Being a dad can be the best – and most challenging – experience of your life.
To Dads-to-be: Thank you for your interest in SMS4dadsSA. We have reached the end of the recruitment phase for this research project. Please check our website in the future for further information on the outcomes of this project and any further opportunities to be involved. We wish you well in your fathering journey.
Research shows that a dad’s bond with his baby is vitally important for the development of their child’s brain and emotional wellbeing.
Yet often men don’t receive the support and advice they may need to support themselves, their partner and most importantly their new baby, before or after the baby is born.
That’s why the SA Mental Health Commission is partnering with the University of Newcastle to establish SMS4dadsSA, a pilot research program which will provide expectant dads with information, support and connections via online services through their mobile phones.
SMS4dadsSA program is a free SMS support service and we’re aiming to involve up to 300 expectant dads.
If your partner is between 20 weeks and 36 weeks pregnant and you are interested in being part of the project – ENROL NOW.
To participate in the program, you will need to be over 18 years old and have a mobile phone capable of receiving and sending text messages.
What Dads Can Expect from SMS4dadsSA:
- Text messages with tips, information and links to other services help Dads understand and connect with their baby and support their partner.
- To hear the ‘voice’ of the baby, for example, ‘Talk to me about anything dad. Your words will help my brain development’
- Suggested actions like: ‘Find ways to tell your partner they are doing an amazing job. This is really important to them.’
- Links to online resources and prompts for Dads to monitor ways they are looking after themselves – like diet, exercise, social connection
- A three weekly check-in text to see how Dads are travelling and if they find they’re struggling linking them to specialist assistance.
SMS4dadsSA Factsheet
> Download Factsheet pdf [350kb]
