Project aims

The aim of this strand is to establish whether there are causal links between participation in parenting programmes enhanced wellbeing for the child and the parent. This will be achieved through:

• scoping the extent to which existing work on positive parenting is likely to impact on wellbeing
• supporting partner local authorities to learn from each other’s experience and the relevant experience of other agencies
• tracking participants through parenting programmes in order to test the impact of positive parenting on the wellbeing of parent and/or child

The Research Base

Research has identified disadvantage, poverty, single parenthood, maternal depression and young parenthood as being associated with conduct disorder in children. Parenting programmes, primarily outside the UK, have been seen as successful in improving parents’ self confidence and children’s behaviour. Evidence also suggests that the implementation of the programme is possibly of more importance than the actual programme itself, and that the approach is likely to be most effective when it is supportive, community-based and targeted. However, what is less well understood is the impact of parenting provision on the wellbeing of both child and parent.

UK policy has increasingly focused on improving child outcomes since the publication of the ‘Every Child Matters: Change for Children’ White Paper in 2003, which aimed to ensure that support for parents became routine. This has since been strengthened by the various acts of legislation and initiatives such as the Childcare Act of 2006 and Sure Start Children’s Centres.

Positive Parenting in Hertfordshire, Manchester and South Tyneside

All three Local Wellbeing Project partner local authorities have taken differing approaches to structuring their parenting provision arising from identified local need.

South Tyneside
Borough-wide approach to parenting provision focusing on the ‘hard to engage’ as opposed to the ‘hard to reach’. Work is currently underway to map the current provision from pre-birth to nineteen. They have a range of family learning and family support packages on offer, which includes bespoke parenting programmes. Outcome measures are in place and there are very strong links with the Youth Offending Team. South Tyneside is working in partnership with Northumbria University to evaluate the impact of their training programmes.

Manchester
A multi-agency approach to parenting is clearly reflected in Manchester’s parenting strategy. Parenting provision is targeted at four different levels of need: information involvement and opportunities; support for parents; intensive family interventions and statutory intensive family interventions. Manchester University plan to evaluate existing provision. The parenting strategy’s emphasis on behaviour change includes a strong emphasis on the need to respect shared public space.

Hertfordshire
Their strategic framework is based on seven basic principles: focus on achieving positive outcomes; integrated and co-ordinated planning and provision; targeted support; quality support; equality and diversity; and best value.
Hertfordshire has a range of parenting programmes and support initiatives (Webster Stratton, Strengthening Families, Taking Time Out), and a parenting coordinator for each district. As part of the DfES 8-13 Pathfinder project, Hertfordshire has already been able to measure some of the impacts of their work.

As part of the development of the parenting strand the Young Foundation hosted a meeting of experts in December 2006. In preparation for this a review of literature sources was prepared, which can be downloaded here. Some initial thoughts for the potential development of practical initiatives were presented to the group. The presentation can be downloaded here. In the same month a briefing paper was prepared discussing what is known about postive parenting initiatives, which can be downloaded here.

 The Local Wellbeing Project has just launched a report, Parenting and wellbeing: knitting families together, which argues that parenting support often fails because it ignores the wellbeing of parents themselves.

Happy parents tend to be better parents. However the report found that the majority of government funded parenting support, both voluntary and compulsory, does not prioritise parents' mental health and wellbeing. Instead if focuses only on the technical skills of parenting, and tackling children's behaviour problems.

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