Dads Leading the Way: Boosting Vaccine Confidence in Harlesden’s Somali Community

When it comes to protecting children’s health, trust makes all the difference — and trust is built by people the community already knows.

On 2 September 2026, Voices for SEND Support Network, in partnership with Brent Health Matters, hosted our latest Boosting Vaccine Uptake session in Harlesden, focused on a simple but powerful idea: the role of dads in supporting immunisation.

Our Dads Champions are fathers from the Somali community who’ve stepped up as trusted voices on vaccination. Rather than information coming from outside, it comes from within — from men who understand the culture, speak the language, and share the everyday realities of raising a family here.

At this session, our Champions opened up honest conversations, answered real questions, connected families to local health services, and helped break down the barriers that keep some children from being fully protected.

This is only the beginning. Reaching families is one thing; sustaining that trust and support over the long term takes real investment — in training, in skills, and in the Champions themselves.

We run these sessions monthly, and every one moves us closer to a community where every child gets the protection they deserve.

📍 164–166 Church Road, Harlesden, NW10 9NH
🔗 www.voicesforsendsupportnetwork.org.uk

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