The Fatherhood Institute (www.fatherhoodinstitute.org) is the world’s leading independent ‘think tank’ on fatherhood. We support both mothers and fathers as earners and carers. Our mission is A GREAT DAD FOR EVERY CHILD.

We work closely with government to shape national and local policies that impact on fathers and their families. We collate and publish international research on fathers, fatherhood and different approaches to engaging with fathers and injects relevant research evidence into national debates.

We train health, education and family service workers in the UK and abroad to engage more productively with fathers, and we work with fathers (and mothers) in corporate contexts.

Who are our seminars for?

The Institute’s workplace seminars (60-90 minutes) are all suitable for fathers or mothers, or for mothers and fathers together – and for managers and employers to attend. Webinars are another possibility.

Our highly effective trainers can address a wide range of parenting and fatherhood-related issues, via the range of seminars we list below – or through a bespoke programme tailored to your specific needs.

Scroll down for research evidence that clarifies why supporting men in your workforce to be actively involved fathers could be good for your business.

Our range of seminars

21st Century Fatherhood

How fathers’ roles are changing and how to make the most of this.

The practice and nature of fatherhood is changing rapidly all over the world. Family life is evolving in response to economic, social and political changes. Today’s fathers aspire to be, and are, highly involved in hands-on care of babies and young children. This seminar explores myths and facts about modern fatherhood, examines why fathers’ changing roles matter to us all and addresses ways in which the care of infants and children changes men’s, as well as women’s, physiology. Other topics covered include fathers’ impact on children, co-parenting and supporting the other parent, looking to the ‘long term’ and developing synergy between family and work.

Raising Clever Children: The difference a dad makes

Fathers’ close connection with their babies from immediately after birth pays off big time. Babies with highly involved fathers are achieving better than their peers on their first birthdays and show higher IQs. The IQ-effect is found right through childhood to age 11, with a close father-child connection at age 7 also linked to better exam performance at age 16, as well as to less involvement in criminality and drug use. So what makes the difference? Helping with homework? Having fun? Reading to children? ‘Rough-housing? Involvement with the school? And is the ‘father-effect’ as strong when dads are primary carers or live apart from their children? This session examines such topics in order to help busy fathers and mothers identify simple strategies to maximise fathers’ contributions to raising clever, and happy, children.

Fathering in the Fast Lane: balancing bonding with breadwinning

Some of the world’s busiest and most high achieving fathers manage to be both good dads and good at their jobs. In fact, some industry leaders have particularly close relationships with their children.   How do they achieve this? This practical session examines such issues as:   how little time with children is time enough?   understanding what children really need; building quality relationships with children, rather than focusing on ‘quality time’; ‘fly-in-fly-out’ fathering – how to manage distance and return; and using paternity/parental leave, flexible working and home working without career-sabotage.

Mommy Dearest: Avoiding the mummy-default

Research shows that a ‘cohesive’ family, where both parents value each other, operate as a team and are similarly valued by and confident in the care of their child, is the best ‘family climate’ for raising children. Mothers who take on most of the parenting and comfort themselves with the idea that ‘at least I get things done my way’ often also feel unsupported and angry. While no mother can ‘make’ her partner into an involved and sensitive father mothers’ aspirations for the men’s involvement are actually more influential than those of the men themselves. So why do so many mothers feel overburdened and so many dads feel left out? And how can this pattern be broken? This seminar explores ideas relating to mothers-as-gatekeepers and mothers-as-conduits to fathers’ involvement, addresses issues of male/female parenting (similar? different?), and explores the strategies adopted by cohesive families to validate and support all family members in the care and upbringing of children.

Raising Happy Babies

New parenthood is a time of momentous change for both men and women and a challenging time for their relationship: on average, new parents argue eight times more frequently than they did before the birth. But it doesn’t have to be this way. This seminar draws on contributions from ‘veteran’ fathers and mothers and other experts to help individuals and couples negotiate the transition to parenthood smoothly. Topics covered include , father’s vital role at the birth, planning for (and making the most of) paternity and parental leave, ‘arguing better’, ‘team parenting’, managing sleep and crying, and optimising early bonding and infants’ brain development.

Mums and Dads Forever

Almost half of children born today will see their parents separate by their 16th birthday, and high numbers of fathers do not reside with their children full time. Yet many maintain close relationships with them. This practical seminar explores strategies and techniques for both fathers and mothers to develop and maintain strong relationships with their children before and after separation, and to negotiate co-parenting across households – even where one parent presents as reluctant.

Making Memories: How do you want your child to remember you?

Family rituals are important. Repeated interactions, formal and informal, endure in the conscious and unconscious, mind. Such rituals can include ‘special’ family breakfasts, repeated outings to favourite places, or simple interactions, such as a father or mother regularly setting aside time to listen so their child will talk. Imprisoned fathers can write to their children on the same day every week, so the ‘ritual’ or the Saturday-letter, for instance, is more likely to occur. Separated dads can call every night at the same time. Travelling fathers can set their clocks and use FaceTime to read a special bedtime story. Establishing and adapting such rituals to meet the needs of the developing child, can foster family cohesion and children’s sense of security. Through exploration of such ideas, many contributed ‘on the spot’ by participants, this seminar explores our own vision of ourselves as parents, and seeks to match this with what our children need.

About our trainers

Dr Mark Osborn

Mark has worked for the Fatherhood Institute since 2009. He has many years’ experience as a manager working in large organisations and training individuals and teams in the private, public and voluntary sectors. Trained in clinical leadership, he has developed special expertise in supporting individuals and organisations through institutional, cultural and personal change. Fathers were his PhD topic, and he has worked individually and in groups with many dads, from the most to the least advantaged, while also presenting widely on fatherhood at regional, national and international conferences. A recent (corporate) client described his style when working with fathers as “warm, clear, knowledgeable and passionate”. Mark has two teenage children both of whom are a source of joy to him and throughout their childhoods has managed a pattern of work life balance appropriate to their needs, ages and developmental stages.

Cassius Campbell

Cassius has worked as a consultant with the Fatherhood Institute for more than a decade. He is an experienced therapist (BACP accredited) and psychoanalytic consultant (D10) with extensive experience of management and clinical supervision and has particular expertise in facilitating groups and training teams. Cassius specialises in addressing equality and diversity issues, couple relationships and fatherhood. His training delivery is consistently highly evaluated, and his ability to reflect on and analyse emotional and developmental processes has been shown to have significant positive impact on individuals and on organisational functioning. Cassius has four sons.

Dr Jeremy Davies

Jeremy has been the Fatherhood Institute’s head of communications since 2006. His role involves everything from curating websites and writing policy briefings and research summaries to producing online learning resources, practitioner toolkits and parenting materials, and talking to TV, radio and print journalists. A journalist for the last 25 years, he studied gay dads for his PhD, and continues to stay on top of the evidence on fathers and fatherhood in his current role. He has been working with Adrienne Burgess (see below) on the Nuffield Foundation project Contemporary Fathers in the UK: what do we know? Jeremy has a teenage son.

Kathy Jones

Kathy is Joint CEO and Head of Training at the Fatherhood Institute, where she has worked since 2003. She is a psychoanalytically trained therapist and organisational consultant as well as trainer, coach and fatherhood expert. She has extensive experience of developing and delivering a range of processes within organisations including systems change strategies, training and supervision of clinical practice. During her time at the Fatherhood Institute, Kathy has trained many hundreds of teams and individuals in the UK and Europe and addressed conferences at home and abroad. Kathy and her husband have four sons between them who range in age from eight to twenty-eight.

Charlie Rice

Charlie has a vast experience of childcare and related issues, including as a social worker in south London and as Director of Children’s Workforce Development with the National Childminding Association (NCMA), where he managed a budget in excess of £11M and was responsible for Human Resource management across a large staff team. Since joining the Fatherhood Institute in 2008, Charlie has piloted and delivered Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED), a well-evaluated home-based fathers’ reading programme imported from the US and, in both corporate and public sector settings, has delivered Hit the Ground Crawling (HTGC) a ground breaking antenatal training programme for expectant fathers. Within the corporate sector Charlie has also delivered ‘Staying Connected’ a strengths-based programme for groups of separated fathers. Charlie has two daughters and four grandchildren.

Adrienne Burgess

Adrienne, Joint CEO and Head of Research at the Fatherhood Institute, has written widely on fatherhood and on couple relationships. Her book Fatherhood Reclaimed: the making of the modern father (Vermilion, 1997) helped set a new agenda on fatherhood in the UK, and has been published throughout the world. Adrienne trains and speaks on fatherhood in both the public and private sectors, recently in London and Edinburgh, India, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. She also contributes articles to peer reviewed journals (most recently to the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry as a co-author with leading academics at Yale University) and is directing a major research project funded by the Nuffield Foundation: Contemporary Fathers in the UK: what do we know? Adrienne has three daughters.

Why care about working fathers?

• Over 80% of working men in the UK are parents (Connolly et al, 2013)
• Fathers experience even more work/family stress than mothers (Families & Work Institute, 2011), with 82% of UK fathers wanting to spend more time with their family (Scott & Cleary, 2013),
• Almost a third[1] say the demands of family life interfere with work
• High work/family conflict among men has a negative impact on occupational wellbeing and is found more commonly among better-educated fathers (Mauno & Kinnunen, 1998)
• 26% of UK men in paid employment have changed their work (or employer) to look after someone (mainly children) (British Social Attitudes, 2002)
• Fathers with access to flexible working have better physical and mental health, are more committed to their employer, conduct better relationships at work c, are better motivated, and perform better, and are less often absent from work (Lancaster University Management School, 2011)
• Paternity leave is one of the two ‘family friendly’ benefits most consistently related to above-average financial performance; and one of four most consistently related to above-average labour productivity performance (Dex & Smith, 2002).

[1] Certainly a substantial underestimate, since research shows that both male and female workers are reluctant to admit to the degree to which family issues compromise their work performance.

Book now or find out more

Contact our National Practice Development Manager, Jeszemma Garratt, on 07917 864 130 or via j.garratt@fatherhoodinstitute.org.