Dads and male care givers receive support from Northumberland County Council with new programme

The event heard from a range of inspirational guest speakers, as well as fathers and male carers, and aimed to spark conversations around how professionals across education, health and social care can make their services as inclusive as possible. A main focus was on mental health and wellbeing and ensuring dads and male carers can feel supported in their roles.

The event was funded by Northumberland Family Hubs programme, which now has a websites offering online advice and resources along with its network of hubs across the county.

Northumberland is one of 14 trailblazer local authorities chosen by the Government to drive the programme forward and, since their launch last year, Family Hubs have introduced a range of support tailored to dads including the DadPad parenting guide, DADTALK Online Workshops and What’s the Craic – a partnership with Northumberland Recovery College that offers the chance for some child-free space and time to relax and socialise.

Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson, cabinet member with responsibility for Inspiring Young People, said: “We want to make sure our services are meeting the needs of as many people as possible and that’s why we’re investing some of our trailblazer funding into specific support for dads and male carers.

“The feedback has been really positive so far – but we want to build on that and to hear from as many families as possible what support they would like to see in the future.

“This summit is about celebrating the impact positive male role models have on children and families – and also about sparking conversations as professionals in education, health social care – to see how we can make our services as inclusive as possible.

“By doing this we can support families to build healthy and nurturing relationships which will enrich and enhance the lives of our children and young people.”

For more information visit the Dads and Male Carers Zone of the Family Hubs website or visit your nearest family hub.