A Swindon practitioner who has helped dozens of young fathers build stronger relationships with their children has received national recognition for her work.
Ruth King, who works within Swindon Borough Council’s Public Health Nursing team, was named winner of the Outstanding Individual Contribution award at the 2026 LGC Awards 2026.
The award was presented at a ceremony in London on 11 June and recognises individuals who have made an exceptional impact through their work in local government.
Ms King leads the town’s ‘Dads at Their Best’ programme, an initiative designed to support young fathers aged 25 and under from pregnancy through to their child’s first birthday.
Launched in November 2021, the programme is believed to be one of the first services of its kind in the UK and has been developed with support from the Family Nurse Partnership at both local and national level.
The service aims to help young fathers develop confidence, strengthen family relationships and become actively involved in their children’s lives from the earliest stages of parenthood.
Working as the programme’s sole dedicated frontline practitioner, Ms King has helped shape and expand the service alongside Tracey Modica.
Since its launch, 68 young fathers have received one-to-one support through the programme. Areas of focus include emotional wellbeing, relationship building, parenting skills and confidence.
Independent evaluations carried out by Leeds Trinity University have found measurable benefits for both fathers and children participating in the scheme.
In some cases, the support provided has enabled fathers to develop the parenting skills and stability needed to gain sole custody of their children, helping families remain together and reducing the likelihood of children entering care.
Beyond her direct work with families, Ms King has also played a leading role in improving how services engage with fathers across Swindon.
She helped establish the town’s ‘Working with Fathers’ Communities of Practice, which brings professionals together to share expertise and improve support for dads and male carers.
She also co-developed the first ‘Working with Young Fathers’ toolkit alongside Leeds Trinity University and Tracey Modica. The resource is now available for use both locally and nationally to help other organisations improve their approach to supporting young fathers.
Colleagues say her work has also contributed to stronger responses to domestic abuse and encouraged greater collaboration between services supporting families.
One father who received support through the programme praised Ms King’s commitment, saying she helped ensure fathers who struggled to speak up for themselves were listened to and included in decisions affecting their families.
Over the past year alone, Ms King has supported 22 young fathers while continuing to help shape wider strategic work aimed at improving outcomes for fathers and families across Swindon.
Speaking after receiving the award, she said she felt honoured to have been given the opportunity to develop and deliver a service dedicated to young fathers.
She paid tribute to Tracey Modica for her leadership and support and thanked the fathers who had placed their trust in the programme during important stages of their lives.
The national recognition highlights the growing reputation of Swindon’s innovative work with young fathers and the impact targeted early intervention can have on families across the borough.
