Project 450161

Early childhood development is critical for a healthy life trajectory, and supporting parents during this time is critical to healthy parenting and promoting the healthy development of children. In particular, the impact of fathers on their infants has been demonstrated to lower infant mortality rates, decrease risks of cognitive delay, improve parent-infant attachment and reduce parental depression. The role of Indigenous fathers in the lives of their infants is less understood. Colonization has disrupted traditional parenting roles leaving few resources to conceptualize fatherhood and its associated responsibilities. Additionally, parent programs are typically Euro-centric and focus on mothers. In a scoping study on the role of Indigenous fathers in meeting the health needs of their infants, we found that Indigenous men take a journey to becoming fathers, and that supportive parenting programs developed for and by fathers are severely lacking globally yet an important way to support healthy parenting and early childhood development. This 3-phased project takes an Indigenous community-led and gender-focused approach. While the literature suggests that Indigenous fathers are adopting contemporary parenting styles, they long to regain traditional roles and value integrating culture and spiritual wellbeing into their parenting. Phase 1 involves gaining a thorough understanding of fathers' needs during their journey to fatherhood. Phase 2 is a community-led development of a Parenting Program for Fathers. Phase 3 will see the implementation of a pilot Program and its evaluation. This project will fill a current gap in services for Indigenous men and Two Spirit folks by supporting fathers in their parenting and promoting the healthy development of children. In future, the Program can be adapted for use by other Indigenous communities, having a national and global impact on the wellbeing of Indigenous families.