NSW Health program for new fathers “Focus on New Fathers” launches in the Northern NSW Local Health District NSW Health has, for many years, provided parenting support, information and screening that has focused on new mums. Now, we are finding better ways to offer the same kind of support to new dads.
SMS4Dads service, four of which triggered an alert to PANDA from the initial sign up questionnaire. This equates to 15% of enrolments and highlights the significant need for this service.
Fathers have an important part to play in a child’s life, however one in 20 fathers will experience antenatal depression and one in 10 will experience postnatal depression.
A previous feasibility study conducted on the SMS4Dads service found that 85% of participants completed the full program, 92% endorsed the program as helping them in their role as fathers, and 81% said it helped the relationship with their partner.
To assist fathers to feel confident and supported in their role, NSW Health is piloting the Focus on New Fathers (FoNF) program. The FoNF pilot commenced on Father’s Day, 6 September 2020, in four LHDs across NSW - Northern NSW, Murrumbidgee, Northern Sydney and Western Sydney. The pilot program is expected to run until 30 June 2021. To facilitate the pilot, NSW Health has partnered with SMS4Dads at the University of Newcastle. The SMS4Dads service has been operating for a number of years offering information and support to fathers. The FoNF program is a free and voluntary service available to all nonbirthing partners regardless of gender, from all cultural backgrounds. Once a father has enrolled through the webpage (www.health.nsw.gov.au/focus-on-newfathers), the father will receive regular text messages containing tips, information and links to support them through the process and to assist with understanding how their baby is developing, all from their baby’s point of view. The messages focus on father self-care, partner support and father-child attachment. Fathers must be 18 years of age and can sign up from as early as 16 weeks into the pregnancy, up until 24 weeks following the birth of the baby. The messages will continue until the baby is
one. Throughout the process, fathers will also be asked how they are going and linked with further supports if required. If a father indicates distress upon sign up, it will trigger an alert to Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA). PANDA will then follow up with the father. Fathers are able to opt out at any time by replying STOP to the messages. In the first week of launching FoNF, 60 dads across the state signed up to the
“I loved everything. The tips, the reminders to stay with it. How to help. Sometimes I felt like you could hear me because the tips always came right on cue.” The Parenting Research Centre has been engaged to conduct a process, outcomes and economic evaluation, in partnership with Deakin Health Economics. The evaluation aims to investigate the effectiveness and sustainability of the FoNF program, as well as to determine if this is an effective and appropriate model for identifying and addressing perinatal anxiety and depression among men and coparents. If you come into contact with any eligible fathers, please encourage and assist them to sign up, as this will help us to reach as many fathers as possible, obtain feedback on the service and have ample data to evaluate. If you would like to experience the service firsthand, there is a professional taster available to help you understand the service and get an insight into the messages that fathers will receive. To sign up for the professional taster, head to www. sms4dads.com and scroll to the bottom left of the screen where you can ‘click here for the professional taster’.
For more information or to sign up, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/focus-on-new-fathers.
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