A NEW service has been established in Warrington to provide support to new dads who may be struggling to cope following the birth of their child.

Home-Start Warrington, which is based at Fairfield Old School, set up the Dad Matters programme to help them throughout the perinatal stage.

Research has shown dads can experience post-natal depression, and may do not feel confident to ask questions within services which are mainly targeted towards women and mothers.

Home-Start Warrington is also beginning to implement a range of universal and targeted interventions, building on the work of Dad Matters.

Charlotte Brophy, student social worker at the charity, said: “The initiative is currently being run across Warrington to meet the needs of males in services which are traditionally targeted towards mothers.

“The service provides companionship for expectant fathers or those with children up to the age of three years.

“The support is to share understanding of the perinatal period and beyond, to educate fathers on normative patterns of development and give advice in terms of mental health and post-natal depression.

“We really hope to be able to support dads with their mental health during this stage and hope to empower them to be the best fathers they can be.”

The service intends to provide antenatal classes designed specifically for expectant fathers and provide a space for dads to ask any questions that may arise during such a critical period.

The overarching aims are to help dads maintain successful relationships with their families and support them with mental their mental health.

It also looks to engage fathers in services that have traditionally been targeted towards women and to recruit, train and support male and female volunteers to work with dads.

If you are a new or soon-to-be dad and feel you could benefit from the service, visit dadmatters.org.uk/warrington/