Working with Dads/Non-Birthing Parents During the Perinatal Period

This free 90 minute professional development session will be presented by the Ready Steady Family team at Drummond Street Services. The session will focus on exploring the experiences of non-birthing caregivers, including dads, LGBTQIA+ parents, and step-parents. Participants will learn how exclusion impacts mental health, relationships and whole-of-family outcomes through engaging case studies, evidence-based insights and practical strategies. This session will give insight into approaches that foster more inclusive and affirming care and deepen understandings of working with all families during this time of transition.

Learning Outcomes

• Apply a whole-of-family systems lens to perinatal care, acknowledging how each caregiver’s wellbeing affects the entire family unit.
• Understand the systemic impact of excluding dads & non-birthing parents in family wellbeing and child development.
• Recognise the unique mental health risks faced by non-birthing parents, including perinatal anxiety, depression, and emotional isolation – and identify how they can differ in presentation from birthing parents
• Explore inclusive language and engagement strategies to better support diverse family structures, including LGBTQIA+ parents and caregivers.
• Identify barriers to service access and engagement for non-birthing parents, including misgendering, stereotyping, and assumptions about caregiving roles.
• Challenge gendered norms and cis-heteronormative assumptions in perinatal services that marginalise and invalidate non-birthing caregivers.
• Reflect on real-world case scenarios to develop curiosity, empathy and best-practice approaches for engaging non-birthing parents in diverse family contexts.