Hampshire County Council
	Executive Member for Children's Services		Item 2
	23 March 2006
	Hampshire's Strategy for Supporting Parents
	Report of the Director of Children's Services

Successful outcomes for children through support for parents:

The Hampshire Strategy for Supporting Parents

1. The Children Act, 1989 established the principle that the welfare of the child is the paramount consideration. Similarly, the emphasis of the Children Act, 2004 (Every Child Matters) is on outcomes for children. So why produce a strategy for supporting parents? Quite simply, if parents can improve how they relate to children, this will be the single most effective way of making sure that we improve outcomes for children. Parenting is central to the well-being of the next generation - and beyond.

2. Vision

2.1 This strategy recognises that parents are at the heart of achieving the five outcomes for children in Every Child Matters. "Parents are responsible for raising their children in a loving, supportive, safe, healthy and financially secure environment. Their role is central to the health, well-being and development of their children through to adulthood; this role can be challenging for all parents at times" (DfES, 2005).

2.2 The vision is entirely consistent with the Best Value Review of services to children in the community 2003. The aim of the review is to ensure that:

"All children will have the best start in life through the provision of a range of locally-based, accessible, child and family-centred services which are responsive to and supportive to their needs, services should work in partnership to ensure the most effective use of resources and improved outcomes for children and families". This vision encompasses a spectrum of parent development and support. Any parent in Hampshire, who chooses to do so, should be able to access local, non-stigmatising, high quality services to support them in their parenting role. There is also a requirement to target resources to those families that need them most.

3. Background

3.1 This document was commissioned in recognition of the need for a strategic approach to parent development and support. The importance of supporting parents was highlighted during the consultations on the Hampshire Children and Young People's Plan. The Strategy for Supporting Parents is included within the Local Area Agreement and forms an important part of the early intervention and prevention strategy. Parenting support is an essential requirement of the development of all children's centres and an important feature of extended schools.

3.2 Throughout this document "parenting" is used to mean all the processes involved in bringing up children. The word "parents" is used to mean anyone who carries out the parenting role whether or not they are biologically related to the child. At this stage the Strategy does not attempt to address resource issues.

4. Introduction

4.1 There is already a range of services in Hampshire, both within the statutory and voluntary sector (such as Family Group Conferences) that are grounded in the principles of empowerment for parents and families. This strategy builds on such services.

4.2 This document aims to:

· provide a rationale to inform planning and co-ordination of parent development and support services in Hampshire.

· describe the range of parent development and support services.

· articulate the values and principles that underlie parent development and support.

· identify priorities for delivering parent development and support in Hampshire.

· set quality standards for anyone wishing to deliver parent development and support services within the county boundary.

Within the County Council Children's Services Department, parent development work is consistent with the corporate aim of building strong communities. This strategy aims to bring together not only the aspirations of the County Council, but also those of families, health, and the voluntary sector.

5.0 Underlying values

5.1 Children first

The main purpose of supporting parenting is to ensure better outcomes for children. This principle, that the welfare of the child is paramount, is enshrined in the Children Act, 1989, and is also at the heart of the Children Act, 2004.

5.2 Building for future generations

Good parenting is essential to the development of sustainable communities. How children are parented today will shape what kind of parents they become in future. Supporting parents throughout the family life cycle is one way of helping future generations be effective and supportive parents.

5.3 Rights, respect and responsibility

Parent development and support opportunities should embody the rights of the child under the UN Convention. Cultural diversity and different needs must be understood, because everyone is entitled to respect: It is recognised that children are the responsibility of the wider society as well as their own families, and that children have responsibilities to each other. Entitlement, equality and inclusiveness are fundamentally important in work with parents.

5.4 Parents are partners

Children learn more from parents than anyone else. Parents are acknowledged as having unique knowledge and information about their children, and about their own needs. Practitioners work in partnership with parents to enable their active participation in design, development and evaluation of services. Parent development and support services are available to all those in the parenting role. Parenting is not just for women: when designing services for parents, the specific needs and approaches for successful work with fathers or male partners will be taken into consideration.

5.5 Parent development is empowering

Work with parents is non-judgemental and anti-discriminatory. It seeks to empower by building on parents' existing strengths, knowledge and experiences.

5.6 Quality matters

Anyone who works with parents should have training to specified standards. Good practice requires evaluation of services in a continuing search for improvement that includes analysis of outcomes for children, user views, and critical reflection.

6. National context

6.1 The "Every Child Matters" agenda (Children Act, 2004) sets clear outcomes for children:

· being healthy

· staying safe

· enjoying and achieving

· making a positive contribution

· achieving economic well-being

to be achieved by:

· supporting parents

· early intervention and effective protection

· accountability and integration (locally, regionally and nationally), and

· workforce reform.

6.2 Be healthy

The National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services, 2004, emphasises support for parents as a central factor in the promotion of sustained health and wellbeing of children. There is clear evidence that poor parent-child relationships have an adverse effect on health, both in childhood and in later years (Stewart Brown 2000, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2002). Conversely, there is evidence that parent development can lead to improvements in child mental health (Mental Health Foundation 1999). When parents are able to discuss sex and relationship issues with their children, first sexual activities are more likely to be delayed and contraception used (Swann et al 2003).

6.3 Stay safe

The quality of parenting is closely related to child safety. Not surprisingly, low levels of parental supervision increases the risk of children being involved in road accidents (Department of Transport 1999). Home visiting to improve parenting can reduce the risk of accidents to children in the home by up to 26% (National Children's Bureau 2004). Studies of the use of physical punishment to discipline children have consistently shown that it is both ineffective and counterproductive, since it is likely to be associated with a higher incidence of anti-social behaviour (Barrett 2004). Parenting programmes can help parents to learn techniques of positive discipline that do not involve smacking or hitting (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 2002). The success of foster placements is related to the parenting style adopted by the foster carer, i.e. being caring, accepting, having clear expectations and boundaries, being able to see things from the child's point of view (Sinclair et al 2004).

6.4 Enjoy and achieve

The most important influences on a person's self esteem are their parents (Emler 2001). It is well established that parental involvement has a significant impact on children's cognitive development (Institute of Education 2002). Parental support is a key indicator of educational achievement (Bastiani 2003, Desforges and Abouchaar 2003). Arguably, parents are a significantly untapped resource for supporting learning (Williams et al 2002). Parental involvement in a child's schooling between the ages of 7 and 16 is a more powerful predictor of attainment than family background, family size and level of parental education (Feinstein and Symonds 1999). In particular, a father's interest in a child's schooling is strongly linked to educational outcomes for the child (Hobcraft 1998, Flouri and Buchanan 2001, Goldman 2005).

6.5 Making a positive contribution

Research demonstrates the value of parenting in reducing criminal and anti-social behaviour, and specifically highlights the use of parenting education and support services to promote parenting as a protective factor rather than a risk factor (Barlow 1999, and Liabo et al 2004). Recent government policy direction recommends extending the use of Parenting Orders as an active intervention in reduction of anti-social behaviour. Under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, Parenting Orders are issued by the courts in relation to criminal activity of children and young people, and parenting programmes have been shown to reduce reconviction rates of young people (Ghate and Ramalla 2002). Where school attendance is unsatisfactory, parenting programmes have been shown to improve school attendance (Hallam et al 2004), but voluntary participation is preferable.

6.6 Achieve economic well being

Achievement of the above outcomes is likely to enable children to benefit from economic prosperity in later life.

7. Hampshire context

Hampshire has a tradition of supporting parents both through the statutory and voluntary sector. There are many examples of innovative and empowering services based on good practice. Appendix 2 of this document presents a showcase of just some of the services that currently exist in Hampshire for supporting parents. A range of agencies are represented here, although it is not an exhaustive list. In addition, there are universally available services like those provided through the Hampshire Libraries Service which promote early reading and learning together experiences for parents and children. Similarly, the new Children's Information Service provides a range of information and advice about childcare providers. One of the significant issues and challenges facing Hampshire is how to provide a simple and accessible information point for parents about parent support services.

8. Range of services for supporting parents

8.1 Parent development and support services cover a broad range of activities, not all of

which are available throughout Hampshire:

· Personal and social education in pre-schools and schools

· Preparation for parenthood

· Providing information for parents

· Opportunities for parents to meet, share experiences, and support on a self help basis

· Support for parents in learning to play with their children

· Courses for parents wishing to enhance their relationship with their children and deal positively with discipline, conflict and other issues

· Practical and emotional support in the home provided by paid or volunteer staff

· Short-term targeted work with children and parents in difficulty

· In-depth and long-term constructive support for families on the edge of breakdown

· Statutory intervention as a result of or alternative to a court order

· Support for foster and adoptive parents, including kinship care

· Support and advice for parents of children with special needs such as disabilities or mental health issues

· Work to develop effective communication between families and pre schools, schools and colleges

· Family mentoring

· Programmes to improve parents' literacy, language and numeracy skills

· Family Learning opportunities for parents to support their children's learning

· Helping parents to express their views about their needs, and those of their children

· Family Group Conferences

· Advocating on behalf of parents who have difficulty expressing their views

· Support and advice for parents with special needs or in special circumstances

· Improvement in facilities for parents and children in specific localities, cultural or social communities

· Targeted support for teenage parents and parents to be

· Courses leading to formal qualifications in childcare

9. Rationale

9.1 The Children Act, 2004 emphasises co-operation between all agencies to improve the wellbeing of children as well as the duty of all agencies to ensure that they make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. To support this agenda, it is acknowledged that there is a need to build capacity in universal services such as pre schools, schools, and community services. There is also a need to target additional services to those children and families in greater need. Some children and families will need specialist multi-professional services. In extreme circumstances statutory intervention may be required to safeguard children. To ensure that all parents can access services in a way that benefits their children the most, a range of parent development and support services should be available to parents.

9.2 There is good evidence for believing that change within family relationships is possible, and that support for parents is a good investment if positive outcomes for children are to be maximised. Parent development to date in Hampshire has been too dependent upon local champions and fragmented funding streams. In future, there is a need to ensure that access to parent development and support is available across the whole county, by co-ordinated multi-agency planning. In short, a joint commissioning approach is needed.

9.3 Research on what parenting support interventions make the most impact consistently highlight the need for well-trained practitioners. To this end, a set of nationally agreed standards have been developed in consultation with statutory and voluntary agencies in the field of parenting support and development. These were launched nationally in 2005 and provide a good benchmark upon which high quality services in Hampshire should be delivered (see Appendix 4 for a summary of the National Occupational Standards for Working with Parents)

9.4 The rationale for developing and implementing an integrated strategy for parental support is articulated in the quotation below from the Parent Education and Support Forum:

"Individual agencies are usually focussed on discrete parts or themes within the overall lifecycle of parenting. This can lead to ineffective planning, delivery, and availability of services, especially from the parent's point of view. Co-ordinated, collaborative services can seek to provide continuity, to share good practice, and enable effective `signposting' from one provision to another - facilitating open access routes for parents. Collaboration also enables coherent integration of preventative, supportive, reactive and rehabilitative services across the statutory, voluntary, and private sectors, and minimises duplication of services and financial efficiency. This coherent development of services offers a vehicle for overall community development, and helps safeguard those children and parents who might otherwise fall through any gaps between separate service provisions."

10. Objectives: what will this strategy achieve?

10.1 Through partnership working, that fully includes parents, Hampshire County Council will:

a. Ensure that there is a range of accessible and well co-ordinated parenting services appropriate to need across the County;

b. Maximise use of available resources across agencies and communities;

c. Commission high quality services for supporting parents;

d. Provide equity and consistency of service provision across Hampshire;

e. Make sure that parenting services are properly evaluated against clear aims and objectives so that different kinds of service delivery are most effective to meet the diverse needs of families

f. Develop the quality of services delivered consistent with the National Occupational Standards for working with parents.

11. Priorities

11.1 Listed below are key areas for action:

· Involve parents in planning, preparing, delivering, monitoring and evaluating provision in co-ordination, in order to establish a cohesive and transparent service across Hampshire

· Ensure that parent development and support is part of our Local Area Agreement.

· Senior managers in all partner agencies align their policies to this strategy and support implementation within their organisations

· Map existing services using an agreed model as soon as possible.

· Increase the capacity of the Parent Development Team so that an easily accessible single information point is available for anyone wishing to access or deliver parent development and support services from 1^st Sept 2006

· Increase investment in parent development, particularly through the children's centres and extended schools

· Increase investment in other universally available services, e.g. through libraries and information centres

· Implement common research and evaluation processes from September 2006

· Parenting support is available across the county, although some services will be targeted on populations with particular needs

· All agencies work towards implementation of national occupational standards

· Develop a joint agency strategic approach to commissioning parent development and support

12. Feedback from consultation

12.1 A broad range of stakeholders have been consulted on a draft version of the strategy, including head teachers, chairs of governors, children's services staff, health partners and voluntary organisations. 112 responses have been received.

12.2 The responses indicate a very high level of support (94%) for the Strategy, and specifically for the role of the Parent Development Team within Children's Services in co-ordinating information about parent support services. Clearly, this work will be undertaken in partnership with voluntary organisations e.g. Hampshire Children and Families Forum (HCFF) and the Children's Information Service.

12.3 Most respondents favoured the inclusion of parents in the management of parent development work as a way of ensuring a high level of genuine participation. Work now needs to be undertaken to establish how this might be progressed, particularly to ensure a wide range of parents are included. Initial discussions with the Hampshire Participation Manager will be an early priority for the Parent Development Team. The Parent Development Team has a role in commissioning surveys of parents (e.g. from HCFF, and other parent contact organisations) and running focus groups.

12.4 The vast majority of respondents considered that investment in parenting support should be driven by health indicators and child protection indicators. This feedback further indicates the importance of effective working partnerships with health providers as key partners in the field of parent development and support. From the responses received, these indicators are seen as more important than general economic deprivation indices or specific measures such as education attainments.

12.5 The consultation also asked respondents to comment on the extent to which parenting support should be universal (as distinct from targeted). There is a high level of enthusiasm for making at least some parental support universally available and as non-stigmatising as possible. It is, however, recognised that there is a need to target some groups who are "at risk". The need to get the right balance underpins the argument for a joint commissioning approach to delivering parenting support. Both Children's Centres and Extended Schools were cited as developments within which parent support should be central considerations.

12.6 Finally, the consultation sought the views of stakeholders regarding the best way to ensure that all parenting support is delivered to a high quality. Respondents indicated approval for implementing the National Occupational Standards for Working Parents as a benchmark, although respondents also indicated some lack of knowledge about the standards. There will be a need to develop high quality training opportunities to promote work with parents that reflects the standards. It is recognised that some organisations already work to high quality standards as indicated in appendix 2.

13. Links to other plans

· Children and Young People's Plan

· Local Area Agreement

· Early intervention and preventative strategy

· Child and Adolescent Mental Health strategy

· Children's Centre strategy

· Extended schools strategy

· Safeguarding strategy

· Adult Learning Three-Year Development Plan

· Behaviour policy

· Draft family support strategy

· Teenage pregnancy strategy

· Hampshire Young Carers strategy

· Library and Information Centre Plan

Appendix 1

The emphasis of Every Child Matters on outcomes for children means that work with parents needs to extend from relying upon measures of customer (parent) satisfaction rates. This section considers some of the measures that could be employed to evaluate the effect of parent development and support services.

Indicative outcomes

Be healthy

Improve rates of completed childhood developmental checks and vaccination programmes

Improve participation in dental checks for children

Increase in children reporting that they have had breakfast before school

Decrease in school non attendance due to illness

Decrease in admissions to A&E due to accidents in the home

Increase in proportion of children choosing healthy eating options at lunch time

Reduce incidence of school age pregnancies

Reduce incidence of sexually transmitted diseases

Increase in the proportion of children walking to school

Reduce substance abuse

Improved self reported measures of self-esteem

Stay safe

Decrease in proportion of children referred as "children in need" (Children Act, 1989)

Decrease in proportion of children referred for child protection assessments

Reduce re-registration rate for children who have been on the child protection register

Decrease in multiple placements for children looked after

Decrease in self-reported incidents of bullying in school

Decrease in self-reported incidents of bullying in the community

Decrease in children involved in road accidents

Enjoy and achieve

Improve attendance figures for primary and secondary phase pupils

Improve foundation stage baseline measures

Improve attainments in literacy and numeracy and KS1, KS2

Increase attainments at KS3 and GCSE

Improve attainments for children looked after

Increase adult literacy and numeracy levels

Improve outcomes for parents on family learning programmes

Raise user rates of community facilities by children and families, e.g. libraries and museums

Make a positive contribution

Increase in the number of children reporting that they regularly participate in structured out of school activities

Increase in the proportion of first-time electors voting

Decrease in juvenile anti-social behaviour as indicated by cautions and convictions

Increase in the proportion of young people engaging in voluntary work

Achieve economic well being

Decrease in school leavers not in education, employment or training

Decrease in the number of children and young people found to be engaged in illegal employment activities

Appendix 2

Quality showcase

This section illustrates the commitment to quality of a range of current providers.

1. Quality Features of Homestart

· All Home-Start schemes sign up to the Home-Start Agreement that sets out responsibilities for meeting national quality standards.

· Each scheme employs at least one paid organiser who recruits, trains, supports and supervises a team of volunteers.

· Potential volunteers, who must have parenting experience, are interviewed in their own homes; an enhanced CRB check and two references taken up. Volunteers who are then selected undertake a 40 hour preparation course before being matched with a family.

· Families who are referred to Home-Start must have at least one child under five years. They are visited at home by the Home-Start Organiser to undertake an initial assessment of their needs.

· A suitable volunteer is selected for the family. Particular emphasis is placed on matching the volunteer's skills, experience, personality and availability to the needs of the family.

· Volunteers provide friendship, support and practical help by visiting the family at home once or twice a week for two to three hours.

· The organiser supervises and supports the work of the volunteer by means of monthly supervision sessions.

· The progress of the family is monitored and reviewed, initially after two months and then quarterly.

· The relationship based support that the volunteer provides to the family is intended to be long-term and not task-orientated. Endings are planned and mutually agreed.

· Feedback is taken from the volunteer, the referrer and from the family when a referral is closed.

· To complement the home-visiting service a Family Drop-in Group operates once a week. Parenting and general interest courses are offered to parents.

· The Home-Start Organiser is supervised and supported by a member of the Management Committee.

· A number of policies are in place to shape the service provided including: Confidentiality, Equal Opportunities, Child Protection.

Summary

· Paid organiser manages volunteer team

· Staff and volunteers undergo enhanced CRB check and two references; must have parenting experience

· Volunteers initial preparation course of 40 hours followed by INSET

· Staff and volunteers receive regular support and supervision

· Initial assessment of family's needs; progress is regularly reviewed and monitored

· Each volunteer is `matched' with the family they support

· National standards, Policy and Practice Guide, Quality Assurance System

Appendix 2

2. Quality features of Family Links

The Family Links Nurturing Programme promotes emotional literacy, nurturing and relationship skills through a carefully designed and structured ten week course for children, school staff, parents and carers. It aims to raise confidence and self-esteem in individuals, families and communities. It builds positive calm respectful relationships and school communities, providing the optimum environment for teaching and learning. Family Links relies on a multi-agency approach. It is one of only three national training providers recommended in the DfES Primary National Strategy guidance on Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL).

· Formal application process and interview if applicant unknown to Area Co-ordinator to determine suitability to train.

· Four days full training to enable staff to facilitate the family Links Nurturing Programme safely and effectively to parents

· Observation of Family Links parenting course in action (ideally) before or immediately after training.

· Co-facilitation once trained with experienced facilitator

· Observation of teaching and learning through Hampshire Adult and Community Learning Unit to ensure quality (Common Inspection Framework)

· Leader self-appraisal and post session debrief

· A staff supervision, support and development programme ensures safe, consistent practice that complies with good practice guidance and clinical governance models

· Parent Group Leaders manual

· Trained Parent Group Leaders are required to deliver at least one Parent group per year in order to retain skills and to take clinical supervision twice during each ten week programme

· Tutor Handbook (Hampshire County Council Adult and Community Learning Unit)

· Formative and summative evaluation, Area Co-ordinator monitors evaluations and send copies to Family Links and Adult and Community Learning Unit

· Parentaid Directory

· Annual top up training mandatory to renew recognition as a trainer for Family Links

· Family Links Recognition System to ensure trainers maintain Nurturing Programme Principles and acceptable professional standards for group facilitation. National Accreditation with is currently being piloted in line with the National Occupational Standards for People Working with Parents.

· Ongoing consultation with parents regarding the programme

3. Quality Features of Confident Parents, Confident Kids (CPCK)

Confident Parents, Confident Kids is an eight week structured course for parents of young children (up to the age of eight). The programme was written principally as a behaviour management programme for parents, and has recently been expanded to include topics focussing on relationship building between parents and their young children. This programme has been used widely across Hampshire by a range of agencies, and is well received by both parents and professionals. A recent longer term evaluation of the course showed that this programme has lasting impact for the parents and their parenting style. (Copies of the evaluation can be obtained from the County Parent Development Team)

Appendix 2

_ This programme was written by a multi-professional team of experienced practitioners from a range of agencies, including Educational Psychologists and representatives from the NSPCC.

_ CPCK facilitators are drawn from a wide range of agencies, and is particularly valued within the health visiting service

_ There is a comprehensive application procedure for potential CPCK facilitators, including details of their previous experience of working with parents and with groups

_ Two full days training are undertaken (soon to be a three day course), covering theoretical knowledge around work with parents, child development, group work skills and specific course details

_ On-going support and training is provided to facilitators, including access to regular, locally based, Professional Development Groups

_ CPCK groups are always co-facilitated in line with good practice guidelines

_ CPCK groups are evaluated by both parents and professionals

_ CPCK groups can be tailored to meet the specific needs of parent groups

_ CPCK is regularly reviewed and updated in the light of parent and professional feedback, and in the light of national research and trends with regard to best practice in supporting parents of young children

4. Quality Features of Supporting Parents of Teenagers (SPOT)

Supporting Parents of Teenagers is an eight week structured course for parents who would like to improve their understanding, relationships and practical skills with and for their teenage children. It has been written to be able to be used by anyone in a parenting role who is caring for teenage children.

· SPOT was developed and written by a multi-professional team including representatives from education, health and social services

· SPOT facilitators are drawn from professionals already working with parents in a variety of contexts

· Potential SPOT facilitators complete a written application form which seeks information about their experience of working with parent and of working in groups. Parent Development co-ordinator meets with applicant and their manager (if appropriate) to discuss suitability for the training and commitment to delivery of the programme

· Pre-training days preparation - including familiarisation with the materials and self reflection work on the implications of working with parents in this way

· Two full days training (soon to be increased to 3 day training), covering group work skills, facilitation skills, awareness of parent needs and pressures, adults as learners, as well as programme content

· Observation undertaken and feedback given during the first course run by newly trained facilitators

· On-going support, training and sharing of good practice is provided to SPOT facilitators through locally based Professional Development groups

· Parent Development Co-ordinator is available to help with specific issues if they arise

· SPOT courses are always co-facilitated, and multi-agency pairs are encouraged if possible

· All SPOT courses are evaluated by the facilitators and the parents

Appendix 2

· SPOT can be flexible to meet needs of a specific group e.g. extra session on drugs, or relationships and sexual health - parents are the drivers of this

· SPOT is revised and updated in response to parent and facilitator feedback and in the light of new developments both locally and nationally

· SPOT is promoted across the county and across agencies

5. Quality Features of Family Learning

Family Learning is a key strategic element of Hampshire's Adult and Community Learning Development Plan. Family Programmes can support parents of children from birth to 16 years through separate and joint activities. Provision is funded through the Learning and Skills Council and includes two distinct strands :

Family Learning Programmes aim to:

· help parents to be more active in their children's learning and development

· further parents understanding of the impact of their support on children's learning

· develop the skills and knowledge of both adults and children

Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy Programmes (FLLN) aim to:

· improve the literacy, language and numeracy skills of parents

· develop parents' ability to support the development of their children's literacy, language and numeracy skills

Allocation of funding is focussed on areas known to experience high levels of social deprivation and recognised literacy, language and numeracy needs. All those involved in delivery of family programmes are required to ensure that appropriate progression routes are made available to parents through local partnership working with key agencies.

Family Learning providers are supported through a wide range of staff development opportunities some of which are programme specific, but all are aimed at developing a firm knowledge base with regard to the needs of parents who may have previously had negative experiences of learning.

Tutors involved in the delivery of FLLN courses, who are leading adult sessions are required to be a qualified tutor of adult literacy, language and numeracy. All tutors involved in the delivery of family programmes work within Adult and Community Learning Unit (ACLU) Quality Assurance Framework and have access to the Tutor Handbook to support planning, evaluation and achievement through individual learning goals. These may include improvements in confidence and self esteem as well as outcomes that may lead into accreditation. All family learning providers are supported through the ACLU team through informal and formal visits that include advice, support and monitoring of teaching and learning. All visits are recorded and feedback is given including actions to be taken to improve practice and ensure high quality delivery.

Summary Family Programmes funded through Learning and Skills Council in Hampshire that support the parenting agenda:

Parent Early Education Programme 0-3 yrs Learning Together about Children's Rights

Keeping Up with the Children Confident Parents Confident Kids Supporting Parents of Teenagers Play and Language 0-3yrs

Looking at Learning Together Playing with Language 3-5 yrs

Family Literacy/Numeracy - KS 1-4 Arts/Sports based programme

Appendix 2

6. Quality features of Parentline Plus

· Fully integrated range of flexible services shaped by parents for parents

· Overall aim to work with parents not only to support their family life and to help develop better levels of resilience, but to build their confidence and skills.

· Programmes all externally evaluated - full summaries on www.parentlineplus.org.uk

· Services include 24 free confidential hour helpline, email service, telephone based parenting groups and one to one service, Parents Together groups and workshops for parents, outreach, and information and web services

· Monitoring data on parents contacting Parentline Plus services are compiled as well as fuller information of parents' issues and concerns. This is used to further shape our services and enables us to inform policy makers both national and regional what support parents want and need

Helpline

· Calls to the helpline are answered by a mix of volunteers and paid staff, all of whom have parenting experience, and who work on 4 hour shifts, supported by paid supervision staff.

· Rigorous selection process for volunteers and staff.

· Each call taker undergoes basic training in counselling and listening skills, followed by 90 hours of `on the job' training in their first six months.

· Volunteers work an average of one four-hour shift each week and paid call takers between two and five shifts.

· Practitioners working on email service have further training enabling them to deliver a service which reflects that of our helpline but has particular challenges such as written communication skills.

Parents together groups and workshops

· Delivered from network of 12 area offices.

· Facilitators undergo in-depth selection and training;

· 200 hour facilitator training is OCN accredited and trainees must gain all six units at level 3 to be accepted as a facilitator.

· Assessment is based on trainer observation of skills and written portfolios.

· On going support for facilitators managed by local Parentline Plus supervisors delivering regular observation, feedback, supervision and practice

· Detailed session plans have been developed by Parentline Plus for each course and are provided to facilitators.

· 30 Open College Network accredited courses & workshops, delivered separately or combined to provide programmes tailored to different needs.

· Programme varies in length from two to seven 2 hour sessions.

· The programme is highly experiential and participative, focusing on helping parents develop their understanding of themselves & their children

· Provides a stepping stone approach allowing parents to access learning & support in ways that are comfortable to them.

· Core communication skills for family from babyhood to the teenage years.

Appendix 2

7. Quality Features of Family Mentoring

Family mentoring is part of the family support strategy to prevent harm, or further harm, to children and young people from abuse and neglect and to promote and support safe, effective parenting in order to ensure that children are increasingly able to stay in their own families.

Mentors are volunteers from the local community who help parents discover solutions and ways of managing the issues confronting them so that they can nurture and care for their children successfully. Family mentors are people who can build a trusting and empowering relationship, rather than one of dependency.

The family mentoring scheme is being piloted in the South East of the county and is a partnership between Hampshire County Council Children's Services, a national voluntary organisation (Barnardo's) and local voluntary organisation (Portsmouth Diocesan Council for Social Responsibility). Activity will be determined by referrals from social work teams. The first volunteers are to be introduced to families in April 2006.

Key outcomes for children as a result of the family mentoring scheme:

· Parents are able to ensure their children are healthy (indicators: child registered with GP and dentist and attends when necessary, immunisations and heath checks are up to date, child has significant adult who provides emotional support)

· Parents are able to provide a safe environment (indicators: accommodation meets child's basic needs, child's diet and clothing are adequate, child does not experience or observe violence, child does not witness the misuse of substances)

· Parents are able to develop their own support structures (indicator: arrangements are made for the appropriate care of the child)

· Parents ensure children attend and enjoy school (indicator: child attends school regularly and on time, child is equipped and supported to undertake homework, parents attend appropriate school events)

· Parents are able to support children's social and emotional development by promoting positive behaviour (indicators: child is not engaged in anti-social behaviour, child has access to appropriate leisure activities outside the home, child has a network of friends)

· Parents are supported to be economically active (indicators: child benefits from having parents engaged in training or paid employment, child benefits from family accessing all available benefits and allowances)

· Parents are able to provide maximum contact with the extended family (indicator: child benefits from having regular contact with extended family members or other significant adults as appropriate)

Appendix 2

8. Quality Features of Family Group Conferences

Family Group Conferences have been used in Hampshire since 1994 in child welfare and since 1998 in education settings, to empower families to make plans for their children which will improve their wellbeing and keep them safe from harm.

A Family Group Conference is a structured planning and decision-making meeting which involves the wider family network in partnership with, and supported by, statutory and other agencies. The conferences are convened by a trained co-ordinator, who arranges a meeting to consider concerns and enable the family to make plans to resolve the child's problems and meet their needs. Numerous research studies have endorsed the benefits and outcomes achieved through this means of family decision-making.

Key elements include:

· The use of well trained and supervised co-ordinators who are independent of any case-holding role

· Neutral venues that are comfortable for the family

· A broad inclusive view of `family', drawing on their strengths and resources, including relatives at a distance and significant family friends, as well as the immediate household and the child or young person themselves.

· Support and advocacy being available to ensure young people feel empowered to participate.

· A range of professionals attend the first part of the meeting and act in the role of consultants to the family, clarifying concerns, and providing information about options and services available.

· The family plan forms an important part of the ongoing care plan for the child and is supported and implemented by staff unless it is unlawful or would leave the child at risk of significant harm.

· Most importantly, the actual planning and decision-making responsibility rests with the family group itself, during private time at the conference

9. Quality features of Positive Parenting

Positive Parenting is a national charity based in Hampshire that provides a wide range of resources and training for those working with parents either one-to-one or in groups. They have a particular interest in helping primary and secondary schools set up sustainable and cost-effective parenting programmes, as one tool they can use towards achieving Every Child Matters outcomes.

The materials developed by Positive Parenting are eclectic, to include emotional intelligence and needs parenting style (identified as a key factor in outcomes for children), goals behind behaviour, choices and consequences and focusing on positive behaviour and ignoring negative behaviour. Their resources are described as accessible, visual, flexible and user friendly.

All Positive Parenting trainers have or are in the process of completing the OCN accredited 200 hour Training for Work with Parents programme originated by the Parenting Education and Support Forum. Positive Parenting contributed to the development of the National Occupational Standards for the parenting sector.

Courses and Handbooks for Parents

Positive Parenting produces a range of handbooks for working one-to-one with parents, as well as to support courses.

_ Time Out for Parents (for parents of children aged 0-8)

_ Time Out for Teenagers (for parents of children aged 9+)

_ Time Out for Special Needs

_ Time Out from Anger

_ Time Out from ADHD

_ Time Out from Autistic Spectrum Disorder

_ Time Out for Dads

_ A Behaviour Management Guide for Parents

Parenting workshops for primary and secondary schools

Positive Parenting can train teachers and support staff to run a parenting workshop for their school or deploy a facilitator to deliver them (depending on availability).

Training

_ Positive Parenting offer awareness-raising days on each of the resources mentioned above.

_ Positive Parenting also offer a 4-day training course for those wishing to run the 6-week course for parents of teenagers (Time Out for Teenagers)

For more information see www.parenting.org.uk or call 023 9252 8787

Appendix 3

Summary of key messages for policy about `what works' in practice

· Both early intervention and later intervention; early interventions report better and more durable outcomes for children; but late intervention is better than none and may help parents deal with parenting under stress

· Interventions with a strong theory-base and clearly articulated model of the predicted mechanism of change: services need to know both where they want to go, and how they propose to get there

· Interventions that have measurable, concrete objectives as well as overarching aims

· Universal interventions (aimed at primary prevention amongst whole communities) for parenting problems and needs at the less severe end of the spectrum of common parenting difficulties - though some types of universal services require more evaluation to determine their effectiveness

· Targeted interventions (aimed at specific populations or individuals deemed to be at risk for parenting difficulties) to tackle more complex types of parenting difficulties

· Interventions that pay close attention to implementation factors for `getting',

`keeping' and `engaging' parents (practical, relational, cultural/contextual, strategic and structural)

· Services that allow multiple routes in for families (i.e. a variety of referral routes)

· Interventions using more than one method of delivery (i.e., multi-component interventions)

· Group work, where the issues involved are suitable to be addressed in a `public' format, and where parents can benefit from the social aspect of working in groups of peers

· Individual work, where problems are severe or entrenched or parents are not ready/able to work in a group, often including an element of Home Visiting, as part of a multi component service, providing one-to-one, tailored support

· Interventions that have manualised programmes where the core programme (i.e., what is delivered) is carefully structured and controlled to maintain `programme integrity'

· Interventions delivered by appropriately trained and skilled staff, backed up by good management, support and supervision

· Interventions of longer duration, with follow-up/booster sessions, for problems of greater severity or for higher risk groups of parents

· Short, low level interventions for delivering factual information and fact-based advice to parents, increasing knowledge of child development and encouraging change in `simple' behaviours

· Behavioural interventions that focus on specific parenting skills and practical `take-home tips' for changing more complex parenting behaviours and impacting on child behaviours

· `Cognitive' interventions for changing beliefs, attitudes and self-perceptions about parenting

· Interventions that work in parallel (though not necessarily at the same time) with parents, families and children

MORAN, P. , GHATE, D. and VAN DER MERWE, A. (2004) from: "What Works in Parenting Support?: A Review of the International Evidence", DFES, Research Report

Appendix 4

National occupational standards for working with parents

Standards developed by the Parent Education and Support Forum for Family Learning and Working with Parents have recently been approved by QCA, and an accompanying suite of qualifications is currently being developed. In summary work with parents should:

· Build and maintain effective and positive relationships with parents, colleagues and the wider community

· Maintain good practice in child protection whilst ensuring confidentiality

· Develop parents' awareness and knowledge of their children's needs

· Develop parents' understanding of the importance of their role in maximising their child's life chances, and support parents in being able to fulfil this role

· Develop parents' confidence and self-esteem enabling them to extend their skills and learning

· Enable practitioners to work reflectively and be supported in developing and sharing good practice

· Ensure that practitioners have access to relevant training, and opportunities to update their knowledge and skills in the light of current trends

· Seek to create safe and inclusive environments accessible to all

· Organise a process for approving providers of parent development and support according to agreed quality standards.

The full version of the National Occupational Standards is available at www.parenting-forum.org.uk

References

BARLOW, J. (1999), Effectiveness of parent-training programmes in improving behaviour problems in children aged 3- 10 years (2^nd ed.), Health Services Research Unit, Oxford

BARRETT, H. (2004) UK Family Trends 1994-2004, NFPI, London.

BASTIANI, J. (2003), Involving Parents, Raising Achievement, DfES Publications, London.

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION AND SKILLS & HM TREASURY (2005), Support for Parents: the best start for children, HM Treasury on behalf of the Stationery Office, London

DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT (1999), Childhood Accidents and the relationship with problem behaviour (No.7), The Stationery Office, London.

EMLER, N. (2001) The costs and causes of low self-esteem, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, London.

FEINSTEIN, L and SYMONS, J. (1999) Attainment in Secondary School, Oxford Economic Papers, 51.

FLOURI, E. and BUCHANAN, A. (2001), Father involvement and outcomes in adolescence and adulthood, Oxford University Press, Oxford

GOLDMAN, R. (2005) Father's involvement and outcomes in adolescence and adulthood, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

HALLAM, S., ROGERS, L. and SHAW, J. (2004), Improving children's behaviour and attendance through parenting programmes: an examination of good practice DfES Research Report 585, London

HOBCRAFT (1998) Childhood experience and the risk of social exclusion in adulthood, CASE Briefing (Nov 1998).

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION (2002), Technical Paper 8A Measuring the impact of pre-school children's cognitive progress.

LIABO, K., GIBBS, J. and UNDERDOWN, A. (2004), Group-based parenting programmes and reducing children's behaviour problems, Highlight 211, National Children's Bureau, London.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH (2002), Helpful Parenting. London.

SINCLAIR, I., GIBBS, I, and WILSON, K. (2004) Supporting Foster Placements, in QUINTON, D. (2004) Supporting Parents: Messages from Research, Jessica Kingsley, London.

SWANN, C., BOWE, K., McCORMICK, G. and KOSMIN, M. (2003) Teenage pregnancy and parenthood: a review of reviews. Evidence Briefing, Health Development Agency, London.

STEWART-BROWN, S, "Parenting, well-being and disease" in BUCHANAN, A. and HUDSON, B.L. (eds), (2000), Promoting Children's Emotional Well-Being, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

WILLIAMS, B, WILLIAMS, J and ULLMAN, A (2002) Parental involvement in Education, DfES Research Report 332