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Useful advice for dads: from flexible working to co-parenting
The Fatherhood Institute has published nine factsheets to help dads get the advice they need across a range of issues.
Unhappy diverse family in living room at home. Sad father hugs hold on hand small daughter, mother sitting on sofa. Parents divorcing, child stay with mommy dad leave with suitcase. Break up concept
While more books, leaflets, guides and articles are being written about becoming a dad, the number is still infinitely smaller than those for mums.
However, websites like workingdads.co.uk aim to give dads more information about their rights, about what other dads are doing and to pass on careers advice about managing work and family life.
The Fatherhood Institute has been working in this area for years and has just published nine factsheets that it says aims to fill gaps in terms of evidence-based information about fathers and fatherhood, bringing it together in one place and regularly reviewing and updating it. It calls this “a one-stop-shop of essential knowledge for UK dads”.
The factsheets draw from official sources like the Gov.uk and NHS websites; the Institute’s own and others’ systematic-type reviews of academic and other evidence; specific research papers; and reports and articles from key experts in various fields.
There are nine factsheets:
- Paternity and parental leave
- Parental responsibility and birth registration
- Sharing the earning and caregiving
- Flexible working
- Looking after your health
- Supporting your child’s education
- Co-parenting across households
- Men and baby loss
- Finding help and support
On co-parenting, for instance, the factsheet acknowledges the difficulties of co-parenting after separation. Citing various studies on the benefits of successful co-parenting, it puts forward suggestions for co-parenting successfully, for example, acknowledging your feelings about the separation and finding ways to
look after yourself so you can manage your emotions and allow you to focus on your child, letting any resentment about your separation go, as you can better use this energy elsewhere, making sure you have a support network to talk to, creating a parenting charter which spells out a shared understanding of co-parenting and putting your child’s needs first. There is also a list of resources signposted for follow-up advice.
On flexible working, the factsheet outlines the different forms that flexible working takes and details legal entitlements around and the process for requesting flexible working, as well as signposting to more resources.
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