Young fathers in Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire will be helped to get to grips with their new responsibilities under a lottery-funded scheme run by the charity Action for Children.

A £476,917 grant from the Big Lottery Fund's Investing in Communities programme will fund work with fathers aged 14 to 25 to help them adjust to the demands of parenthood.

Fiona Steel, operational director of children's services at Action for ­Children Scotland, said the service was a first.

"We know that many men find it difficult to ask for help with parenting, and we want to show them that it's okay to need some support with this wonderful, life-changing and very demanding role," she said.

"Our service will give young fathers the opportunity to build knowledge, learn parenting skills and gain confidence, helping them to have a positive impact on their child's life and really enjoy being a dad."

The grant is one of 13 totalling nearly £7.5 million being announced by the lottery distributor.

The charity Venture Trust Scotland is to receive £840,000 to expand its work with women who have offended or are at high risk of offending.

The Trust's wilderness journeys take participants into rugged, outdoor surroundings that confront them with mental and physical challenges.

A further £966,000 will go to Children 1st to provide support for kinship carers in Ayrshire, East Lothian and Moray, and operate a national telephone helpline, while the charity Caudwell Children will receive £346,228 to extend to the Glasgow its support for parents whose child is diagnosed with a chronic condition or disability.