While there is support available for new mums, it can be much more difficult for young dads, according to father and founder of the North East Young Dads and Lads Project (NEYDL), Kev Stoodley. Despite a lack of official statistics on the number of young fathers in the UK, both Stoodley and Tyler Reed, a full-time parent as well as a carer for his partner, believe that young dads receive a negative reputation, which makes it difficult for them to gain support. Many believe that young dads may be a danger to their children or that they are uninterested in their new role. The stereotype of young fathers as feckless risks needs to change if fathers are going to get the support they need.
Stoodley’s project, which is based in Gateshead, helps young dads by teaching them important skills including how to change a nappy, how to bathe a baby and basic first aid. The project’s workshops also tackle the issue of mental health and support young dads as they navigate these complex emotions. In fact, one in 10 young fathers experiences depression and anxiety in the first six months after the birth of their child. Support found with NEYDL is lifesaving for many young dads, including Tyler Reed who admits that without the support he received, “I don’t want to know where I probably would’ve ended up”.
NEYDL is helping to shift the idea that young dads are a risk or a problem, but the charity is also creating and nurturing peer support networks. Nathan Noble is a young dad who now works as a peer support dad with NEYDL. He believes that peer support works because it removes young dads out of the uncomfortable face-to-face dynamic and allows them to bond over common interests and experiences. The project has helped hundreds of young dads over the years, and Stoodley believes that as more and more dads stay on to help support the project will continue to expand and help more young fathers as they navigate their new roles.
While official statistics remain hard to come by, there is no doubt that young dads often do not receive the same level of support that is offered to new mums. Everyone involved with NEYDL agrees that this needs to change and that the work the charity is doing to support young dads is a step in the right direction. Young dads need a voice too, and projects like NEYDL are fighting on their behalf to ensure that they receive the support and information they need to raise their children effectively and happily
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