The Fatherhood Institute

❗ Paternity leave will become a Day 1 right Today, the The Labour Party Government introduced their Employment Rights Bill - the first phase of delivering their Plan to Make Work Pay. 👉 Read more about next steps here: https://lnkd.in/eZuedyCB We agree wholeheartedly that the current parental leave system does not support working parents, and we welcome today’s confirmation that the Government plans to conduct a full review of the system.   There is much to welcome in today’s bill – including proposals to make flexible working more widely available, and additional protections for fathers and other parents taking shared parental leave.    We also welcome the proposal to make paternity leave a Day 1 right for employees, although we note that so far there is no proposal to remove the 26-week continuous employment requirement for paternity pay. Given that affordability is the main barrier to fathers taking paternity leave, this suggests that many new fathers will continue, as now, to be unable to take this vital time with their families. Some small progress today, but there is much more work to do - including for self-employed fathers, who currently receive no statutory support. 👉 Learn more about our #6weeksfordads campaign and how you can get involved: https://lnkd.in/emp7ZG3e 🌟 Did you know we do not receive any funding for our policy work, including our six weeks for dad's campaign? Help us continue applying pressure for meaningful change for dads by joining the movement today: https://lnkd.in/epbMA69c #paternityleave #flexibleworking #UKgovernment #policy #employeerights #campaign #genderequalityatwork #timewithdad

🙌 Congratulations to Errol Murray of Leeds Dads for winning this much-deserved award. 💡 As noted by the judges, there are gaps in care provision, 'particularly for fathers who are often overlooked in traditional programmes'. Unsurprising when the maternalist focus of the UK's family policy and practice frameworks is underpinned by narrow thinking about fathers' roles, attitudes, and behaviours, and a failure to account for men in varying types of fathering relationships with children. Just as Leeds Dads brings together a diverse community of fathers for social interaction and support, we at the Fatherhood Institute are working to ensure that ALL men's fathering is seen, valued, and addressed. 👉 Learn more about this work stream here: https://lnkd.in/em_bMZ4K #representationmatters #healthequality #fatherhood #familyservices #diversity #DEI #timewithdad

Our series, ‘6 weeks for dads: meet the experts’, is part of our ongoing campaign for improved paternity and reserved parental leave for fathers. Each month, we’ll be sharing a video interview with a researcher exploring the evidence underpinning our campaign. Our October edition is with Dr Helen Norman, Associate Professor at University of Leeds Business School, who discusses her research showing that  fathers’ caregiving involvement in their baby’s first year sets the foundation for their involvement throughout childhood. 👉 Watch the video interview: https://lnkd.in/edQ9WBbm 👉 Read the paper discussed in the interview here: https://lnkd.in/eqSAmmxR #fatherhood #parentalleave #genderequality #newdad #research #timewithdad #interview #uk #paternityleave #6weeksfordads #campaign

📣 CALLING ALL FATHERS WORKING IN SMALL OR MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES 📣 Welcome to National Work Life Week, Working Families' annual campaign to get both employers and employees talking about wellbeing at work and work-life balance. As part of the Transition to Parenthood study led by Middlesex University, we're looking for dads working for employers with <250 employees to take part in an online focus group. We’re looking for dads at any level in the organisation, so whether you’re the boss, a manager or more junior, we’d love to hear your story. 💡 We want to hear about: What it’s like becoming a father in an SME What works and what doesn’t Whether/how dads are thought about, responded to and supported (or not) ❕ Your contributions will be anonymised, you won't need to identify your employer, and there is a small incentive to thank you for your time. This is an important, under-researched topic, and by taking part you’ll be helping us develop a toolkit to improve SME employers’ support for dads. 👉 Register now: https://lnkd.in/e3bT-FnY *details provided after registration #SMEs #fatherhood #timewithdad #flexibleworking #WorkLifeWeek #fatherhoodresearch #focusgroup

⚡Introducing our sixth case study for our #6weeksfordads campaign, featuring Matt who took a total of 17 weeks leave at full pay, giving him confidence to care for his son. 👉 Read his case study here: https://lnkd.in/eciY5h7v ❓Have you recently had experience of paternity leave (positive or negative)? Get in touch to share your story ❓Do you care about making the UK's parental leave system fairer, more accessible, and progressive for the benefit of children, parents, and society? 👉 Check out our resources on our campaign page and get involved: https://lnkd.in/emp7ZG3e Did you know we do not receive any funding for our policy work, including our six weeks for dads campaign? Help us continue driving this issue up the new Labour Government's agenda and pushing for change by donating. 🌟 Join the movement today: https://lnkd.in/epbMA69c #paternityleave #parentalleave #uk #campaign #timewithdad #fatherhood

🎉 Welcome to the launch of our new series of quarterly THINK FATHERS lunchtime webinars - free and open to anyone with a professional interest in UK fathers and fatherhood. The first in the series addresses 'fathers and their sons' education'. We'll be joined by Associate Professor Helen Norman of Leeds University Business School and Dr Alex Blower of Boys' Impact as we share insights drawing on high quality evidence and examples of good practice. 📆 8th October ⏰ 12-1pm 📍 Online (Teams) Maybe you’re working with or researching fathers and looking for inspiration – or designing family policy or services and wondering where fathers fit. 👉 Register now: https://lnkd.in/e6fHB8EV Mark Brooks MBA Men and Boys Coalition Early Years Alliance Anna Freud Dr Shaddai Tembo Family Hubs Network #webinar #fatherhoodtraining #fatherinclusivepractice #familyservices #childrenseducation #fatherhoodresearch #fatherhood

Launching today, the Inspiring Dads Ltd Parental Leave Database, created by Ian Dinwiddy, features +250 UK organisations that offer the best maternity and paternity packages available in the UK. 👉 Sign up for free access now: https://lnkd.in/e-F_cbcY   Our analysis of the organisations in the database found that: 🔹 55% offer mothers and fathers 'non-equal' leave 🔹 Among these 'non-equal' employers, the average length of leave at full pay is 22.7 weeks for mothers and 4.9 weeks for fathers 🔹 78% of the 'non-equal' organisations don't match their enhanced maternity leave offer for fathers / second parents taking shared parental leave - a key barrier to uptake Our analysis shows that most ‘top tier’ UK employers offering enhanced parental leave still give mothers longer and better paid leave than fathers – reinforcing, rather than challenging, gendered family roles. There is cause for celebration, however: 🙌 45% give equal fully paid parental leave to all eligible employees, regardless of their gender 🙌 62% offer dads 6+ weeks at full pay #6weeksfordads appears to be becoming 'standard' among progressive employers, which is great progress. 👉 Learn more about our campaign and how you can get involved here: https://lnkd.in/emp7ZG3e ❔ Why is this database important ❔ 🔹 It lays bare the two-tier system in parenting leave that has emerged in the UK, with some parents getting as much as a year of leave at full pay while the majority of dads get just two weeks paid at less than half the minimum wage 🔹 It highlights the gendered inequalities that underpin parenting leave, even in most of the ‘top tier’ employers 🔹 It aids transparency, allowing both employees and employers to see what different organisations are offering their staff who are parents ➡ the more parenting leave offers are out in the open, the more likely they are to improve Our Deputy Chief Exec, Dr Jeremy Davies, commented: "Fathers having time to bond and care for their children shouldn’t be down to the generosity of individual employers – this opportunity should be available and affordable for all dads and second parents." #paternityleave #parentalleave #fatherhood #timewithdad #genderequalityintheworkplace #employeebenefits #campaign

One in 10 men suffer post natal depression - but most suffer in silence. Family services, including maternity and health visiting services, remain strongly mother-focused - despite evidence showing the crucial impacts fathers have on mothers and infants. Men are often excluded from conversations and services around post-natal depression, and receive the message they need to be strong for their partner and family. This unsurprisingly can result in dads feeling that support services are not for them. 👉 Learn more about our 'fathers and health' work stream, and what we're doing to build better support for fathers from NHS services: https://lnkd.in/eaEGbu4b Thanks to the tireless efforts of perinatal mental health campaigners such as Dr Andrew Mayers, Scott Mair of Fatherhood Solutions, Errol Murray at Leeds Dads, and Mark Williams BCAh FRSA at Fathers Mental Health UK amongst others, fathers increasingly have resources, groups, and support available. 👉 Read The i paper article featuring some of these voices: https://lnkd.in/e9ndgY-Q 👉 Read our Fatherhood Factsheet 'looking after your health' as a first step: https://lnkd.in/eqDV7ChN #perinatalmentalhealth #postnataldepression #PND #newfather #fatherhood #fathershelpingfathers #newbaby #familyservices #healthvisiting #maternityservices

It doesn’t have to be like this. "The vast majority of other countries across Europe and the OECD offer parental leave that is longer, better paid and more equally shared between partners. And the evidence is that betting on British dads and families would be good for society too." 👉 Read George Gabriel's opinion piece in The Guardian here: https://lnkd.in/eNYdKgSb With the The Labour Party committing to a review of parental leave policy within its first year in Government, now is the time to call for a system that gives fathers and co-parents more time, makes it affordable for them to take it, and helps promote equality between partners as they raise their family. 👉 Sign the Dad Shift open letter to Keir Starmer here: https://lnkd.in/enD4NZZ8 We are proud to partner with the Dad Shift on this important topic, which we have been researching and campaigning on for many years. 👉 Learn more about our research and analysis underpinning this movement, as well as our own #6weeksfordads campaign here: https://lnkd.in/eZYcADqS #paternityleave #parentalleave #timewithdad #fatherhood #parentalleavereview #campaign

‘No matter what the conflict is between the parents, we must work together to protect the child from that conflict and maintain their relationship with both parents.’ An excellent mantra from within Anna Freud's page dedicated to parents and carers in (non-abusive) conflict or separating, which addresses the impact of conflict on children and offers strategies to protect them. This resource was added to our Supporters Area recently, along with: 🔹 An article on UK fathers navigating work and care within the context of Shared Parental Leave 🔹 A Now and Men podcast about gender, the far right, and this year's riots 🔹 Two blogs: reflections from a gay sperm donor, and reflections on supporting your partner through miscarriage 🔹 A guide for parents of children who are struggling to deal with a bereavement 🔹 A TedX talk by Dr Anna Machin 🔹 A report on the perinatal mental health of gender and sexual minority men 🔹 An artist's reflections on the first days of fatherhood All this in just the September update! Get access to our curated selection of fatherhood and gender equality content and help us continue advocating for a father-inclusive culture to make the UK a leading nation, not a follower, when it comes to family life. As we do not receive any funding for our policy work, your donations are crucial to enable us to drive this work forward - including our #6weeksfordads campaign. 🌟 Join the movement today: https://lnkd.in/e_8rBRYD #fatherhood #uk #charity #goodcause #movementforchange #timewithdad #support #membership