RESEARCHERS are looking to hear from people from Dorset who became parents during the pandemic.

Experts from the University of Sheffield, the University of Warwick, and National Childbirth Trust (NCT) are compiling experiences of first-time parents in a UK-wide study to give a voice to those people with young children.

Dr Fiona Scott, researcher and lecturer in digital literacies at the University of Sheffield, said: “During the pandemic, many parent classes and health visits were suspended, which seems to have led to mixed messages and parents feeling quite isolated.

“We want to understand the impact this has had and use this to advocate for the right support for new parents.

“The responses we have had so far suggest that a lot of parents felt that they responded to this reduced support with increased reliance on online sources of information, turning to search engines and social media posts.”

For more information and to take part in the study contact pandemicparentingresearch@gmail.com