Some of the harrowing stories that we hear almost defy belief and yet so often, these separated dads suffer in silence, almost invisible to society. More needs to be done to help these vulnerable separated dads, to reduce the rate of male suicide and to give them hope for the future. This is ones dads story, told by his sister- Theresa.

"My brothers journey reminds me of the opening line of the famous dystopian science fiction novel War of the Worlds, No-one would have believed

One moment he was surrounded by his family of a wife, four happy young children, a frantic household, two dogs, noise, laughter, routine. He spent every waking day immersed in his childrens lives, from their births to bedtime stories, from ironing their uniforms to helping with homework, doing projects to solving friendship problems.

One fateful day, he experienced:

homelessness,

heartache,

loss,

silence.

A subsequent six-month battle (appropriate for a disabled veteran) witnessed repeated shocking allegations, police interviews, a 26-day stay in a home for the elderly because there were no alternative accommodations available, personal theft on a grand scale and ultimately, harrowing anguish for his four children, with whom he was allowed no contact. In person. By phone. By text.

It was excruciating.

Twenty six weeks later, with unending support from Dads Unlimited, my brother won his gruelling court case where all 51 charges were instantly dismissed. The high court judge identified his wife as the abuser.

Just as contact was about to begin, and my brother could finally reistablish relationships with his precious children, Covid-19 hit.

They are currently in lockdown. His video calls with them are as precious as gold dust.

Throughout, Tristan, of Dads Unlimited, has been a rock. With his invaluable help, my brother has navigated the complex and daunting family law court system and won.

It is a waking nightmare. Still. But with the constant support of Dads Unlimited there is cautious optimism for the future." Theresa- sister of beneficiary - father of 4 children

At Dads Unlimited, we provide support services to separated dads that are so often suffering from depression, anxiety and even having suicidal thoughts. Currently, 22% of our dads are currently suffering from suicial ideation. By providing ongoing 1-1 mentoring, support group meetings, mental health counselling, co-parenting programme, family liaison within schools, family court support and organised activities and events for single parent families, Dads Unlimited prevented 91 suicides in 2019.

Our services are aimed at improving the mental health of our dads, improve co-parenting relations and to improve the outcome for the children of separated parents.