Project offering support to teenage fathers

A man who has been supported by an award-winning project to help young dads has said "I don't know where I'd be without it".

Luke Hills from Swindon was 19 years old when he became father to Hudson, who was born at 28 weeks and has quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

He was offered practical and emotional support by Dads at their Best, a project that specifically works with teenage and young fathers.

Facilitator Ruth King said: "Young dads need extra support and need to have a voice within healthcare policies."

Since being launched five years ago by Swindon Borough Council, Dads at their Best has worked with 76 young fathers, the youngest just 14 years old.

The dads are offered one-to-one mental health support, but also advice on things like nappy changing, child nutrition, how to support their partner, reading to their babies, and how to bond.

Hills said: "Nothing would have ever prepared me for life with a premature child, but its because of Ruth that Hudson is where he is today.

"There's a lot of stigma about young parents, they're not mature enough or responsible enough... there's that aspect of worry, are you gonna be enough, do enough for them?"

King won the Outstanding Individual Contribution award at the 2026 LGC Awards, which recognise achievements in local government.

Fathers can be referred by the local Family Nursing Partnership which helps first-time teenage mums.

King said many young men "haven't had that support network, they don't know what a family unit looks like".

Research from the World Health Organisation has shown that teenage pregnancy is associated with poorer outcomes for both young parents and their children, and teenage mothers are more likely to bring up their child alone.

King said empowering young fathers to be active parents "can have a really positive effect on the literacy levels within children, their reading capabilities and emotional regulation".

"It's for the outcomes for the child as much as outcomes for dads," she added.

Luke is now 23 years old and father to two children and stepfather to one with his partner Emily.

"Ruth helped with come to terms with my mental health and being able to bond with him [Hudson] when he was in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit)," he said.

"Everything is a learning curve, but Hudson's a right daddy's boy now. He's amazing."

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