Roger Olley's blog

I was in Leeds last week delivering a seminar to students who are in their last year of university training to be teachers. Their lecturer Carol Potter, has developed an eight week module in their course which focuses on the importance of including fathers and men in their practice.

It has been a busy month since I ‘retired’ from my role of Head of Service for Fathers Plus and I have come across some interesting people, practices and information.

In February I was the morning keynote speaker at the Pre School Learning Alliance conference ‘Fathers Matter – valuing and developing a father friendly approach’. About 80 people attended and I was very impressed by the ‘can do’ attitude the delegates had. There is some very interesting work taking place in Luton, particularly on the issue of engaging fathers and male carers from diverse ethnic groups onto parenting programmes. If you would like to know more about this the person to contact is Shahan Miah.

On the 27th January we held the Fathers Plus conference Involving Men in Children's Learning: Evidence from Successful Practice at the Radisson Hotel in Durham. Over 100 people attended and engaged in a day of lively debate, sharing of learning and making new connexions and contacts. It was interesting that a few months before we held this conference the DCSF sent out a request, through various websites and organisations, for information about any ‘good practice’ that was happening on the topic of including men in children’s learning.

The news that from 2011 children will be taught from the age of five how to prevent violent relationships as part of a new government strategy is welcome news.

The primary prevention of domestic violence is an issue that has long been neglected and this has been a disservice to the women and men who have had the devastating experience of violence in their lives.