Each month, we highlight a charity that is working to make our communities better. In honour of Father’s Day, this month we talked to Kensington-based Dads House, who aim to support single dads in the UK. Fathers who parent alone face much the same difficulties as mothers, yet they may not be perceived as needing help, for example with parenting guidance, time off work or flexible hours—a situation that can ultimately have a negative impact on their children. Dads House provides a range of services for single fathers to help them become better parents. We asked founder William McGranaghan—himself a single father—about his work.
Tell us about Dads House.
Dads House is an organisation I set up in 2007 to help single fathers in the practicalities of looking after children on their own. My son, Sam, and I were left by his mother, who went abroad when he was one year old. I immediately had to learn to care for Sam, and I took temporary and part-time work to be able to spend time with him and take him to school. It was not easy. Dads House is trying to make life a bit easier for other fathers who find themselves in this predicament; I want them to get the help I did not get.
We offer a range of activities, such as cooking classes, counselling, life coaching, five-a-side football for dads, family law information for both mums and dads, and a ‘buddy’ service where we meet dads for a coffee and discuss any issues they may have.
What are your funding sources?
Dads House has never been funded—we have been turned down so many times by Lottery and local authority funders. We are 100 percent voluntary led. Our volunteers bring their expertise and strengths to help us; without them we would never survive. Though we are a small organisation, we help over 600 dads a year.
What obstacles does your organisation face?
Lack of funding is the major obstacle. As so many organisations just follow funding streams to help parents, it is aimed at mums.
Also, there is a general feeling that single dads, as portrayed by the media, are feckless and absent, but in London alone there are over 20,000 single dads who are the main carers, and up to 200,000 single dads who have sole parenting responsibilities at any given time. And there is no support system in place to help dads at all.
What are the particular difficulties encountered by single fathers?
A lot of single dads are often suffering from depression and loneliness because of the lack of services available. When a dad needs support, there is a complete lack of understanding, information and guidance to help when they need help most.
Dads who are homeless, or are staying on a friend’s sofa, often have major difficulties in seeing their children, or with overnight stays, due to the fact that some places might not be ideal for the children, which is completely understandable.
Do you hold any fundraising events?
We took part in the London Legal Walk in May, and raised funds to offer a pro bono service to both dads and mums who need information and help with family law, because Legal Aid has been stopped. Apart from that, we don’t have the time or the volunteers to organise fundraisers.
How can people get involved?
You can donate your time by organising a fundraising event, or make a donation on the website. Volunteers can contact Dads House via the website dadshouse.org.uk or call 07765183504.
For more information, visit the Dads House website.
