Author: Kieran Anders
Author title: Dad Matters Lead, Home-Start UK
Description: Fathers matter - not only as partners and co-parents, but as vital attachment figures in a baby’s life. Yet fathers are often overlooked in perinatal care and support systems. Dad Matters, a national project originally developed by Home-Start HOST in Greater Manchester, has now engaged over 40,800 dads through universal outreach, delivered one-to-one peer support to nearly 2,000 fathers, and trained or engaged more than 15,000 professionals across the Home-Start network. This three-strand model of universal outreach, targeted one-to-one support, and professional engagement has been independently evaluated and shown to deliver meaningful impact.

This article explores the rationale for supporting dads from pregnancy onward, outlines common paternal needs, highlights how fathers prefer to receive support, and shares innovative approaches being piloted across the UK. We argue that supporting dads isn’t a ‘nice to have’ - it’s essential for family wellbeing, early child development, and breaking cycles of disadvantage.

The Independent Evaluation of the Dad Matters project with the data referred to in the article can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/5e5pdh9w

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