BC Council for Families

Blogger: David Sheftel
4 Communities, 600 km of Driving, and 10 Hours of Presentations -- that's what went into participating in the Navigating Childhood series of conferences in the East Kootenays region of BC this month. I was speaking on The Father Factor - the need to encourage and support fathers to be more involved in their children's and families' lives. Through research, best practice information, resources, and discussions, I strove to stimulate participants to open their minds and their practices to the importance of fathers.

A number of coordinators and workers at the conference voiced their concern about the need for further training around involving fathers. Currently there is a program for dads with young kids in Invermere, but the parents I spoke with in all of these communities wished for more resources and and more support for fathers.

The other speaker at the conference was Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, a child psychologist from Vancouver, who spoke about the crucial importance of building attachment with young children, and how parents need to understand their kids' behaviour and meet their needs for connection.

Gail Brown, the Coordinator of Children First of the East Kootenay Region and one of our board members at the BC Council for Families, organized these conferences for parents and professionals in Cranbrook, Creston, Invermere and Fernie. The conferences were a great success, with a total of over 225 people attending, and the feedback we received couldn't have been more positive.

For more information about the importance of fathers, check out the Father Involvement Network on the BC Council for Families' website.