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Fathers and health

Building better support for fathers, from NHS services

Why change is needed

Expectations for men's involvement as hands-on-fathers have increased dramatically in recent decades. Yet taxpayer-funded services for families, including maternity and health visiting services, remain strongly mother-focused - despite evidence showing the crucial impacts fathers have on mothers and infants.

What needs to happen

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We need maternity, health visiting, and other family services to systematically engage with fathers and take them seriously as caregivers.

 

They should be funded and organised so they:

  • Know who the dads are

  • Engage routinely and confidently with dads

  • Assess and support dads to form close attachments to their babies and become confident hands-on parents

  • Identify and address any risks dads might pose

Key actions

We've produced, in collaboration with the Royal College of Midwives, the Engaging Dads toolkit for midwives to help them improve their father-engagement

With support from the Mental Health Foundation, we've created Becoming Dad: a free guide to help men navigate their own transition to fatherhood

Then-chair of the cross-party Health and Social Care Committee Steve Brine cited our evidence about men's health in a letter to the then-Health Secretary Victoria Atkins, after the committee's inquiry was cut short by the May 2024 election​

We've lobbied successfully for engagement with fathers / partners to be a clear expectation in key policy documents, e.g. the NICE antenatal and postnatal guidelines

We've published evidence reviews about fathers in the antenatal and postnatal period (part of the Contemporary Fathers in the UK series); non-accidental injury of infants by male caregivers; and a guide about fathers and breastfeeding

We are members of the First 1001 Days Coalition, working to improve babies' emotional wellbeing and development. Read the Manifesto for Babies here

We're exploring options for how to link fathers' and children's health records, to support systematic father-engagement from birth onwards

We launched our 'looking out for dad' campaign in October 2024, in collaboration with Men's Health Magazine - starting with an open letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting. We submitted evidence to the Men's Health Strategy consultation as well as creating guides for fathers and professionals to help them do the same

How you can help

Commission us to deliver a webinar or training at your workplace

Make a donation to support our ongoing policy work

SUPPORT US

By giving today, you are helping to create a more equitable society in which both mothers and fathers are valued and supported as carers

NOTE we do not fundraise in person, only online - if you are approached by someone claiming to represent FI, please take their details and report them to Action Fraud, do not give them any money

CONTACT US

For media enquiries only:

J.Davies@fatherhoodinstitute.org, or on Whatsapp 0780 371 1692

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*On 30th June only* contact Adrienne Burgess on 0774 714 5146

Registered address: 57 Chevening Road, London SE10 0LA

© Copyright The Fatherhood Institute 2023. Registered charity number: 1075104.

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Private limited company number: 03709549. VAT registration number: 763194319

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