The government has announced plans to issue guidance to help every new father support their partner and baby, as it gets set to publish its green paper on families and relationships.
From next month, the government will begin distributing 600,000 copies of The New Dad's Guide. The guide will address legal and health issues that fathers should bear in mind as well as relationship support and information on the importance of fatherhood.
The guidance comes in advance of the government's families and relationships green paper, expected to be published tomorrow. Children's Secretary Ed Ball has already made it clear that the green paper will focus on engaging fathers with services more and providing better support for family relationships.
The 10-page leaflet will be issued to fathers along with other materials included in the Bounty pack, which all parents receive during the mother's pregnancy.
"The inclusion of government-funded materials specifically aimed at dads is a huge breakthrough and reflects a major shift in public attitudes towards fatherhood in the past decade," said Rob Williams, chief executive of Fatherhood Institute, the organisation that designed the guide.
"Traditional gendered roles of mother as carer and father as breadwinner are dissolving; meaning a generation of families is developing where both mum and dad play an active role in childcare."
The government also intends to champion the role of fathers with a flyer that all mothers will get in the Pregnancy Information pack from next week. Along with the dad's guide a credit card sized information pack called the Dad's Card will also be provided.
Children & Young People Now
18 January 2010