Fathers, Fatherhood and Family Life
On this page, you can access a range of resources on the topic of fathers, fatherhood, men as carers, and family life. Please click on the (blue) links below to find out more ...
Being a Stepdad - tips and advice for stepfathers from Family Lives (PDF, 550KB).
Child Maintenance Choices - free and confidential information to help separated parents to make informed choices about child maintenance in Northern Ireland.
Cumulo Nimbus - children's storybook written by fathers from Blossom Sure Start in Co. Armagh (PDF, 5.5MB).
Dad.ie - Irish website for fathers and fathers-to-be covering a broad range of issues.
Dad Info - UK website providing information on a spectrum of topics.
Discipline and Boys Under Five - practical guide from the Boys' Development Project (PDF, 664KB).
Families and Single Fathers in Ireland - conference paper delivered by Kieran McKeown in 2000 (PDF, 86KB).
Families Need Fathers - concerned with the problems of maintaining a child's relationship with both parents during and after family breakdown in the UK.
Fatherhood Institute - UK website featuring research, reports, practice issues and resources.
Fathers and Families: Research and Reflection on Key Questions - Department of Health and Children Report published in 2000.
Fathers, Separation and Co-Parenting - Man Matters Policy Briefing Paper Number 3 published in January 2014 (PDF, 2.2MB).
Handbook for Victims of Domestic Abuse in Northern Ireland produced by Men's Alliance NI (PDF, 1MB).
Home-Start Northern Ireland - network of trained volunteers offering practical support to parents who are struggling to cope.
How Do Men Prepare for Fatherhood? - August 2013 edition of 'Journal of Family Issues' exploring men’s roles in family planning, conception, abortion, adoption and preparing for childbirth.
In Whose Best Interests? - research commissioned by the Western Health Action Zone to inform the planning of services for young parents, with a particular emphasis on fathers (PDF, 381KB).
Men and Babies - practical handbook (PDF, 1.1MB) for fathers-to-be, produced by The Men's Project within Parents Advice Centre (now Parenting NI). Click here for the cover of this booklet (PDF, 900KB).
Men and Miscarriage - information for fathers from The Miscarriage Association (PDF, 218KB).
Men, Fertility and Assisted Reproductive Technologies - selection of papers published in the September 2013 issue of 'Reproductive BioMedicine Online'.
Men in Limerick Experiencing Separation (MILES) - support group for men who are coping with the effects of a relationship breakdown or who are separated from their family.
Men's Advisory Project (MAP) - counselling for male victims of domestic abuse in Northern Ireland, and offers anger management support.
Men's Aid Ireland - helpline and support for male victims of domestic abuse in Ireland.
Nurture - provides support and counselling to men, their partners and families for mental health difficulties and emotional trauma surrounding conception, pregnancy, childbirth, being a new parent or loss of a baby.
Parental Responsibility and Unmarried Fathers in Northern Ireland, 2009 - factsheet from The Men's Project within Parents Advice Centre [now called Parenting NI] (PDF, 100KB).
Parenting Forum Northern Ireland - highlights the needs of parents in order to influence policy, planning and service delivery.
Parentline - provides information and a listening ear to parents in the Republic of Ireland.
Parenting NI - offers a free and confidential helpline for parents in Northern Ireland, parenting education courses, and a range of articles on parenting issues.
Paternity Leave and Pay in Northern Ireland, 2009 - answers to key questions from The Men's Project within Parents Advice Centre [now called Parenting NI] (PDF, 100KB).
Sands Northern Ireland - support to parents and families bereaved by stillbirth and neonatal death.
SENAC - independent advice and advocacy service to parents of children with special educational needs in Northern Ireland.
The Dad Factor - a September 2015 briefing paper from 'Dads Direct' which looks at the important contribution that fathers in Northern Ireland make to their children's long-term outcomes (PDF, 510KB).
Treoir - free and confidential service for unmarried parents, providing information in relation to issues around shared parenting, access, guardianship, child maintenance, cohabitants' rights etc.
Understanding Fatherhood in the 21st Century: Man Matters Policy Briefing Paper No 2 - a Northern Irish report on fathers and fatherhood, published in October 2012 (PDF, 1.6MB).
What Dads Should Know About Breastfeeding - booklet from the (former) Health Promotion Agency (PDF, 221KB).
If you know of anything else which should be included in this section, contact the webmaster with your suggestions. However, please note that we are unable to include links to any commercial company / business or their products.