Father & Child and Waipuna Trusts in Christchurch are trialing a couples version of ante-natal and early parenting classes for teen parents.
Teen parents are notoriously missing from the otherwise well-attended and free birth preparation classes run by hospitals and other providers such as Parents Centres. Waipuna has received feedback from young mums that they feel uncomfortable amongst the older parents.
Waipuna is setting up some antenatal classes for teen mums, but is also keen to explore an approach that encourages cooperation between young mums and dads. Teenage dads are not targeted by any teenage ‘parent’ service provider in New Zealand despite research showing their keenness to be involved.
A trial group has been run in March, attended by both expecting couples and couples with a young baby.
Both Waipuna and Father & Child acknowledge that teenage relationships are volatile, however separation should not lead to permanent exclusion of the father from the baby’s life.

UK agency ‘Fathers Direct’ has re-launched itself as the ‘Fatherhood Institute’ to better reflect their work with agencies ,researchers and policy makers rather than directly with fathers.
The Fatherhood Institute is one of very few fathers agencies in the world getting significant funding from their government, and have become one of the most important resources about fatherhood and working with fathers in the world.
Fathers Direct was set up after the success of UK author Adrienne Burgess’s book ‘Fatherhood Reclaimed’ in 1997. Burgess was instrumental in starting the agency and obtaining government support.
In 2003 Fathers Direct hosted the International Fatherhood Summit, an intense working week of 50 hand-picked ‘experts’ in the field and funded by the Bernard-van-Leer Foundation, a Holland-based international funder of Early Childhood Development projects. Father & Child Trust was one of the invitees.

Web site:
www.fatherhoodinstitute.org

Forget about advice booklets on how to be a good dad. For the first time NZ dads celebrating the birth of a new baby will be greeted and acknowledged at the hospital by a resource produced by other fathers.
Father & Child brings you the New Babies Edition, free of charge, through the Bounty Birth Pack in hospitals in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington!
The mag is in typical Father & Child style: a mix of factual articles and first-hand stories, although the latter provide the bulk for this special edition. What’s it like to be a new dad? To add a new baby to the family? Or to start a second family? Are dads still expected to be main providers? Fathers talk about these unique experiences and describe that unique mix of joy, wonder and worries.
The design is sponsored by Christchurch-based Strategy Advertising and Design, an award-winning firm considered to be a leader in the design market. This first issue was made possible by donations from the Canterbury Community Trust, ASB Community Trust and the Lion Foundation.
This first issue has a print run of 15,000 copies, which is expected to last 6 months at current birth rates. The Trust aims to make this publication ongoing and nationwide. For this, advertising support will be needed.

by Brendon Smith

On the 2nd of March, 2008 Father and Child Trust Auckland, ‘came out’ in public. The event was the Toddler Day Out at Waitakere’s Trust Stadium. We were convinced that it was a better networking event than the Teddy Bear’s Picnic. In the end, we were lucky that another Trust helper attended Auckland’s usually more popular, domain based fun day.
After meeting and being given a handy sand-pit, by Annie Gordon of Barnardos, one of the organisers, we knew our visitors would be able to chat, while the toddlers built castles. With a giant bouncy Castle and busy dance and activity stage, the fun was everywhere, and we struggled to keep up with the visitors. Among the Dads and mums were other stand representatives who had noticed us. We got a lot of ‘finally’ and ‘thank-goodness’.
At one stage, we were visited by the Prime Minister Hon. Helen Clark, who asked. ‘And who are these people?’ to which I replied ‘We are the Father and Child Trust, we aim to educate and encourage all Dads. The PM replied quickly ‘Well, you encourage them to take up their paternal leave, now, if they want it.’ and I said ‘Yes, thanks.’
Then, her assistant noticed my buddy Ian, recently returned from Australia, mainly to live here while he brings up his children, with his baby asleep on his shoulder, beside me. They had to take the opportunity, three fast grins were assumed and the flash went pop!
We were glad to be noticed, but I was not sure if I wanted to be seen in that photograph. In fact, we met so many good contacts it needed to be a special person to stand out. Then, when I came across massage therapist Eva Scherer I was sold. She had me happily being photographed outside her pink drop tent and then smiling, sitting right inside!
There I had been, feeling reluctant in a photo–op. with a VIP, yet happy to be pink…

Want to be involved with Auckland Father & Child? Contact Brendon at:
brendon@fatherandchild.org.nz
Or ph 525 1690