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Contact a Family

Contact a Family is a national organisation that provides support, advice and information for families with disabled children. They've just launched a new Dads Zone for ‘out of loop’ fathers
with disabled children.

We hear how two fathers have coped with their disabled children and how Dads Zone can help them.

Whether it’s drooling over the latest sports car or checking out the football results, we all know that Dads love surfing the internet – and Dads with disabled children are no different! That’s why national charity, Contact a Family, has launched Dads Zone, an area of its website dedicated entirely to Dads, which includes a new facility for Dads to contact each other on-line, plus other information on CD, tape and as a factsheet.

The charity, which provides advice, information and support to all families with disabled children, says there is a pressing need for information targeted exclusively at Dads.

“Because medical or other appointments often happen when Dads are at work, Dads can feel that they’re out of the loop,” explained Jill Harrison, Contact a Family’s Director of External Affairs. “And because services – toddler groups, or drop-ins at the surgery – usually cater mainly for Mums, Dads who care for their children at home don’t fare much better.”

Written entirely from a father’s point of view, Dads Zone provides information that’s specific to Dads, and highlights how Dads can use existing services in a way that suits them. For instance, Dads can dismiss support groups as talking shops for Mums, but one set of Dads started a football team for children in their group, and as a result made valuable friends who had ‘been there too.’







For Rob Leonard, whose son Matthew is severely brain damaged, getting direct information from the medical profession was the issue.

“They seemed to find talking to me inhibiting, and preferred to talk directly to my wife,” he said. On the other hand, Rob found Contact a Family’s employment rights information invaluable in negotiating to work part time.

As well as information on support groups, and the ability to get directly in touch with other Dads through the new Making Contact facility on website, Dads Zone has information on fathers’ rights, employment rights, benefits and money matters, relationships and family life. And while the web based material can be accessed at any time of the day or night, the tapes and CDs are ideal for Dads who don’t like detailed written information, perhaps because English is their second language, or because they have limited literacy skills.

Many Dads with disabled children have had problems finding things out. Andrew Caan, who now cares full time for his son Pierre, who has the rare bone condition Ollier’s disease, remembers how hard it was to find out about local playgroups.

When at last he did track one down, it comprised “mothers sitting in a circle – excluding newcomers, especially male ones!” Eventually a Dads group was set up in Andrew’s area, and he is starting a new Ollier’s support group.




Dads can visit Dads Zone at www.cafamily.org.uk/dads.html, or can contact the charity’s helpline on 0808 808 3555, email helpline@cafamily.org.uk, for a free copy of the factsheet on CD, tape or paper. Andrew Caan is starting a new Ollier’s support group and can also be contacted via the helpline.