P.S. DADS ROCK
Supporting you when you first become a Dad
Scotland’s first and only national service to support Dads in the Perinatal stage who feel their mental health could be better (Perinatal is from when you first learn you are going to be a Dad and up to your baby’s first birthday).
Matching new Dads with highly-trained peer support volunteers, who are more experienced Dads/Mums, to give emotional support.
Research shows that 14% of new Dads experience poor mental health during the perinatal period.
New Dads/Dads to be
Are you experiencing low moods, anxiety or depression, having difficulty bonding with your baby, struggling with relationships or feeling isolated?
Email us below. We also take referrals from GP’s, Midwives, Health Visitors and other organisations.
The service is open to Dads/Dads to be from all over Scotland.
We aim to reply to all messages within 48 hours so please check your spam folder if you haven’t heard from us - alternatively contact Maddy on 07754 616254
What our Dads say:
“Didn’t know what to expect from support…it was definitely a positive experience. It was good to have someone to speak to, to be directed to activities happening locally to me, and finding other support mechanisms that helped me and aren’t solely mum-focused. I found speaking with someone with more life experience as a father to be reassuring. He (the volunteer) came up with a lot of practical suggestions that make a lot of sense for planning ahead, getting (baby) into nursery and clubs - that practical advice was brilliant, and (the volunteer) is a brilliant person to know as well. It helped me to connect to Dads with similar perspectives and it’s been beneficial for everything.” P.S. Dads Rock service user
“I think at the beginning there was a sense that I was the only one experiencing what I was experiencing and felt unique and isolated with that. In speaking with (the volunteer) and the other dads in the WhatsApp group has been very helpful to realise that I'm not alone, and has helped change my perspective and outlook. I’m more comfortable acknowledging that a difficulty is a phase and not permanent. It's been really helpful speaking with (the volunteer). I think with guys, there's this perception that these are things you wouldn't air in general society, but I'm glad that I did.” P.S. Dads Rock service use
You can download a poster about the service here: PS Poster
Volunteers
We need you to join our team of peer support volunteers. If you’re a great listener and have a few spare hours each week, we’d love to hear from you. You don’t need to have experienced poor mental health to be able to help. Find out more about being a Perinatal peer support volunteer.
Why?
There are approximately 60,000 new births across Scotland and research shows that 14% of new Dads experience poor mental health during the perinatal period. This means each year there are approximately 8400 Dads in Scotland without adequate support to help improve their mental health. Research and our experience show us that when Dads are confident and resilient, the long term outcomes for their children are better.
We surveyed the dads and families who use our services and over 85% were concerned about their mental health at the moment. They were looking for additional support for Dads, especially in the early months of having a baby. One respondent said: I became a new dad 3 months ago, and although it’s hard to know how much is about becoming a dad and how much due to the pandemic, it’s felt quite isolating. New dads don’t get the focus that new mums do. Another commented: Being a new parent was brilliant, but often bewildering. It's an intense time of life, the instinct can be to retreat into yourself. The more support, reassurance, information, community the better.