North-East dads urged to sign up for parenting advice (From The Northern Echo)
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North-East dads urged to sign up for parenting advice
6:00am Monday 18th February 2013 in News
By Barry Nelson, Health Editor
MORE than 3,000 people in the North-East have signed up to get online advice about bringing up baby.
About 1,000 of those are fathers, according to new figures released by the Department of Health.
A total of 908 fathers in the North-East are among 25,000 across England equipping themselves to take a leading role in caring for their babies by actively seeking NHS parenting advice.
The figures, collected in December 2012, show for the first time who is signing up to the Information Service for Parents, an online service for help and advice about all aspects of parenthood.
The Department of Health is announcing that more than 100,000 people have signed up to the scheme and at least a quarter of those are fathers. As of December 2012, 3,466 had signed up in the North-East.
Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter said: "It is great news that so many North-East dads have taken the chance to sign up for the NHS Information Service for Parents.
"A new baby is a wonderful thing but can be stressful, and it is important mums and dads do everything they can to share the load."
The Information Service for Parents gives free advice from a trusted source via email, texts and videos on a range of topics including choosing the right childcare, how babies develop, what immunisations baby needs and how to deal with sleepless nights.
Dads in London are most likely to sign up with almost 6,000 so far, followed by dads in the South East with nearly 4,000 signups. Dads from the North East are least likely to sign up, with just under 1,000 signups since May.
