The Plunket Society's Postnatal Adjustment Programme (PNAP) targets new mothers suffering from postnatal depression, and includes a component that involves those mothers' partners in the recovery of the women as well as focussing on the men's own mental health. This component is provided by the Father&Child Trust.

PNAP offers both, a group programme (eight sessions) as well as a home support option. The fathers are usually seen in week four of the group programme, which is set aside as a partner session, and participation is very high. During the "men only" part of the evening the fathers express frustration about their partners' mood swings and often feel helpless in gauging what help their partners need and want, as they get conflicting messages. There is much variety in the response of fathers to their partners' depression; some fathers feel elated and proud about having a baby and are at a loss to understand their partners' depression, while others are struggling with low mood themselves. Common adjustment problems for men when having a baby include: not having enough time for the family; not earning enough money to support a family properly; lack of confidence in handling baby; feelings of not being a 'proper' father (common in unemployed men); loss of emotional support from partner, while little emotional satisfaction from new baby which seems to want only the mother; isolation as a male parent.

Since May of this year a home support option exists for fathers and targets both the partners of postnatally depressed women as well as postnatally depressed fathers (irrespective of the mental health situation of their partners). Initial experiences with this father-specific approach to male depression after childbirth have been very encouraging.

PNAP is also an example of the Father&Child concept of opening up "mother services" to fathers as well, and can serve as a model for many other parent- and child-related services.