Dads Advocates

So Dads Advocates C.I.C. Is now 18 months old and is growing by

the day.

We now help separated Dads retain meaningful relationships with their children after separation in many different countries outside of the UK (even though UK is our home and always will be)

One of the biggest challenges Dads have is when they are told to see their children inside a contact centre for a few weeks. Many Dads see this in a negative light, I, on the other hand, see it as a positive. Many Dads have lost their connection with their children when contact breaks down following a separation, and many face false allegations and are told they are a bad/deadbeat Dad.

So being in a contact centre for a few sessions and not only having some support in reconnecting with their child, but it also has someone on your side to say that they don’t see any of the worries in the Dads capabilities or see that the Dad is this evil person they are made out to be is only a good thing.

Another issue is that many local contact centres have a long waiting list or they are only open for a couple of hours each month, so it’s impossible to get into one unless you travel. For example, I worked with a Dad in Lincoln, and they could only get into a contact centre in Peterborough or go onto a 4-month waiting list.

Also, because the centres (through no fault of their own) has a negative feel and an unappealing feel to them, then Dads are very reluctant to go to them, even if it is the start of a beautiful relationship with their children.

So Dads Advocates is opening our first contact centre in Newark as I know first-hand how daunting they can be and how rubbish they can make you feel then the plan is to bring new life to the situation. It won’t be a normal feel to a poor situation.

This is designed to make the best memories and make you feel happy you have been their. We are going to try and change things up.

For example, we will have the normal things to do like play with toys and read stories to your child, but we are also going to have game consoles so you can play Xbox with the teens, we are going to have a kitchen so you can make food together like homemade pizzas for example (and who doesn’t like pizza), we will have outdoor space to have a kick about or play catch, or how about some arts and crafts..

It’s going to feel as natural as can be, and somewhere you can loom back and think, “I’m glad I went there”. It’s not going to be called a ‘contact centre’, it’s going to be called ‘Newark Family Village’ as we all know ‘it takes a village to raise a family.’… we are there to support everyone and not make them feel any less of a parent.

As we are not for profit, then obviously, it’s not going to be easy to set it up, so we would love some help in getting some bits to get started. If anyone can help with donations or point us in the right direction for some good deals, then that would be amazing. www.dadsadvocates.com