Interview: Pamela Park, chief executive, Parenting UK
Emily Watson
Friday, April 16, 2010
As a mother of three, Parenting UK chief executive Pamela Park admits that being the voice for parent support services isn't just a vocation, but a personal endeavour.
"I doubt that without the experience of being a parent I would have been attracted to this role," she says. "It's always good to be able to reflect on policy, theory and research in light of your own experience."
As a stay-at-home mum until 2000, Park says she understands the issues facing modern families today.
Attitudes towards parenting support are key, says Park. She is positive about the progress that has been made in support services since the organisation was established in 1995. "The importance of parenting and the role of family in society is something that has been recognised to a greater extent by all of the political parties," she says. But she adds that the picture isn't entirely rosy.
"There is still a stigma attached to seeking help as a parent. It needs a cultural shift to see parenting advice, education and support as an entitlement," she says. "All parents receive child benefits and there is no stigma attached to that, nor to antenatal classes. We need to remove this stigma so that it's seen as a universal right and a normal entitlement."
While Park refuses to be drawn on which of the parties' attempts to entice the "family vote" she most supports, Parenting UK has some clear proposals for the next government. Foremost, she wants to see the structures that are already in place for families better exploited.
"We want to see parents being able to access services through existing channels, which means using the transitions made in three key areas: into parenthood, into primary school and into secondary school," she says. "We know that most parents will engage with antenatal classes, schools and health visitors, and we know these are trusted sources of support."
Parenting UK is also pushing for an investigation into whether financial incentives could encourage more parents to engage with support services. Citing the cost-effectiveness of early intervention, Park believes that a cash incentive, perhaps paid within the same package as child benefit, "could increase uptake in parenting courses, which would improve outcomes for children and thus lead to savings further down the road".
And saving money might just be the issue that dominates the profession in the coming years. The financial crisis, coupled with an unpredictable election, is causing ripples of anxiety throughout the sector, according to Park.
"For everyone in the sector, there is a great concern about the effect of spending cuts, and we are all just waiting to see where the cuts are going to take effect and which areas will be hit hardest.
"One of the biggest fears with the cuts in spending is that early intervention and preventative work will be squeezed and only crisis intervention work will be funded. We feel that this would be a huge step backwards."
Park thinks greater collaboration among services is the answer, saying progress in joint working has been patchy so far. "There have to be ways we can work together to continue to provide the universal platform of support and early intervention services. What I would hope is that the reality of an extreme economic situation facing everybody would engender more collaboration and that people will work together more efficiently," she explains.
So what about the future? With a membership spanning local authorities, health services, voluntary organisations and private consultants, Parenting UK has a lot on its plate.
In keeping with policy for the rest of children's services, Park says that early intervention is the order of the day.
"In 2020, we would hope that every family across the country would see it as an expected right to be able to seek help and advice in raising their children when they need it," she says. "We hope there will be a package of cost-effective services available to all families, which would provide the basis on which early intervention and higher-level intervention services could be built."
CV: A PASSION FOR PARENTING
- In 2000, Park joined the London Civic Forum as a community development officer. Before this, she was a stay-at-home mum and also did voluntary work in her local communities of Lancaster and then Enfield
- In 2002, she moved to Voluntary Action Westminster, a council for voluntary services. Six years later, in 2008, she was appointed chief executive of Parenting UK, a national membership forum for those working with parents. It provides a platform for discussion and informs policy makers on parenting support services
- Parenting UK founded the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners in 1998