• Cranbourne News

13th March 2008 02:05:55 AM

From left, guest presenter at the Engaging Fathers Conference Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Community Child Health Dr Tim Moore, City of Casey manager youth and family services Lee McIntosh, guest presenter and founder and former CEO of Men’s Line Terry Melvin, and City of Casey’s Dads Matter project officer Graham Rankin.

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MORE than 120 practitioners from all over Victoria attended the first City of Casey Engaging Fathers Conference in Cranbourne.

The conference aimed to increase practitioners’ knowledge of providing father-inclusive services and facilities.

City of Casey mayor Janet Halsall said that initially the invitation was sent to practitioners based in Cranbourne, but soon expanded to a much broader audience.

“Engaging fathers is a hot topic, so word spread fast about the innovative and essential nature of this conference, and before long practitioners from a variety of backgrounds such as psychologists, family services providers, maternal and child health staff, social workers, Centrelink and Anglicare staff, and members of Cardinia Casey Community Health had registered,” Cr Halsall said.

The conference focused on what ‘father-friendly’ meant, the barriers to engaging with dads, ways to improve engagement, and why ‘dads matter’.

“The City of Casey is one of the only Victorian councils which employs a Dads Matter project worker to explore and deal with this important area,” Cr Halsall said.

The Dads Matter project is funded through the Federal Government’s Communities for Children initiative and is a partnership with Windermere Child and Family Services.

The conference included guests speakers Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Community Child Health Dr Tim Moore, founder and former CEO of Men’s Line Terry Melvin, and City of Casey Dads Matter project officer Graham Rankin.

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