Singapore has now come to a point where we need a "Better Fathering Index"

ALL content used in this not-for-profit blog remain the property of their respective owners.
http://www.todayonline.com/Hotnews/EDC130108-0000045/Better-Fathering-Index-to-measure-dads-role-in-raising-children

A what???

A "Better Fathering Index", aimed at benchmarking the father's involvement in bringing up children.

The Index, believed to be a world first, is expected to be ready by the end of the year after a comprehensive survey of dads in Singapore.

The non-profit organisation Centre for Fathering said it wants to come up with a benchmark to measure the involvement of young fathers in raising their children. It plans to carry out a survey in the second half of 2013 to finalise what it calls - "Better Fathering Index", a novel idea to get a better feel of the state of fatherhood in Singapore.

Chairman of Centre for Fathering and National Family Council Lim Soon Hock said: "At the end of the day, there must be a set of criteria to produce this better fathering index. So it's like the amount of time that fathers spend per day, per week, per month, per year. The kind of activities fathers engage in with children."

Experts said the role of the father is evolving. With more dual income families, they said fathers need to be more involved in bringing up children.

To better support fathers, the Centre for Fathering has trained about 40 dads in the last quarter of 2012 to train others, to become better fathers.

The centre hopes to double the number of trainers this year and wants to increase its outreach by up to 20 per cent.

It's also planning to put together an International Advisory Panel made up of family experts. All this, as Singapore gears up to introduce progressive measures aimed at raising the country's fertility rate and creating a conducive environment for the family.