Features:

Absent by law. Separated fathers have formed groups all over New Zealand to fight what they think is an unjust Family Court system. Mark Stephenson  takes a look at both sides of the argument.

. Times up for time out: Does "time out" as a form of punishment send all the wrong messages to kids ?  Mark Nixon and Megan Reynolds research the topic.

Understanding Men - The Book: Phil Bradbury has written a new book. Take a sneak preview on page 8.

International Fatherhood Summit: Our very own Harald Breiding-Buss was there, and reports from this week long conference held in Oxford UK. 

Sick kids ! Pat Albertson  takes a humourous look at one of the more unpleasant aspects of parenthood.

I have kids:  Paul Yeoman talks about the skills he has acquired just by being a parent.  

In Brief:

20 Countries at Fatherhood Summit

40 delegates from 20 countries from six continents attended an invitation-only International Fatherhood Summit in Oxford (UK) in late March.
For a week the delegates discussed practical work, policy, research and areas of international concern around fatherhood.
The event was organised by UK group Fathers Direct and fully sponsored by the Bernard van Leer Foundation. The Foundation is a major international funder of early childhood development initiatives.
For a full week delegates debated international concerns that impact on fatherhood, including HIV/AIDS, men’s limited access to health services, a narrow focus of international development and health campaigns on women only, domestic violence, and legal definitions of paternity.
New Zealand was represented by Father & Child Trust coordinator Harald Breiding-Buss and Auckland independent father advocate Warwick Pudney. “It was hard work, full-on, day after day”, says Harald. “You were constantly asked to hammer out documents, produce displays or performances, and sometimes you went to your room with homework for the next day. But at the end of the day you felt you achieved something.”
One aim of the meeting was to produce a comprehensive document for UN consideration when it is planning the 2004 Year of the Family. After extensive discussions, preliminary results of the conference were presented to a panel of UNICEF, government and funding consultants.
Full Report

Families Commission To Be Up And Running In July
The coordinating group for the proposed Families Commission, to be situated with the Ministry of Social Development, has finished its preliminary consultations and is asking for submissions.
The Commission’s primary role in envisaged to be advocacy, as families do not have a voice in the political process at the moment. Commissioning research is another important function.
Some of the consulted stakeholders believed the Commission should have a veto over proposed legislation that is not family-friendly. Other feedback included the need to consult with families at the grassroots, not just through Social and Community Agencies.
According to current plans the Commission will initially be focused mainly on parenting issues. Services for fathers are specifically mentioned in its consultation summary, as are new parents and the Family Court.

5 Groups Launch “Parenting Council”

Social Service and Employment Minister Steve Maharey launched the “Parenting Council” at the Beehive in March this year, which was initiated by representatives of five community organisations.

The council consists of Christian-Traditional author and “Parenting with Confidence” founder Ian Grant, Parent Centre representative Sharon Cole, Steve Haynes from “Positive Parenting Programme” , Shirley Wass from Special Needs group “Parent-to-Parent”, and Lesley Max, CEO of the Pacific Foundation.

Father&Child Wellington correspondent Mark Stephenson was disappointed that the only mention of fathers was made by Steve Maharey in the context of failure to pay Child Support. “He was [also] against taking a moralising stance which could alienate parents who did not fit into the traditional nuclear family model, because of ethnicity, family position (e.g. grandparents), or separation. When I asked him how this sat with his United Party coalition partners, he laughed”