Kids First Chief Operating Officer, Ms Nicole Artico has hailed an additional four years of funding for the father-focused intervention program, Caring Dads, as an investment that will make a significant impact in addressing family violence.

As part of the Victorian Government’s 2020-21 Budget, $10.7 million will be allocated over four years to enable the continuation of Caring Dads, provision of brokerage funding and case management.

Caring Dads, a unique intervention program led by Kids First and based in Victoria, works by tapping into fathers’ motivation to be better dads and has emerged as a leader in the family violence space. Its success was confirmed earlier this year with the release of an independent evaluation report.

The University of Melbourne, which evaluated the Caring Dads program over three years, has linked the program to an overall reduction in violence and positive changes in fathers’ parenting after completing the program.

Adapted from an internationally acclaimed Canadian model, Caring Dads is an evidence-backed, 17-week intervention program for men who have used violence or are at risk of doing so. The program helps fathers understand the impact of their behaviour by harnessing their motivation to be good dads.

Evaluation findings drawn from data collected over three years clearly showed that program participants were better able to manage aggressive behaviours and that the program led to positive changes in the father’s parenting as well as an overall reduction in violence.

According to Ms Artico, behaviour change programs that focus on fathers are an important part of the diverse set of measures used to treat and prevent family violence in Australia.