PURPOSE:
Early, equal, engaged, and empathetic father involvement benefits children's development, enhances family health, supports breastfeeding, and contributes to prevent gender-based violence (GBV). 4e-parent project aims to promote equitable and responsible parenting, by working with community service staff to facilitate the involvement of fathers from pregnancy onward, and to deconstruct gender stereotypes that hinder the development of nurturing masculinity.

DISCUSSION:
Project activities were structured into four work packages: (1) general management and coordination; (2) capacity building for professionals and community facilitators; (3) development of a policy framework and a supportive working environment for responsive father engagement in caregiving; (4) awareness-raising to shift cultural norms and stereotypes. Through the project, the skills of professionals – including medical staff, midwives, and nurses involved in the community care network for the first 1,000 days of life – were strengthened through the online training, in which 11182 health professionals, 581 third sector professionals and 1424 educational professionals participated. An in-person training on group facilitation was also held, attracting 120 participants, including both mothers and fathers. An online mapping of resources for fathers was also developed and published, featuring 42 initiatives to date. At the policy level, the project promoted institutional dialogue through national and European workshops on care-sharing and fatherhood policies. The project also collaborated with 6 Italian companies, initiating internal reflections on parenting support policies following data collection through 13 focus groups involving 57 participants and a survey with 1,023 responses. Communication activities were coordinated by an editorial hub that was regularly updated. An in-depth analysis of narratives around fatherhood and masculinity was conducted through social-media monitoring.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
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KEY MESSAGE:
Promoting nurturing father involvement strengthens family and the broader community well-being, contributes to work-life balance, GBV prevention and gender equality policies. Poster session 4 (Group B)