We heard about how the new Movie – Men’s Group, sees a few relative strangers come together, develop respect, become mates, care for each other and explore many of ‘those unspoken things’, as they struggled to communicate their feelings.
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After three weeks of somewhat disrupted service, Christchurch Father & Child Trust have found a new father support worker. Fathers dropping in at the Trust’s Hereford Street premises had found themselves facing closed doors during late March and early April more than we would have liked, as coordinator Harald Breiding-Buss and administrator Janet Albertson struggled under the added workload. (more…)

Christchurch Father & Child support worker Jonathan Young said that he knows of ‘a lot of 15 and 16-year-old parents that are a hell of a lot better than 40-year old parents’ in today’s Press, which features one of Father & Child’s supported teen dads, Jordan Cairns, on the cover. Jordan himself said he had ‘no regrets’ about becoming a dad so young. (more…)

New Zealand has internationally high rates of children attending childcare or pre-school education facilities. According to a new UNICEF report card from the Innocenti Research Centre 32% of 0-3 year old New Zealand children are enrolled in childcare, compared to an OECD average of 24%. (more…)

University of Auckland researchers from the Department of Psychology are conducting a study on attitudes towards genetic testing for unborn babies.
“This research is important as understanding how people feel about whether or not to undertake prenatal genetic testing is crucial in order to assist them through the process. Data collected through this research will provide key information for developing informational materials that can assist individuals in making these important decisions”, says researcher Cecile Muller. Cecile is keen to get a significant number of men into the study as she believes that they are ‘too often understudied’.
The research consists of a short internet-based survey. If you want to participate send a blank email to prenatal@auckland.ac.nz and you will get a reply with the details and a link to the online survey.

The Lottery Grants Board declined an application by Father & Child Trust and Canterbury University researcher Jeffrey Gage for funding to conduct research on single custodial fathers with small children.
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Kids have trumped their parents by showing that they actually like fruit and vegetables. Plus they understand the importance of eating them better than their parents do.

Research by Colmar-Brunton shows 93% of children understand that 5+ a day means to eat five or more servings of fruit or veges every day, yet only 68% of parents understand this message.

And while children eat fruit and veges mainly because their parents tell them to (75%), they also eat them for their taste and health benefits more than their parents do.

Responding to a question that allowed multiple answers, 68% of children said they ate fruit and veges to keep their bodies healthy (parents also 68%), 65% said they ate them because they liked the taste (parents 31%) and 57% said they ate them because they were good for them in general (parents 42%).

In a healthy hat-trick, more children also wanted fruit instead of less healthy snacks than parents realised.

When asked what they would prefer as snacks, 33% of children chose fruit over biscuits, chippies, chocolate or veges.

Only 29% of parents thought their children would choose fruit.

New Zealand has 24,000 solo dads with dependent children, most of them in paid employment and typically plugging away without any direct support.

How they became solo dads, whether they or their children need anything or if there is useful information to help them is not known.

Another funding body has declined Father & Child’s latest application for help to research solo fathers in NZ. This initiative has also been unsuccessful in two other funding requests.

The study aims to assess the present situation of full-time solo fathers with dependent children under eight, perceived needs for themselves and their children, effectiveness of family service agencies in reaching them, and what support initiatives may be acceptable to them.

Father & Child’s last research initiative, the teenage fathers project, was funded by an international agency for Early Childhood Development, the Hague-based Bernard van Leer Foundation, after all local requests for funding assistance came to nothing.

This time last year was our ‘Coming Out’ so this week, we are very pleased to be moving in to the Onehunga Community Center, 83 Church St, next to the Library.

Having held our meetings there and helped host the Monday Jingle and Jive sessions for toddlers, we can tell this is a fantastic center with many great people.

Jenny McKay has been most helpful in forming our group plus the local Parents Center, other support groups and counselors use the facilities.

Since we have had our office in Christchurch, many dads have been able to visit and deal with us during office hours, plus we can easily deal with other agencies.

Fathers can pop in and maintain the relationships, as their children grow, sharing news and support.

Auckland dads are invited to a fathers PlayDad StoryTime.

The event is 10 am on Sat 21st Feb at Epsom Community Library, 195 Manukau Rd, but please be early if you’d like a park!

This very special half hour for toddlers will include ‘active movement’ and is the first of what is hoped to be a regular event – at least once a month if attendance demands.

Presented by David Tucker these sessions are based on the successful positive movement groups, part of a SPARC initiative well received at many Auckland libraries recently.

Father and Child Trust helps host similar dad-friendly toddler ‘Jingle and Jive’ sessions on Mondays in Onehunga.

Designed for 0-2 year olds, but suitable for all toddlers, they encourage bonding and movement learning as well as memory and 3D development, through music and fun.

Service Leader Anna enthuses, “The children who come back to the library rush up to David and tell him about something they remembered.

A few of them are obviously not used to seeing a guy or hearing him read stories. They stare a lot, at first, and may take a while to get used to his voice. He had to do a lion’s roar yesterday and all the little boys loved it, they kept roaring around the library afterwards.

Several other Auckland libraries are intending to be there on the day, taking notes and hopefully scheduling similar events citywide.