Even the rich and famous are getting in on the act. Soccer dads David Beckham and Dennis Wise showed off their tots when Manchester United and Chelsea collected their respective football trophies last month.

And an exhausted-but-happy Prime Minister Tony Blair took time off from running the country to help his wife, Cherie, with the night feeds for little Leo.

Unfortunately, not all children have fathers with the time or inclination to make a valuable contribution to their tot's development -- apart from a monthly cheque.

Fathers have to deal with court decisions which make it hard to stay in touch after divorce. And health services, social services and schools can behave as if dads are second-class parents.

This is why a new government-funded advice and support project called DIY Dads was launched at Lewisham Library, in the High Street.

It will provide weekend nurseries where fathers can play with their children and meet other dads, help fathers who are violent to their partners and work with schools to enable boys to learn more about fatherhood.

One Lewisham parent involved in setting up the scheme, Richard Akinlade, 33, is happily married with a three-year-old son but he believes he can learn to be a better parent at DIY Dads.

He said: "I do not like the idea of bringing up a child in a single-parent family -- it needs the input of both parents. As a medical doctor I have seen much child development and I think both parents contribute to the child's social and psychological development.

"DIY will go a long way to help fathers see how they can have an important role in the child's life and make a tangible contribution to it.

He believes young boys learn how to be good parents from their own parents. A young boy growing up with an absent father could be more inclined to be absent from his own family.

Learning different parenting skills is also important to Lewisham dad Razaak Busari, 35, who has a daughter aged four and a son of four months.

"When kids are young you take it for granted it's the mother's responsibility to look after them. But they need a dad who's more involved in bringing them up. I think DIY Dads can help with that.

"I'm from an African background and it's traditional to believe kids should be brought up strictly and be seen and not heard.

"But kids should be listened to a bit more. DIY Dads can give a wider view of how kids should be brought up."

The project is funded by the Government and has the support of Home Office minister Paul Boateng who applauded it for its "common sense" approach to useful services such as weekend nurseries for dads and their children.

Speaking before the launch he said: "Research shows that children, especially boys, benefit from regular contact with their dad.

"However, some men find it hard to balance long hours at work with spending as much time as they would like with their children.

"Others suffer because they are not working and feel less able to provide as they would like.

"When developing support for fathers, we need to think carefully about the type of support men want to access. Services can often seem targeted only at women.

"Giving men practical support and advice is the key."

Fathers and members of the public can contact DIY Dads on 020 8694 0812 or by writing to 320 Commercial Way, London SE15 1QN.