Raising kids is a tough job, and as Nelson father Darran Leigh knows it can be especially challenging doing it on your own.

The solo father, who has custody of his daughters Nirvana-Rose, 4, and Tegan, 15, is setting up a support group for other solo dads in the Nelson area.

Mr Leigh said he wanted to set up the group after looking for something to attend and discovering while there were plenty of groups set up for solo mums there was not anything for solo dads in Nelson he knew of.

"I would feel more comfortable talking to other solo dads going through a similar thing. It gives the kids a chance to hang out with other kids and the dads can sit down and talk."

He started setting up the group in the past couple of weeks and is waiting to hear back from others wanting to join before deciding where and when it would meet.

"It's just to give each other a bit of moral support and help each other out in what ever way we can."

Figures released last week show there has been a 40 per cent surge in the number of solo fathers nationally claiming the domestic purposes benefit (DPB) in the past four years.

In June 2007, there were 9969 fathers on the DPB compared with 13,879 this June.

Mr Leigh said he believed this showed that men were more willing to step up and take responsibility for their children and that the country had realised that mothers were not always the best person to raise their children.

He did not want his group, solo dadsnz, to be exclusively for dads who had custody of their children, but also wanted the group to provide support for men trying to get visitation rights or full custody of them.

"I know how hard that can be."

He had organised through the YMCA to have access to space at its St Vincent St facilities, which could be used as a safe place for weekend visits or access.

Mr Leigh said he would be on site to keep an eye on things.

He had recently been through Child Youth and Family to get custody of his youngest daughter and CYF, whom he said were absolutely brilliant in his case, were behind what he was doing. "They've been absolutely awesome."

Having been through CYF and the Family Court he could help explain those processes, he said.

CYF had also given him a box of information he could share with other parents.

Mr Leigh said he had never set up a group before and it had been a learning curve. He was taking a course on how to run effective meetings.

"I've never done anything like this before. It's given me a bit of direction and something to focus on I suppose."

For more information on the group contact Mr Leigh on 027 817 9542, email solodadsnz@gmail.com or on Facebook solodadsnz.