DadTalk social networking and support for fathers

DadTalk is a new resource for fathers to strengthen, improve and expand their role as a parent. The social networking site encourages dads to communicate with one another and take up the new opportunities it offers to learn from each other, from experts and from trained moderators on the site.

Fathers who visit www.DadTalk.co.uk will find plenty of information and parenting advice in the form of articles, links, videos and podcasts. DadTalk brings fatherhood alive with a discussion forum for parents where fathers can debate and help each other develop confidence and achieve more for their family.

With our children increasingly living in a "wrap around technology" world with mobile phones, mp3 players, MySpace, Bebo and Facebook, DadTalk aims to encourage dads to get online themselves and explore some of this technology as they discuss the issues that matter to them with other dads, and we all work out what being a DAD is in 21st Century Britain.

Dads, whether biological or not, have a crucial role in their children's lives and a huge impact on their growth and development. There is no single definition of a father and DadTalk seeks to explore that diversity, encourage all DADs to aspire to more for themselves, their kids and their marriages and adult couple relationships.

"Anyone can be a father – it takes someone special to be a dad".

DadTalk is being developed by a consortium including Family Matters Institute, Eastside Young Leaders Academy and Luton Young Leaders Academy working with fathers around England, funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families as part of the Parent Know How Fund.