The Family Initiative has been tracking and reporting on research on fathers in neonatal care since 2015 on FamilyIncluded.com. It became apparent that some interesting and new ideas were emerging in newly published articles. In response to this, the Family Initiative approached all the authors and proposed a joint effort to report on all the new evidence.
We have since published an article in the Journal of Neonatal Nursing - Fathers in neonatal units: Improving infant health by supporting the baby-father bond and mother-father co-parenting.
This discusses the findings from 50 pieces of research in recent years on fathers in neonatal units.
The principle finding is that understanding and supporting father-infant attachment and supporting co-parenting improves the health of the baby and helps both parents to care for the baby and for each other.
RESEARCH REVIEW
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Martin is married to Emily and has two young daughters. Previously Head of Operations and Digital for the Family Matters Institute, where he led the creation of services serving 1.2 million parents each year. Co-founded Inspired Life, an award winning social enterprise that has supported positive emotional health and well-being with over 30,000 young people to date. Executive MBA from the Cranfield University School of Management and PRINCE2 Project Management Practitioner.
CEO
Martin Desborough
Coming soon.
Partnerships
Johan van den Heever
Coming soon.
Trusts and Foundations
Helen Goodchild
Previous project manager of TaMHS Bedforshire (targeted mental health in schools), founding director of Inspired Life social enterprise, working with young people promoting positive emotional health and wellbeing. Qualified sports coach and young enterprise volunteer. Executive MBA, PRINCE2 Practitioner Project Manager, First Aid at work and SMILE Emotional Resilience in Young People trained.
Youth Worker
Richard Harpham
Policy, Research and Innovation
Duncan Fisher OBE
20 years’ experience in working with families and fatherhood. He was awarded an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II for his work promoting child welfare through family inclusive health & social care. Previously co-founded the Fatherhood Institute and the Travel Foundation, establishing both as sector leaders. Has been a board member for the UK Government Equal Opportunities Commission and the Maternity Matters Task Force. International speaker and policy expert on fatherhood, co-parenting and relationships.
Programme Administrator
Alice Piggott
Coming soon.
Youth Worker
Ashley Kenlock
Previous project manager of Inspired Life. Built charity volunteer and community engagement program with Sports Trader and UK Cabinet Office. Previous DEFRA research assistant. PTLLS Level 4, Youth Mental Health First Aid and SMILE Emotional Resilience in Young People trained.
Editorial Assistant
Miriam Fisher
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