accommodation to a new home. Andy was with them every step of the way, supporting their application to the Housing Association, helping them access a charity that provides furniture and white goods, and using the NEYDL crisis fund to hire a moving van. Andy even drove the van himself! The support Andy provided to help this family move house is a powerful example of the life changing impact Dad2Dad Peer Support has had on this young man and family:   When the mum of that family, when she moved house, she got a job within a week, and you could just see how much she’d grown.  And, you know, she was going out to work and then dad was looking after the baby.  You know, the house, there was a park at the end of the road, and it was just great, like he’d show me his photographs on his phone of baby going down the slide or on the swings and stuff like that.  I’ve seen them grow personally over the past few months, which wouldn’t have been possible without this work (Andy). Our interim report shows that the project is on a strong trajectory. The service provided by NEYDL through the extended Dad2Dad Peer Support offer is an example of best practice in working with marginalised young fathers in the UK. Being a father is at the heart of service provision and the focus on fatherhood is a motivational factor for young fathers in overcoming challenges and meeting their aspirations. This service has potential to be developed further, by extending provision to more young fathers across the region.   ‘It (NEYDL) gets me out of the house and doing stuff…Sometimes I bring (named daughter) and (named partner) as well, if she’s not working. I like meeting new people. Playing football. Talking to the other lads about what it’s like for them and what they do, and I tell them about me.’ (Young Dad)