Parenting Programmes: Policy context
Derren Hayes
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
The focus of parenting support has tended to be on interventions with pre-school age children, such as Coram Family and Childcare’s Parent Champions programme which is a peer support network (see expert view).
There are dozens of parenting programmes that are registered interventions, some of which have been developed in other countries and adapted and licensed for use in the UK. Other programmes have been developed by charities and individuals on a small scale before being scaled up for wider use by other charities and the public sector. Evidence on how effective these programmes are varies in strength, with some having undergone a number of randomised controlled trials while others rely on small-scale user feedback (see Research Evidence).
In its 2017 review of parenting support the EIF defines parenting interventions “as advice and treatment offered to parents with the primary aim of supporting children’s social, emotional and intellectual wellbeing”.
The EIF is regarded as having collected the best evidence on effective parenting programmes in the UK. Its 2017 report, produced in partnership with the Troubled Families programme in England, details how 23 interventions can achieve good outcomes for parents supported by council Troubled Families teams.
“The outcomes achieved for parents typically include measurable improvements in parenting behaviours, as well as reduced symptoms of stress and depression,” it states. “Outcomes for children include improvements in children’s behaviour at home and at school and a reduced risk of mental health problems as children grow older. Some interventions also have good evidence of reducing the risk of child maltreatment.”
A review by the Dartington Social Research Unit, Warwick University and Coventry University has assessed 100 different types of interventions. It found that there was a range of “well evidenced and promising” interventions. The work – commissioned by the EIF – identified the strong evidence for programmes that picked up on the early signals of risk such as child behaviour problems, insecure attachment, delayed development and lack of maternal sensitivity.
Council interventions
Parenting programmes are interventions that take the form of a structured programme of work that parents undertake with the support of trained practitioners. They provide a source of support for all parents and carers and offer an opportunity to share parenting experiences, develop a greater understanding of child development, build positive relationships and learn skills to deal with challenging behaviour.
Most councils will provide different programmes to address a range of problems. Providing access to universal support in the early years and dedicated parenting programmes for those that need extra help can make a huge difference to the relationship that parents have with their children. Support can help parents overcome “stressors” such as substance misuse that hinder parenting, while mediation and counselling for couples in conflict can save relationships and maintain a strong family unit for children to flourish.
Many local authorities are already running nationally recognised parenting programmes, such as Incredible Years and Triple P (see practice example). Others are utilising their network of early help services – such as children’s centres, early years teams, health visitors and social care staff – to engage parents through group activities and online training. The latter has come into its own over the past year as most face-to-face services have moved online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Complex problems
The EIF’s Troubled Families programme review looked in depth at 23 parenting interventions which have evidence of improving outcomes for children and families with characteristics similar to the families targeted by the programme. For councils this is an important resource because so much of their early help support for struggling parents will be delivered through services funded through the Troubled Families programme (see ADCS view).
It found that:
- Parents within the Troubled Families programme are frequently confronting multiple problems that are likely to affect their inter-parental relationship and their ability to parent effectively
- Investment in evidence-based parenting support which addresses these problems is likely to support the outcomes aimed for by the Troubled Families programme
- When implemented properly, these interventions also have the potential for providing value for money and in some instances, reduce local authority costs
- When selecting interventions, commissioners should also determine the extent the intervention will provide added value over their current provision.
The report provides the details of 23 parenting interventions that have good evidence of improving child and parent outcomes in vulnerable populations similar to those in the Troubled Families programme. It includes Functional Family Therapy, a number of Multi-Systemic Therapy schemes, Incredible Years, a number of Triple P programmes, psychotherapy-based interventions, Toddler First, and Treatment Foster Care Oregon. It assesses how effective these interventions are for children of different ages and for tackling a range of problems including antisocial behaviour, school nonattendance, children in need, families affected by domestic abuse and parental mental health issues.
Due to the complex nature of many of the issues addressed through the Troubled Families programme, the review assesses more intensive parenting interventions that use structured content over a longer period. This, the report states, provides parents with more time to establish a trusting relationship with the practitioner, which is crucial in ensuring parents accept advice and practise new skills. “A strong and positive therapeutic alliance is consistently associated with a greater likelihood of improved child outcomes,” it states.
Intervention outcomes
In addition to improving outcomes for children, the 23 interventions in the EIF report also have evidence of reducing the need for specific services. It cites the examples of Incredible Years and Triple-P, which, by improving behavioural outcomes in young children, could reduce the need for police, mental health and social care services as children grow older, and in so doing deliver “benefits to society and the state” including reduced costs.
Donna Malloy, EIF director of policy and practice, says it is not a simple case of “taking these programmes ‘off the shelf’ and dropping them into existing local arrangements”. In a blog, she wrote: “Making them work in the local context can be tricky, for example, some of the programmes are intended to be delivered by practitioners qualified to a high level of skill. This may not necessarily be a good fit with the workforce skills level of existing Troubled Families key workers, and the need to bring in specialists or upskill existing workers needs to be considered carefully as part of any commissioning decisions.”
Also, the report highlights that the entrenched and complex nature of families’ problems – five per cent of children in Troubled Families programme are subject to a child protection plan, 10-times the national average – mean it is “highly unlikely” that any single intervention will be sufficient to meet the needs of these families.
Parental conflict
Many parenting programmes work with families before problems have become entrenched. The Reducing Parental Conflict programme, backed with £39m from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), has trialled innovative approaches to supporting deprived families in conflict in 30 local authorities. It was based on research that found that children living in families where there is conflict are more likely to have poorer social and emotional development affecting their education and later life outcomes.
According to the DWP, 28 per cent of children in workless families live with parents who report having a distressed relationship. This is three times as prevalent as in families where both parents are working. Just under a third of children in separated families never see their non-resident parent. This is a factor that could be relevant in the future, as councils and charities report a rise in families experiencing economic pressures due to the pandemic.
Online programmes
Also particularly pertinent at the moment is the need to offer interventions online. With lockdown restrictions making face-to-face interactions difficult to offer, emphasis has again turned to providing services remotely through video conferencing, web-based support or over the phone.
Many parenting programmes and providers of services have adapted how they work to deliver support online, but some interventions have also been designed specifically to be delivered online. What Works for Children’s Social Care includes a useful summary of an evidence review on web-based parenting programmes published in 2013.
The review of 11 web-based parenting interventions in 12 studies concludes that web-based parenting programmes can offer a broad spectrum of support for common parenting problems or questions. They can also be used to target specific issues or needs such as illness or for particular stages of development such as infancy or adolescence, and covers a range of studies assessing cognitive behavioural therapy and parent-child interaction theory.
The study concludes that web-based interventions can improve parental outcomes including cognitive, behavioural and attitudinal, as well as benefit children’s behaviour. Interventions targeting a specific problem are more effective than those aimed at parenting more broadly.
The impact of the pandemic on children and families is likely to be felt for many years with demand for support expected to rise as a result. It will mean more parents are likely to turn to councils and charities to help them in their parenting duties and minimise the impact that problems have on children.
ADCS VIEW
EMPOWER PARENTS TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES
By Jenny Coles, Association of Directors of Children’s Services president 2020/21
The spectrum of parenting programmes is broad, dealing with everything from behaviour, adolescence and sleep, to health and good nutrition.
Some programmes are just a few hours long and are delivered by volunteers, others are much more formalised with clear, measurable outcomes.
Programmes of all shades provide advice, support and guidance. Some are paid for, perhaps one of the most well-known being the National Childbirth Trust’s work with new parents.
Parents and carers are often more receptive to advice and support early on, helped by the frequent and regular contact with a range of health professionals in the pre-school years.
Universal parenting programmes are a public health intervention that benefits those directly in need of support while also delivering broader benefits at a population level, such as increased levels of wellbeing. Sustained use of early childhood nutrition programmes delivered via children’s centres in places such as Leeds have notably resulted in a reduction in childhood obesity levels.
More recently, a growing number of government departments are involved in commissioning their own projects and programmes for specific cohorts or families, often where significant challenges are already evident. Two examples of this being the Department for Work and Pensions Parental Conflict programme or the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government-led Troubled Families programme. The latter operates on a different scale and has received the most consistent funding over recent years, meaning it has become increasingly more integral to our work with families as time goes on. Among other things, Troubled Families funding pays for a range of parenting programmes offered to families with multiple and interconnected problems, from poor school attendance to unemployment.
Claims about the 100 per cent success rate of Troubled Families have been drawn into question, however, there can be no doubt that the results of parental surveys and the testimony of staff working with families demonstrate real, tangible benefits, including increased confidence and constructive coping mechanisms. Although practical support to change behaviour is offered via the programme, the material circumstances of families experiencing poverty, unemployment or insecure work, living in poor-quality housing and difficulties in accessing mental health support remain largely unchanged.
The best programmes take a collaborative approach, empowering parents and carers to set their own goals and work at their own pace. One of the strengths of the Troubled Families programme is the use of a single key worker, allowing a trusting relationship to build up over time. It is important that practitioners recognise the strengths of parents, carers and wider family networks as well as a parent’s ability to make positive changes. The ability to tailor support to meet the needs of families is particularly important for young parents, for example, or for those whose first language is not English.
HOW VOLUNTEER ‘CHAMPIONS’ ENGAGE PARENTS WITH LOCAL SUPPORT SERVICES
By Megan Jarvie, head of Coram Family and Childcare
We have been running our Parent Champions National Network for 10 years, supporting parent volunteers to give a few hours each week to speak to other parents about childcare and other services that could support their families.
The more you work on peer-to-peer models, the more you realise that it’s the lived experience of parents that really counts. Parents know their community. Hearing another parent’s story about how their child learned to take turns and share toys often has a much bigger impact than hearing all the evidence in the world from a professional.
We have found that this parent-to-parent approach can be most effective with the families most likely to miss out on services. Parent Champions began as a means to raise awareness of free early education entitlement for two-year-olds. The Parent Champion model really helped families to understand how early education could work for them. We provide our local partners with the training, resources and support needed to set up an effective outreach programme.
The approach proved so powerful that our Parent Champions now help to widen access and participation with more services. Our local partners often know the groups of parents who are most likely to miss out, such as families from a certain ethnic group or from a particular part of town. We can then look to recruit parent volunteers from these particular groups who are often able to step into and connect with a community in a way that professionals are unable to.
The model can also help services to rethink their delivery to better meet local needs. The Parent Champion volunteers can share the insight they build up from their outreach in their community with professionals and people designing and delivering services. This feedback is like gold dust in helping to make sure that services are really closely aligned with local needs. For example, some schemes stopped talking about “childcare” and instead called it “early education” after Parent Champions told them that this helped to break down barriers for families who really valued their children’s education and development.
This parent-led approach is at the heart of making sure that vulnerable families not only step through the door of services but that they also find them well set up for meeting their needs. As one Parent Champion in Plymouth told me: “I volunteered to be a Parent Champion because I know firsthand how wonderful and equally challenging and isolating being a parent can be. I want to make sure that all parents and carers are aware of how to access what’s available to them in their local community.”
Click here for more in CYP Now's Parenting Programmes Special Report
FURTHER READING
- Reducing Parental Conflict Programme Guidance, DWP, June 2019
- Commissioning Parenting and Family Support for Troubled Families, EIF, November 2017
- Foundations for Life, EIF, July 2016
- Working to Support Positive Parenting and Relationships: What Councils Can Do, LGA, 2014
- Good Quality Parenting Programmes and the Home to School Transition, SMC, September 2014
- Web-Based Parenting Programmes, WWCSC research summary, original study from 2013