How parent champions raise service take-up

Project
Parent Champions for Childcare

Purpose
To boost the take-up of childcare and other early years services that benefit children and families

Funding
The Department for Education has funded the latest phase of the Parent Champions scheme. It is part of a wider £600,000 two-year grant to the Daycare Trust, with £107,000 a year going to Parent Champions

Background
Many parents lack sufficient information about childcare. According to research by the Daycare Trust and others, families are unsure where to get official information and rely on word of mouth, with other parents seen as a trusted source.

Families in which English is not the first language and those who do not know other local parents are at a particular disadvantage. In 2007/08, the Daycare Trust was awarded government funding to test schemes in three London boroughs to raise awareness of formal childcare by using parents to spread the word.

The charity went on to develop a toolkit for local authorities to help them set up their own “Parent Champions” schemes. In April last year, it was given funding to develop the concept with six pathfinder projects and, ultimately, create a national network of Parent Champions.

Action
Schemes vary, but Parent Champions are parents who have had a positive experience of childcare. Their role is to engage with other parents. They are not expected to have a huge knowledge of childcare available locally, but instead connect families to sources of further help and support such as their local family information service or children’s centre.

These trained volunteers employ a range of “outreach techniques”. “They might pop into a breast­feeding group or library or simply chat to other mums at a bus stop,” says Daycare Trust project manager Lucy Bosher. “Often, they have their own children with them. We’ve found other parents are more likely to engage when they see someone with a child or pushing a buggy.”

Each centre or service recruits five champions who will do at least five hours each a week. They meet regularly with a supervisor and some schemes offer incentives such as shopping vouchers. “The reason it works is because it is parents talking to other parents on an informal basis,” says Bosher. Strong relationships are vital between champions and the information and support organisations they are referring people to. Induction training often includes a tour of the local children’s centre and an introduction to the family information service and what it can do. It might seem like a simple concept, but Bosher cautions that it takes time to establish a scheme and recruit the right people.

Outcome
The Parent Champions project in Liverpool has had a significant impact. According to a July 2012 evaluation, it exceeded its target of reaching 400 parents in six months – 589 parents were contacted, 70 per cent of who were lone parents. All were provided with information, and 217 – nearly 37 per cent – were referred to the local children and families’ information service.

During the six months, one in three referrals to the information service came from Parent Champions. Of the 589 contacted, 32 were referred to receive the free childcare entitlement for disadvantaged two-year olds. The scheme led to 56 new families – with 92 children between them – registering with a children’s centre, meaning that registration levels grew by 12 per cent during the period of the project.

This increased access to childcare, early learning and children’s centre services has led to better outcomes for children, the evaluation concludes. It also produced results for Parent Champions. Five out of six had gained paid, skilled employment, having previously been unemployed for long periods. The report states: “Volunteering and training were critical pathways to paid employment” and says that the parent champions were “inspired to pursue further education and training opportunities”.

A social return on investment analysis by the Daycare Trust, published in October, claimed the Liverpool project brought a £12.79 return for every £1 invested, taking into account factors including the increased access to childcare and other services, increased referrals to the family information service and the fact the scheme had helped parents into employment and off benefits.