Young fathers’ champion wins national award for life-changing support

Ruth King, who works within Swindon Borough Council’s Public Health Nursing team, won the Outstanding Individual Contribution award at the 2026 LGC Awards, a prestigious national event celebrating excellence in local government.
Ruth delivers Swindon’s ‘Dads at Their Best’ service, a pioneering UK-leading programme supporting young fathers aged 25 and under from pregnancy through their child’s first year. 
Ruth said: “I feel honoured to have been supported to develop and deliver such a unique, but needed, programme for young dads.
“My colleague Tracey Modica has always been an incredible driving force for the service, with such an infectious passion for working with fathers. 
"None of the progression would have been possible without her. I am always grateful to the young fathers who showed courage, openness and trust in giving the service a chance, allowing us to walk alongside them at a crucial time in their lives.”
The programme’s implementation and ongoing work have been heavily supported by both the local and national Family Nursing Partnership. 
‘Dads at Their Best’ supports young fathers in Swindon to feel more confident, better supported and ready to build strong relationships with their children from day one.
As the sole dedicated frontline practitioner, Ruth has co-developed and expanded the service alongside Tracey Modica, clinical lead, since its launch in November 2021.
To date, 68 young fathers have benefited from one-to-one support, including help to improve emotional regulation, strengthen relationships and grow in confidence as parents.
Independent evaluations completed by Leeds Trinity University have demonstrated measurable improvements for fathers and children. In some cases, fathers have developed the parenting capacity to gain sole custody, helping prevent children from entering the care system.
Alongside her frontline work, Ruth has collaborated with colleagues to create wider change in how services engage fathers through the co-founding of Swindon’s 'Working with Fathers’ Communities of Practice to share learning and improve support. She co-developed the first ‘Working with Young Fathers’ toolkit alongside Leeds Trinity University and Tracey Modica, which can now be used locally and nationally. 
Her innovation has strengthened responses to domestic abuse and has the potential to initiate upskilling and further collaboration with external services – all without additional cost.
Ruth’s compassionate, strengths-based approach has made her a trusted advocate for young fathers facing complex challenges. 
One father who has worked with Ruth said: “Ruth speaks up for fathers who don’t feel able to advocate for themselves. She ensures they are heard – and that is huge.”
Ruth continues to lead frontline work and is an integral part of strategic development, supporting 22 young fathers in the past year alone, while helping shape Swindon’s wider approach to working with dads across services.
 

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