Mapping and Analysis of Parenting Services in England shows that onlyhalf of all local authorities consult parents regularly. It also statesthat councils are more than twice as likely to consult service providersthan parents, and more likely to focus their assessments on types ofservice rather than levels of demand.
Martina Klett-Davies, research fellow at the institute and lead authorof the report, said: "If these services do not meet up with parents'needs then they will not be used, and that is a waste of money."
Andrew Cozens, strategic adviser for the Improvement and DevelopmentAgency (IDeA) for local government, said he was not surprised thatparenting services are led by providers rather than parental needs."This is a consequence of funding from central government being linkedto specific initiatives and programmes rather than outcomes forparents," he said.
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