22 August, 2016
What dads want – Australian-first online, father-friendly, parenting program
Celebrity dads support ParentWorks – program that uses evidence-based strategies

Boys more likely to display behavioural problems including antisocial and
aggressive behaviour
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Fathers have low rates of participation in parenting programs – cost and availability
issues raised
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Behavioural problems reduced; parents’ skills, confidence and teamwork increased

Transformative, universally-available program for all mums and dads in Australia
The first fully online, Australia-wide free parenting program is launching with the aim of
reaching one million fathers, through incorporating what dads want into a parenting program
that includes evidence-based parenting strategies.
The program’s ambassadors, Olympic basketballer Andrew Gaze and broadcaster Tim “Rosso” Ross,
appear in videos from today as part of a national media campaign for ParentWorks.
The videos about the “Father Effect” – to be broadcast across television, radio and online – coincide with
today’s launch of ParentWorks – an innovative approach to reaching more parents through the computeronly program incorporating father-friendly elements such as after-hours access and modules of interest to
fathers, such as dealing with bullying and encouraging play.
“You sometimes look back and think, ‘well, you could’ve handled that a bit better’,” Gaze says in one of
the videos.
Program lead Chief Investigator Professor Mark Dadds, who analysed a range of parents’ and children’s
behaviours in the ABC TV series Kids on Speed, said: “The signals for mental health issues such as
depression are often found in children at an early age and can be much better addressed in young
children.
“Our online survey of 1,000 fathers found two in three children with behavioural problems were boys,”
said Professor Dadds, the director of the University of Sydney’s Child Behaviour Research Clinic and a
principal research fellow at the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
“By and large it’s the mothers who seek help, talking to female practitioners.
We know parenting programs work significantly better when both parents are involved.”
ParentWorks, which goes live today, is part of the national project Like Father Like Son headed by
Professor Dadds, which is funded by the Movember Foundation to increase father participation in
parenting programs.
Paul Villanti, executive eirector of programs for the Movember Foundation said the Foundation’s aim is to
improve the physical and mental wellbeing of men around the country: “We are excited about the
potential for this innovative program to reach many more dads in the comfort of their own homes,” Villanti
says.
“Through funds raised by the Movember community, the Movember Foundation is funding projects, like
ParentWorks, that help men live happier, healthier and longer lives,” added Villanti.
Tailored to suit a digital world, ParentWorks incorporates videos, homework and includes features such
as an interactive child behaviour tracker. There is a list of resources available if families need face-to-face
assistance during or after the program, which is completed in as little as about 20 minutes weekly for four
weeks. The development of ParentWorks follows a trend in online programs, mostly for adult mental
health and wellbeing.
Professor Dadds said ParentWorks was designed to help all Australian families.
“If you have problems with your child, do the program. If you don’t have problems but want to reduce
stress and increase wellbeing – do the program.”
People can find out more and do the program via parentworks.org.au
University of Sydney webstory
Multimedia, case studies, backgrounder and interview enquiries: Vivienne Reiner, 02 9351 2390,
0438 021 390, [email protected]
Multimedia
1. Video with Prof Mark Dadds, celebrity dads; high definition available on request
2. National media campaign videos
3. SOUNDCLOUD of recent talk on time-out in an era of empathy and attachment
Notes to Editors
 Only one in six practitioners reported that fathers often attend their programs
 Our online national 2016 survey of 1001 fathers found:
o Of the children whose fathers rated them as having high levels of externalising behaviour
problems, 67% were boys and 33% were girls.
o Fathers indicated that they had not participated in parenting programs because of cost
(20%), work commitments (20%), they did not know whether programs were effective
(17%), they did not know what the programs were about (16%), they did not know about
parenting programs (16%), they had no time to participate (15%) and/or they did not
know where to go to participate (15%).
About Like Father Like Son
The Like Father Like Son project—funded by the Movember Foundation until November 2017—brings
together a national collaboration of cross-disciplinary researchers, clinicians, policy leaders and consumer
groups to improve the engagement of fathers in parenting interventions for childhood conduct problems.
The project is using a range of strategies, informed by surveys, focus groups and consumer
representatives, to increase the engagement of fathers in evidence-based parenting interventions.
Strategies include:
• A benchmarking study detailing rates of father engagement in a range of child and family services
around Australia
• A national training program for practitioners to improve confidence and skills in engaging fathers
• A freely available national online parenting program, ParentWorks, designed to be engaging for fathers
as well as mothers.
About ParentWorks
ParentWorks is a free online program for Australian parents and caregivers of children aged two to 16. It
provides evidence-based strategies to improve parenting skills and confidence, improve child social
development, and reduce common child behaviour problems like tantrums, aggression and
noncompliance. The program will be launched on 22 August and will be available at
www.parentworks.org.au
ParentWorks encourages caregivers who are in a relationship to participate in the program together to
increase consistent parenting practices. However, caregivers can also complete the program individually.
The program is available as part of a research study. Participation will involve completing a series of
online questionnaires about caregivers and their families at three time points: the start of the program;
once families have completed the program; and three months after completion. The program covers a
range of topics and behavioural changes are a result of self-guided participation in the modules and
practice, rather than theoretical knowledge.
About the Movember Foundation
The Movember Foundation is a global charity committed to men living happier, healthier, longer
lives. Since 2003, millions have joined the men’s health movement, raising $685 million and
funding over 1,000 projects focusing on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and suicide
prevention.
Case examples of families who have received treatment at the Child Behaviour Research Clinic, which is
located at the University of Sydney:
“Martin” was a seven-year-old boy referred to the clinic after receiving a diagnosis of oppositional defiant
disorder and separation anxiety. Martin's mother was very concerned about his poor behaviour and
disobedience. He was having tantrums almost daily with some outbursts lasting up to an hour. Martin's
mother was highly motivated to get some help for him but his step-father refused to engage in treatment
and did not attend our service. His mother reported that the step-father believed Martin was just a
'naughty kid who needed very firm discipline'. Unfortunately we were not able to engage Martin's stepfather at any point during treatment, and to get him to see that he could have a real impact on his
stepson’s behaviour without the use of harsh discipline. Despite his mother's best efforts to implement the
strategies discussed during treatment Martin showed little change by the end. This case highlighted how
difficult it can be to help a child with behaviour problems when both parents are not working together as a
team.
“Emily” was a four- year-old girl referred to the clinic because of some disruptive behaviours that her
mother had noticed. Before treatment commenced Emily’s mother and father were constantly arguing
about how best to manage her behaviour and for the most part they were each doing their own thing
when it came to parenting Emily. As Emily was quite an anxious child she found this inconsistency a big
challenge and so she had resorted to acting out, particularly towards her mother who was being less strict
than her father. Using our program, the clinician discussed strategies about how to set up a strong and
unified parental team that is consistent. Emily’s parents worked with their clinician very hard to support
each other and to ‘be on the same page’ when parenting Emily. At the end of treatment Emily’s parents
were pleased to report that she had had a big turnaround in her poor behaviour. They also reported an
increased confidence in their parenting and overall less stress in the family.