Where are the dads in Best Start local plans?

Nathan Hodson · September 2026

Every plan says “parents”. If you sort them by what they actually say about fathers, they fall into three groups — and the group is a local choice, because the national guidance does not require a fathers’ offer at all.

The 2026–29 guidance for Best Start in Life plans does not mandate anything for fathers specifically. So what a council writes about dads is entirely its own decision. Reviewing all available Best Start in Life Local Plans, I found three approaches: a small top group that has commissioned something specific for fathers; a large middle group that names fathers as a cohort or aspiration; and a bottom group — around 60 — that does not mention fathers at all.

Figure. What local plans say about fathers and male carers. Counts from the reading notes; a plan may move up a tier if its separate delivery plan names an offer.

Group one: services, posts, audits

Sunderland will “commission a dads and male carers service” including male mental health support. Swindon has “a nationally recognised Fathers Service within Public Health Nursing” and co-commissions with Dads at their Best. Coventry names Fatherhood Solutions as a delivery partner. Lewisham is recruiting a Senior Fathers and Male Carers Practitioner; its perinatal peer support reached 159 male carers last year. Gateshead cites “significant investment in support for young fathers with a national profile”. Medway has bought Fatherhood Institute training, created “Fatherhood Champions” and runs “DadSpace”, a peer group for dads’ mental health. Luton makes “Engaging Dads and Non-Birthing Partners” one of four cross-cutting themes — “Dads and partners play a crucial role in early development, yet many report feeling overlooked” — and held a Dads’ Conference in March 2026. Cornwall has a strand titled “Working with fathers”: “Cornwall will make fathers visible and actively included across all pathways.” Salford names Dad Matters; St Helens and Reading run father-specific sessions; North Lincolnshire’s dads’ group meets at the local football club.

Some have changed practice rather than added a service. Camden Dads runs annual father-inclusive practice audits across fifteen teams. Durham has created a “Dads Welcome Here” kitemark for “places and businesses… actively supporting and promoting dads and male carers”. Hackney has a Father Friendly Borough Charter, fathers’ wellbeing checks and a dads’ SEND group. Islington measures: 66% of fathers attended the new-birth visit in 2025. Haringey reviews paternal as well as maternal mental health at the new-birth visit and six-week review.

Group two: emerging plans

The middle tier is where most councils sit. Bradford: “father inclusive practice is embedded everywhere.” Brent: “as the dads’ offer becomes embedded.” Cumberland: “developing work with Fathers.” Barnsley: success means “a higher number of dads and partners… will be actively involved”. These are aspirations but it is not always clear from the plans how dads will be engaged.

Dudley promises that “Dads delivering with Dads will be a key part of this programme”, but it is an exploration, not a service. Three councils — Newcastle, Nottinghamshire and Swindon — use the phrase “Think Dad”. Nottinghamshire pairs it with a “Dads Pack” across the system and a commitment to “strengthen access to mental health and emotional wellbeing support for fathers and non-birthing partners”. Sutton gives the reason in one sentence: “Serious Case Reviews consistently show fathers have been marginalised and described as invisible to practitioners.”

As all of these aspirations materialise over the next 24 months, it will be essential that Local Authorities monitor success and engage in knowledge sharing.

Group three: silence

From my reading notes, fathers were note named specifically in the rest of the plans, such as, Cheshire East, Bexley, Bromley, Kirklees, Liverpool, Sefton, West Sussex, Southwark, Wiltshire, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, Harrow, Oldham, Sandwell, Suffolk, Warrington, Warwickshire, Waltham Forest, Essex, Lambeth, Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire, Birmingham, Bristol’s neighbours Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire, Surrey, Northumberland, Hartlepool, Redbridge, Stoke-on-Trent and Thurrock. These are strong plans otherwise and dads will no doubt benefit from the new interventions for all parents.

This omission will give us an interesting opportunity to discover the impact of dad-specific policy, both at the engagement level (are more dads involved?) and the outcome level (is child development better where policy aspired to involve dads?).

The complication

It is worth considering whether those not naming dads in their plans already have a great fatherhood offer. Slough lists as a gap: “Fathers and non-birthing parents under-engaged.” Barnet’s families reported “Limited opportunities for Dads”. North East Lincolnshire lists as a gap: “Limited engagement of dads and non-birthing partners, reducing opportunities to strengthen home learning and shared caregiving.” West Berkshire: “Dad specific engagement is a known gap and is therefore included as a priority target group.” Perhaps Dads are more likely to be mentioned when identified as a gap (but it would be more reassuring if plans positively stated ‘We are satisfied with our offer for dads already’.)

Dads, tech, and opening hours

Several Local Authorities have identified working hours as a barrier to engaging dads. Croydon explains that extending sessions beyond nine to five is valuable “with fathers being more likely to be the working parent”. Hackney embeds digital programmes alongside face-to-face “to ensure 24/7 access to support, improve accessibility for working parents, and increase paternal engagement”. Westminster is commissioning an app for parents who “cannot access Family Hubs… including those who work during the day”. Derby and the Isles of Scilly give fathers the Dad Pad app; Gateshead and Newcastle use DigiDAD.

That reframes the question. A fatherhood offer could replicate the delivery existing parenting support, but with content aimed at dads. Or it could be a step change in delivery to meet the needs of dads. Our Pause app has been highly rated by dads and provides support for parents outside of working hours. Its problem-oriented plans provide practical and direct answers for dads, rather than a psychology lecture. Engaging dads may involve groups for dads only. But engaging dads could equally involve keeping male caregivers in mind when designing services for all.