Mentor scheme is a hit with fathers

By Ross Watson Tuesday, 02 March 2010

A peer mentoring programme for new fathers improves parental relationships and engages fathers in wider children's centre services, a formal evaluation has found.

David Bartlett

The Fatherhood Institute's Hit the Ground Crawling pilots in Staffordshire resulted in 78 per cent of fathers on the programme feeling more confident about supporting the mother of their child.

The pilot involved small groups of fathers and a children's centre professional, discussing concerns with "veteran dads" who also brought their babies along.

A further 80 per cent of the 67 fathers who took part have continued to use services available through East Staffordshire Children's Centre, while 64 per cent said they had learned how to improve their relationship with the mother.

David Bartlett, deputy-chief executive of the Fatherhood Institute, who developed the programme, said many fathers traditionally feel disengaged by antenatal and postnatal services. He intends to issue the findings to local authorities at the Institute's conference in April in an effort to see the programme rolled out nationwide.

"We'll also be providing evidence to the government, as they are in the process of rethinking antenatal and postnatal services," he said. "We're hoping it will inform the model that emerges."

The Fatherhood Institute delivers the government's Think Fathers campaign, focused on making family services more accessible for fathers. Hit the Ground Crawling has previously been praised by the government for being a positive example of family support.