12 years of Dads Rock, from there to here

12 years ago this week, two Dads sat down to talk about the lack of support for new Dads in Scotland.

We had our own experiences to guide us, had a wee seed of an idea and wanted to start something fun, and something we hoped could grow.

In the last week I've been in team meetings with staff at Dads Rock, and at times I catch myself thinking how amazing it is, that we have a team of people who care so passionately about helping others. There’s so much compassion and love within the team, and from the families who engage with us.

It could be helping a young person and their Dad to learn the bass, or helping a young dad navigate social work, going on a trip with Dads and kids, connecting a new Dad with a peer supporter or anything else we help with over the course of a week. It’s truly inspiring work.

I am so proud of Team Dads Rock, and so grateful they are here and working alongside over 2250 people each year.

It’s not easy work, it can be tough. There’s a lot of rough terrain. It’s tough to help people understand why Dads matter. Tough to have funding in place.

A lot has changed in 12 years, but what’s changed for Dads and families? are things better? do health and social work professionals value Dads and non birth parents more? I’d like to say yes.

The truth is, there’s patches of amazing work, there’s a lot of people across Scotland who get it, who understand the value of Dads.

However there’s still a huge amount of work to do. The good thing is, we have grown, we are a network. We can help Dads have a voice, have a space, and be heard.

We don’t do this work because it’s easy. We do this work because it’s the right thing to do. We do this work because for a lot of our families, if we’re not here, they are on their own.

People need people, we help bring families together, to be that network.

From that wee seed 12 years ago, we’ve grown. There’s more to do, and it’s exciting to think about how we’ll look in the next 12 years. x

David Marshall & Thomas Lynch - Co-founders, Dads Rock