Hello – I’m Sonia Shaljean, the proud founder and Managing Director of Lads Need Dads (LND) – a long-term early intervention and mentoring programme dedicated to supporting boys growing up without a father figure.

With over two decades of frontline experience in criminal justice, substance misuse, domestic abuse, and homelessness, I witnessed a painful pattern – countless men trapped in cycles of crime, addiction, and despair, many with one thing in common: the absence of a father or a positive male role model during their formative years.

That reality struck a chord – and it ignited a fire within me. I founded Lads Need Dads to break that cycle, stepping in early to support boys aged 10–18 who are missing the vital presence of a father figure. Through long-term mentoring, we help boys build resilience, confidence, and character.

But my vision goes beyond just mentoring. I’m passionate about empowering schools to identify and support fatherless boys before challenges escalate – because prevention is always more powerful than a cure.

My mission is bold but clear: to ensure that no boy missing a father figure walks alone on his journey to manhood. Every boy deserves to feel seen, supported, and equipped to reach his full potential – because when we invest in boys, we invest in the men they will become, and in turn, the future of our communities.

As a 2025 Churchill Fellow, I am now taking this work beyond the UK – travelling to the USA, South Africa, and Australia to explore global best practice in mentoring and early intervention for fatherless boys. Through this international research, I am building meaningful relationships, exchanging learning, and both gaining and sharing insight – bringing back knowledge to further develop and evolve the Lads Need Dads model, while also contributing to and inspiring the wider global conversation around supporting boys without fathers.

https://www.churchillfellowship.org/ideas-experts/fellows-directory/sonia-shaljean/