Fatherhood Institute: response to Frank Field’s report Preventing Poor Children becoming Poor Adults
In response to Frank Field’s report Preventing Poor Children becoming Poor Adults, Adrienne Burgess, Head of Research at the Fatherhood Institute, said:
“Parenting education around the time of the birth is currently in decline. It would great to see this decline reversed and really good parenting education given to both parents at this time. It appears however that only mothers will be assessed on their mental health and parenting capabilities. Today’s fathers play a huge role in raising children – even in low income families. 95% of mothers report that they are in a close relationship with the baby’s father at the time of the birth, and only 3 out of a 1000 fathers are not told they are becoming dads. If the father is depressed, this can affect mother and baby – and if he’s not depressed, he can act as a crucial source of support for his partner and child. So ensuring both parents are taken into account is absolutely essential.”
Ends.
For more information or to speak to Adrienne Burgess, please contact Melissa Milner 020 7793 4035 or 07976 636 229
Tags: Maternity, Parenting education
