Reboot 4 Dads
An estimated 1 million children in the UK today have little or no contact with their father.
The Reboot Programme is for struggling dads at any point on the conflict spectrum, and from any and every background. The course acts as an early intervention measure when "things aren't great," and can also offer support further down the line, when everything feels like "a hopeless mess."
The eight weekly sessions combine small-sided football matches (on 4G pitches) with seminar-style discussions (indoors) on themes that span both Fatherhood and The Beautiful Game.
Participants are not charged for pitch use, refreshments or any other aspect of the programme. In fact, Family Reset is seeking to raise funds for attendance-based rewards (e.g. vouchers for sports goods), to be awarded at the end of each course.
Regular healthy contact with their father correlates with better life outcomes for boys and girls.
This is true whether or not the father is resident with the mother.
Regular healthy contact with their children contributes to better mental health in adult men.
Relationship breakdown and a lack of purpose are significant factors in many male suicides.
The Reboot programme offers an accessible gateway to lasting change.
In the context of a supportive community, the course will:
- encourage struggling dads to reflect on their past and present relationships, patterns of behaviour and underlying attitudes;
- enable them to own and address their personal shortcomings and blindspots; and
- empower them to reset key family relationships with confidence, maturity and care.
The Reboot programme offers a scalable solution to reduce demand on statutory services.
The course will help improve outcomes in individual families and across communities by:
- building emotional intelligence and resilience;
- enhancing mental and physical wellbeing through sport and supportive friendships;
- reducing familial conflict and tension;
- creating greater relational stability; and
- modelling the value of connectedness and community-engagement.