Fathers & PMH Training Programmes

This programme is designed for single or multi-agency audiences, across all UK nations, to build advocacy for paternal mental health. It equips all those working with families in the perinatal period to develop the knowledge and skills required to work effectively with fathers, promoting good family emotional health and wellbeing and offering appropriate support. Our events are co-delivered by facilitators who are experts by experience, and joined by additional speakers on the day.

Engaging in this programme equips participants to develop the mindset and skills required to work effectively with families in the perinatal period to promote good paternal emotional health, offer evidence-based assessment and support, and know when to refer on to other services. Content of the programme is delivered across the following modules:

Role of fathers and transition to fatherhood
Contemporary policy and research related to paternal mental health
Impact of paternal mental illness on the father and his family
Recognition and detection of paternal perinatal mental illness
Challenges, risks and responsibilities relating to paternal mental illness
Building father-inclusive services and engaging fathers through father-inclusive practice

Multi-agency training

An integrated training approach through multi-agency training is central to the future of coordinated and integrated perinatal care for families. We offer our PIMH training programmes across the workforce, including health visiting, maternity and neonatal care, mental health professionals, social care, early years and voluntary organisations supporting parents and carers.

What is Awareness training?

The Awareness format of training is excellent for growing knowledge and confidence across the workforce. The Awareness training aims to offer the same high quality learning experience as our Champions training, to support participants to develop the mindset and skills required to work effectively with families in the perinatal period, to promote good emotional health, offer evidence-based assessment and support, and know when to refer on to other services.

Following training the participants receive access to resources for consolidation of their own learning only, and there is no access to materials to support a cascade of Awareness training (see Champions for this format of training).

The Fathers & PMH Awareness programme is recognised as Level 1 learning for the Start for Life Family Hubs initiative and is suitable and currently used to support learning across a wide range of professional disciplines.

What is Champions training?

The Champions model of training is excellent for sustainability and growing the capacity of a workforce to meet its own needs for future training. Following training the Champions can use resources provided to undertake a cascade of awareness training to colleagues (where agreed locally).

The Champions programme also aims to support informal leadership and advocacy for the subject. Champions are intended to be advocates for families impacted within their local area, be a resource for colleagues around the subject (in line with their scope of practice) and empower colleagues to promote parity of esteem for PIMH, become involved in supporting and progressing integrated care pathways/initiatives for fathers in their area, and promote evidence-based practice for the subject within their work.

Attributes of a Champion include: having an interest in the care of fathers and PMH, being a good communicator and having the confidence to promote the subject with others (or train from a lesson plan and resources), and being organised and able to contribute to initiatives being developed in their workplace or deliver small groups of awareness training (where agreed locally).

Fathers & PMH Training Programmes options