'I felt really lonely': Joe Swash on being a young dad

Swash says that as a young dad, he "really struggled" with judgement from others and felt that people viewed him as "irresponsible".

He adds that young dads often get a "bad reputation" and are characterised as "absent".

"I'd love to find out how many of them 'absent dads' are absent because they wanted to be, or because they were so vulnerable, scared and frightened that they had nowhere to go and had no support," he explains.

Swash says society needs to "readjust" how it sees young dads. Stoodley agrees, saying that young fathers have historically been wrongfully "perceived as being feckless, disinterested and in some cases, a risk to their children".

He adds that some of the young dads he's met face judgement from their own communities and are "told that they've ruined their life".

For Swash, having positive male role models is key in supporting young dads.

After his father died, Swash says he was "craving, as a young man, just to have a male role model put their arm around me and look after me - whether that was a negative role model or a positive role model, I was just desperate to have some role model".

"If all we're seeing is negative role models being put on social media and on TV, you can be mistaken in thinking that's the sort of man you want to be", he adds.

Swash explains: "We can all get in fights down the streets and go on boys' holidays, but not everyone can change a nappy and love and nurture and cherish a child and for me, that's an alpha male."

Stoodley says having positive male role models is "super important" in helping young fathers navigate their new roles.

The founder says NEYDL also looks to address toxic masculinity and steer young men on the path of being a good role model.

Recently, Stephen Graham, who starred in Adolescence, which explored toxic masculinity, announced a new book calling for fathers to have more open conversations with their sons.