Jon Davies is leaving Families Need Fathers. He writes:
After almost four years taking FNF from a little known and often misunderstood charity to something approaching respectability it is time to move! I have been planning this for some time but my Damascene moment came when I saw three and a half out of four of our policy demands in the coalition programme. ‘Leave while they’re still applauding’ as some now long forgotten music hall comedian once said.
As CEO of Families Need Fathers, Jon had one of the most difficult jobs in the sector. In addition to all the usual demands on a CEO of making a charity do what it is supposed to do, Jon had a membership of some very hurt and sometimes angry people. His first commitment was always to provide a place of healing and support for these folk, who have nowhere else to go for help. He did this with minimal resources – the small size of his organisation compared to other organisations in the same sector indicates the kind of pressures on the organisation.
And externally, he brought Families Need Fathers into respectability, through his unfailing good humour, diplomacy and political astuteness. He knew that suspicion of the organisation was always close at hand; in the media FNF is still often referred to disparagingly as a “fathers’ rights” organisation, whilst charities supporting other parents are referred to as “children’s organisations”. He knew that at any moment a statement made by his organisation could cause a cascade of fear and suspicion within the sector, and even on the rare occasion this happened, Jon remained unruffled and prepared to maintain his openness to discussion and collaboration.
It is my sincere hope that FNF will be less alone in pursuing its goals, with the current new political focus on the idea of family, relationships and collaborative parenting. And I hope that it can continue to serve the needs of this excluded group of parents.
