Ask the Experts: Parents can help children to learn

Question: Why is it important to involve parents in their children's learning?

June O'Sullivan: There is plenty of research that shows what parents do with their children has more impact on their success than any other factor including family income, parental education or school environment. It therefore makes sense that we find ways to support parents to help their children learn.

Research by the Effective Provision of Pre-school Education team found certain activities done on a regular basis were more likely to lead to educational success including parents reading to children, teaching them songs and rhymes, helping them learn the alphabet and numbers, and children drawing and painting at home.

Help parents identify their children's interests and build on those by introducing new words and games. Emphasise the importance of having conversations to practice words and extend vocabulary and simple activities from counting all the red cars on the way home to reading a bedtime story.

June O'Sullivan is chief executive of the childcare charity and social enterprise, the London Early Years Foundation

Question: One of my staff has been summoned to court to give evidence relating to her work with a particular family. She is really anxious especially as members of the family will be in the same room along with the judge and other legal professionals. How can I support her?

Jeanie Lynch: Giving evidence - especially when it concerns services users - is a daunting process so it is essential this worker gets the right support.

Remind her she is being called to do this as a professional and has the backing of your organisation. Quality supervision and strategy planning will help her manage the stress of the situation.

It may be your organisation is required to provide evidence in the form of case notes, records and reports. You will need to attempt to gain consent from the service user to share this information. If this is not possible then you may be issued with a formal order by police or the courts to do so.

The importance of accurate and good-quality recording in work with children and families cannot be stressed often enough as anyone working with them can be called as a potential witness at any time.

Jeanie Lynch works for Barnardo's and has 25 years' experience of working with vulnerable children and families

Question: Some of the older boys who come to our sessions are earning money from a foreign porn magazine which they "hire out" or sell to others. I want to run some workshops on porn but my manager thinks it's a bad idea. However, he won't ban them from bringing in the magazines.

Tracie Trimmer-Platman: There does seem to be a case for talking to the older boys and putting the lid on their little business venture - at least in terms of selling to those who are underage.

But unless your centre has a policy on porn I can't see how banning the magazines would help.

I would advise against running workshops on porn without the appropriate resources or support. More general discussion may be a better way of raising some of the key points. This would enable young people to talk about their feelings. Porn provokes a range of emotions including confusion, guilt, excitement and disgust. Some of your young people might feel more comfortable talking in smaller groups away from the crowd.

Tracie Trimmer-Platman is senior lecturer in youth and community work at the University of East London

Question: Maintaining, much less improving, quality is getting harder all the time. Everyone focuses on us - children's services - but what about our partners?

Peter Lewis: The Children Act 2004 was very clear about a director of children's services' leadership role. But you cannot do it all alone and engaging the right people is critical.

It's not just children's services that deliver quality, the rest of the council must do its part including HR, legal, IT and finance. Bring them together as a "board" on a monthly basis and make sure their contribution is clear and agreed.

The same goes with your partners. Get key local representatives from health, police, schools and the private and voluntary sectors together each month to agree where improvements are needed and build on strengths. Clarify how everyone can help.

Finally, keep re-stating key targets to all frontline staff with the reassurance they have the support of managers at all levels to deliver. There are no magic bullets; just clarity, tenacity and uncompromising standards.

Peter Lewis is a freelance providing interim local authority children's services leadership, and a former DCS in Haringey

Email questions, marked "Experts", to cypnow@markallengroup.com