Ben’s story

Ben was a young father with ADHD who had been described by professionals as aggressive. Trying to engage with him was very challenging as he’d had negative and problematic experiences with statutory services during his own childhood.

The referring Male Engagement Worker and the Caring Dads Coordinator very early on agreed a way of working to ensure Ben felt supported throughout the process, which included him having advocates in his meetings to ensure communication barriers are kept to a minimum and stereotypes are challenged on both sides.

During the programme, Ben was able to increase his contact with his daughter; his recent parenting assessment has been extremely positive. He engages well every week and reflects on his own actions regularly in sessions, always looking for new ways to approach situations. His transparency and ability to be honest about how he feels has grown over the duration of the programme and he shares the highs and lows with the group each week, supporting them through their own challenges.

He has been invited to support Caring Dads as a peer mentor once he has completed the programme.