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Resources: Know How - Improve children's chances by educating their parents

1 min read
The poet Philip Larkin wasn't the first to notice that parents have a big influence on children. Everyone else was just too polite to mention it. So it can make sense, when working with children, to help their parents too, as PJ White explains. 1. It is not hard to make a long list of the potential benefits to children of parent education. Done well, it can improve children's physical safety, reduce accidents, improve their physical and emotional health, their social skills, their growth and learning. By increasing parents' confidence and helping them to handle potentially difficult situations, it can reduce their children's problem behaviours.

2. Parenting education doesn't have to be about parents with problems. Most parents recognise parenting is a difficult job and say they would appreciate some form of help. There may still be a stigma attached to classes though. And, as with many things in life, those who perhaps need it most are least likely to volunteer for it. Parents tend to recommend education for others in their situation - and that includes those who have gone to classes as part of a court order.

3. There are a lot of parenting programmes around. But they are still not as well evaluated as they might be. Knowledge of what works best is patchy. A lot of understanding is anecdotal. Common sense suggests that programmes are more successful if both parents attend. And behavioural approaches tend to have most effect on children's behaviour. Focusing on communication and relationships is good and leads to positive changes - but not necessarily on challenging behaviour by children.

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