The ABS is predicting that single father households will increase faster than other household types by 2046, with a rise between 40 and 69 per cent. In response, community run dad groups and national projects are reshaping what fatherhood looks like for single fathers.   

The Victoria Park primary school ‘Dads of Vic Park,’ group is one such initiative.  

Founded by Shane Boladeras and a group of other dedicated dads five years ago, the group offers single dads in WA a sense of belonging and recognition they often struggle to find elsewhere.  

“It helps strengthen networks locally,” he said. “For the single fathers going through a tough time, it gives them the opportunity to catch up with other dads and talk about things.”  

The group organises a mix of family-friendly activities like camp-outs and rock-climbing or dads only gatherings like pub nights or discussions with guest speakers. Mr Boladeras said what started with no more than forty kids and fathers at the camp-outs, now involve more than 110 kids and fathers.  

For single dads, these groups also help them feel part of the community when they are struggling to balance fatherhood with other commitments.  

“Some of the main challenges single fathers face is managing time with kids’ drop off and pick ups and trying to coordinate the logistics,” he said.

The group’s events and newsletters help single fathers feel part of the community, attempting to eliminate loneliness. 

The Fathering Project’s WA community fathering coordinator David Walker is also seeing how crucial support is for single fathers.  

Mr Walker runs activities for all fathers across ten schools in Armadale and said there has been a two-to-three-fold increase in numbers from when he started in 2018 to 2025, showing that the program is successful.  

He organises ping pong, pizza nights, bangers and bingo, fishing with dad and walks to school and also runs fortnightly Connect Dads programs. Each program runs for eight weeks.  

He said two of the eight dads currently in the program are single fathers who come for support and education on fathering. He said: “We provide opportunities for dads not only to build stronger relationships with their kids, but also for those dads to meet other dads in their fathering community at their local school.”

Mr Walker said the project provides wrap-around support to encourage and validate the role fathers play, because the services that are available to women are disproportionate to the ones available to men.  

“We don’t have anyone representing and pushing and exposing and bringing together all the agencies to adequately support men who I see are doing it quite tough. I believe the politicians could do more to support men in our communities,” he said.

The Fathering Project wants to establish community fathering hubs in low socioeconomic areas all around Australia to adequately equip men to be the best fathers they can be. Mr Walker said he hopes to attract more funding to be able to respond to statistics like the rise in single dads by 2046.