New fathers in training at boot camp sessions
Expectant fathers are being offered a chance to change nappies and prepare bottles at a 'boot camp for dads'.
Antenatal sessions called Hit the Ground Crawling have been developed by the Fatherhood Institute with the aim of giving fathers confidence and introducing them to family support services.
The peer group support programme, based on a popular American scheme, began pilots across Staffordshire in June.
Nicola Ellis, community development worker at East Staffordshire Children's Centre in Burton-on-Trent, plans to run four sessions over the rest of the year. She said, 'The Hit the Ground Crawling approach is brilliant. It was great to see dads so keen to come along, and I was surprised how open they were. Some of these dads know a lot of stuff, and many of them are staying at home while the mum goes back to work. A lot of the time it's just giving them the confidence to know that they're doing ok.'
One father-to-be from Stafford said, 'At first I was very nervous. I hold my hands up - I was panicking about fatherhood. But this session has given me confidence.'
Ms Ellis facilitated a radio documentary of a children's centre 'boot camp' session, which was broadcast on Radio 4 on 15 September.
- The full package of training and ongoing support is now available to children's centres and antenatal providers in the UK for £5,000 plus VAT. Visit www.fatherhoodinstitute.org.
