Community Guidelines

Welcome to the DADS MATTER community. This is your space—a place to share experiences, find support, and connect with other dads who understand what you're going through.

To ensure this remains a safe, supportive, and constructive environment for all members, we require everyone to agree to and follow these guidelines.

1. Be Supportive & Respectful

This is the most important rule. We are all here to support each other.

• No personal attacks. Do not insult, harass, bully, or belittle another member.
• Respect differences. You may not agree with everyone, but you must be respectful at all times. Challenge the idea, not the person.
• No victim-blaming. Do not tell another member that their situation is their own fault.
• No "I told you so" posts. Support dads who are struggling, even if you warned them.

2. Share Experience, NOT Legal Advice

This is our second-most important rule and is vital for keeping everyone safe. Sharing what you went through is helpful. Telling someone what to do is dangerous.

• It is **strictly forbidden** to give direct legal advice to another member.
• DO SAY (Sharing Experience): "In my case, the judge wanted to see a clear log of all the contact I'd missed. I used an evidence log to show a pattern."
• DO NOT SAY (Giving Advice): "You *must* apply for a C79 Enforcement Order immediately," or "Your solicitor is wrong, you should fire them."

**Why?** Every case is different. Bad legal advice can have devastating consequences. All legal advice should come from a qualified and regulated solicitor.

3. Privacy & Anonymity are Sacred

• What is said in the group, stays in the group. Taking screenshots of posts and sharing them outside the community is a zero-tolerance breach of trust and will result in an immediate permanent ban.
• No "Naming & Shaming." Do NOT post the full names, addresses, workplaces, or other identifying details of your ex-partner, your children, family members, solicitors, social workers, or judges. This is for your own legal protection as well as theirs.

4. Keep it Child-Focused & Constructive

• This is not a "parent-bashing" group. We are here to be better dads, not to attack mothers. Venting about a difficult co-parent is human, but posts that are purely hateful, misogynistic, or abusive will be removed.
• Stay Child-Focused. Always try to bring the conversation back to the wellbeing of your children.
• Do not post any graphic content (violent or sexual) or links to such material.

5. No Spam or Self-Promotion

• This community is for support, not a marketplace.
• Do not post links to your business, services, or any other form of commercial advertising.
• Do not post links to GoFundMe pages or other fundraisers unless you have received clear, prior approval from a DADS MATTER admin.

Consequences for Breaking the Rules

Our moderation team (made of staff and trusted volunteers) is here to keep this space safe. We operate on a simple policy:

1. First Breach: Your post or comment will be removed, and you will receive a formal warning from a moderator explaining which rule you broke.
2. Second Breach: You may be placed in "post-approval" mode (where all your posts must be approved by an admin) or given a temporary suspension from the group.
3. Severe or Repeated Breaches: For serious breaches (like sharing screenshots, severe bullying, or illegal content), you will be **permanently banned** from the community. If you are a paying member, your membership will be cancelled without a refund, as per our Terms & Conditions.

How to Report a Post

If you see a post or comment that breaks these rules, **please do not engage with it.** This often makes the situation worse.

Instead, please report it to the moderation team immediately. (If your forum has a "Report Post" button, use that. If not, you can contact us directly.)

info@dadsmatter.org.uk