County Durham young dad says more support needed for new fathers

A North East Labour MP, who has met with the charity, is campaigning for longer paternity leave but also for more support to be on offer for new dads.

Bishop Auckland’s Sam Rushworth, a father of five, used a parliamentary debate to talk about the need to support dads. He fears without male role models, young boys in particular could be negatively influenced by social media.

He said: “A young man in Britain today is more likely to have a smartphone than to have a male role model in his life, and when the going gets tough and young people don’t feel they’ve got anywhere else to turn, they turn to the internet.

“They can then be influenced by bad faith actors who don’t really want them to grow up into the sort of young man we’d all like to see.

“There are things we can do, like more paternity leave, flexible working, and support in the community that can create those role models that our children need.”

The government has said it is reviewing the length of paternity leave, and is working across departments to improve support for dads, including through more family hubs and a men’s health strategy.

In Rushworth’s debate, justice minister Jake Richards said: “I am proud to be part of a pro-family government, something that I am very pleased to say explicitly. We are supporting families from the very beginning.

“We want family services to be accessible and welcoming to all parents, and for fathers to feel that support is for them, too. That includes recognising that the transition to fatherhood itself can be really challenging and making sure fathers are supported during those critical months around birth.”

But in the debate MPs also highlighted the role school and sports clubs can play in providing male role models.

Sunderland AFC’s official charity Foundation of Light launched its We Are Role Models campaign in 2025, following ex England manager Gareth Southgate’s comments about the lack of positive influences for young men.

It works across Sunderland, South Tyneside and County Durham, supporting boys and young men through sport, education and mentoring.