Ryan’s Story - Young Dads Project

(The names in this case study have been changed, but the case remains the same).

Ryan is a 20 year old Dad living with his partner and their son Rohan all together in his parents home. 

Dads Rock project worker, Amy, first met Ryan when his son Rohan was a month and a half old. Their Social Worker contacted us because she felt Ryan needed more support to express his feelings and come to terms with being a new Dad. This was Ryan first proper relationship and he was just getting used to being with someone when after 3 months she fell pregnant. Due to his partner’s home life the baby was placed on the child protection register before birth and Mum decided to move into Ryan’s home with his parents where they still live with their son. 

It was clear to Amy that Ryan was struggling to acclimatise - from being a single young man to now being a father with a live in partner. The young family were having a really tough time coping with their baby son's multiple health issues as he had to undergo procedures in hospital and had a milk allergy. Understandably all this was making Rohan a very fractious baby. This would be a difficult situation for any parents to cope with, but Ryan found it particularly stressful and was struggling to interact with his son and support his partner. Ryan felt unable to show any emotions and recognised that he came across as uncaring - he did not want to upset his partner but couldn’t understand what was needed from him. On top of all this, the baby was born during the initial lockdown, which posed a significant issue and was really impacting Ryan who was unable to work or take Rohan out and about.

Ryan didn’t think he could play with his son until he got older but he soon realised he could make his baby laugh and they have bonded well.

Ryan believed that he couldn't really do anything with Rohan until he was older and could walk and talk and play football etc. With Amy’s support, he was able to understand the importance of early interaction and play and was shown many engagement techniques to try out. Being able to make Rohan laugh and smile has been a huge encouragement for Ryan and he has continued trying out various activities and techniques from Amy’s suggestions resulting in a much closer bond with his son. He is still looking forward to the day when he will be able to play football with Rohan but is now able to enjoy the early days too.  

Amy has also been engaging and cooperating with the many agencies involved with the family. She was able to help Ryan understand the need for a social worker to be involved as he was very apprehensive about it. Although he had a good relationship with the social worker assigned to them, he was unsure of the purpose and how long they would be with them. 

Due to the progress made and the actions Ryan and his partner have taken to ensure their child is safe, Rohan has now been removed from the child protection register. The child is thriving, the parents are enjoying being parents and together they are finding their way as a family.