Safe with dad

An examination of four significant mental health programs for very young children, which have protocols for the inclusion of fathers who have used violence; and implications for Australian practice.

Babies and very young children learn to feel safe through their relationships with caring adults. When their caring adults have been frightening or frightened, children may need extra help to learn to feel safe. A key way to deliver this help is by targeting children’s caring relationships. It can however be difficult to work out how to help children relate to an adult who is both caring and yet was also frightening. This paper considers some programs that have found a way to work safely with children and their fathers who have used violence. Learnings are discussed within an Australian context.

Free download available:

Safe with dad - 32 page PDF file

Printed version

Related resources

Together

A resources developed by Berry Street’s Turtle Program, designed to support children and mothers after family violence, providing them with the opportunity to read together as they heal from trauma.

Choosing Positive Paths

Resource pack available to buy in hard copy or download for free, Choosing Positive Paths is a series of fact sheets to help mothers, other protective parents and/or carers, respond to children affected by family violence at different ages and sta

Attune DVD Resource

A DVD video resource focusing on the impact of family violence on the mother, the child and their relationship.

Helping boys to break the cycle of family violence

Literature review focusing on research about programs for boys between the ages of 8 and 18, with emphasis on group work approaches.