How music therapy helps families strengthen their relationships

Project
Sing and Grow Programme UK

Purpose
To strengthen family relationships, help parents support children’s early development and encourage use of music in communities

Funding
Includes £35,000 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All programme, which covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Background
Music therapy has been shown to help families develop good relationships and strong bonds that can help set children up for life. This kind of support can be particularly useful for families facing extra pressures. Music therapist Daniel Thomas, who had previously worked with families affected by autism, was keen to explore the role of music therapy in early intervention and prevention. He was inspired by an Australian government-funded programme called Sing and Grow. “It was a fantastic programme and well evidenced,” he says.” Thomas worked closely with the Australian originators to bring the scheme to the UK.

Action
The programme started here in 2010 via Sing and Grow UK, a not-for-profit community organisation. It was first piloted at a children’s centre in the Forest of Dean, which has run 40 programmes to date.

Sing and Grow is a 10-week programme for those with children aged up to three. Groups of up to 10 families – a parent or carer and child – attend weekly sessions run by qualified music therapists who put on activities designed to boost children’s development, parenting skills and “attachment”.

“It is about parents and children engaging and interacting and having the confidence to carry that on at home as a normal part of their everyday lives,” says Thomas. It is targeted at families coping with divorce and separation, conflict, financial problems, disability, health and mental health issues, and other pressures. The scheme has worked with families who have just adopted a child and those affected by domestic abuse, working closely with local authorities, children’s centres, charities and health services.

Courses begin with well-known songs and rhymes “that people know, feel they can join in with and feel confident at doing”, says Thomas. Exercises involving singing, dance, movement and percussion follow, with CDs and other resources for parents to take home. Parents learn not only from the therapist but from watching each other, with children showing others how to join in. Families also receive personal support, with therapists tailoring activities and advice to children’s age, development stage and family needs. Sessions are light-hearted, but can bring out issues, problems and conflict that therapists help the families work through.

Outcome
Sing and Grow has been extensively evaluated in Australia, where it is shown to improve parenting, lead to parents doing more activities with children at home and increase children’s play and communication skills.

Data from the UK programmes from April to July 2012, based on before and after assessments of families, found a 22 per cent increase in parents’ sensitivity to their child. Parents’ effective engagement of their child rose 23 per cent and there was a 22 per cent increase in parents’ acceptance of the child. There was also a 20 per cent rise in children’s responsiveness to parents, a 21 per cent increase in children’s interest and participation in activities, and a 24 per cent improvement in children’s social engagement with other adults and children.

Data from one programme in the South East, which started last September, gives a snapshot of the impact on outcomes. Six families completed before and after assessments. On a one-to-five scale, sensitivity to the child rose from an average of 2.67 to 3.92, while effective engagement increased from 2.58 to 3.75, and acceptance of the child went from 2.67 to 3.92.

For children, responsiveness to parents went from an average of 2.5 to 3.92, interest and participation rose from 3.08 to 4.08, and social engagement with others went from 2.75 to 3.67.

There is also evidence that the programme has increased the use of music in work with families and young children and boosted awareness of the value of music and music therapy among children’s professionals.

Sessions run by qualified music therapists are designed to boost children’s development, parenting skills and “attachment”