CYP(3) PAP 22a

Children and Young People Committee

Inquiry into Parenting Action Plan

Response from Rhondda Cynon Taff

Response prepared by: Maggie Pledger Parenting Support Coordinator, including Flying Start, Early Years and Family Support Services, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.

The Parenting Action Plan has raised some awareness of parenting provision and for those practitioners whose sole focus is on supporting parents it gave the beginnings of a context to work towards. All authorities in Wales now have a parenting support coordinator and Flying Start has parenting provision as an objective. Therefore provision is developing. However, how much it has improved support for parents is debatable.

Developing parenting support has highlighted many gaps in provision. In particular for parents who have complex challenges in their lives and for those with children over the age of four years. Parenting support is not a service that can be operated effectively on a shoestring budget or as an add - on to service providers existing roles. Without there being significant investment by the Welsh Assembly in this area of work and a serious attempt made to support the most vulnerable families in society, then we can only scratch the surface and continue to look on in despair as families having high level needs struggle to raise their children effectively. Parents with high levels of poverty and disadvantage are facing many challenges. In RCT there are significant numbers of parents: with poor health, mental health challenges, alcohol / substance dependency and for many, domestic violence is an every day occurrence. There is a need therefore for, intensive, expert and sustained support to such parents if we are to have any real impact on the most vulnerable families, the quality of the parenting they are able to give their children and achieve positive outcomes for families.

The introduction of Flying Start has offered an opportunity to increase support for parents of children under four years of age. However outside of Flying Start there is very still little provision. The availability of training on parenting programmes such as Webster Stratton Incredible Years and Parenting Positively is a positive step forward. However three days training on a particular programme is totally inadequate. Other skills are needed to deliver these programmes and research tells us that the skill of the facilitator is the most important element not the programme.

Realistically a lot of pre engagement work with families that need support the most - which can be lengthy and intensive - to try to resolve very complex and entrenched family issues and parenting styles prior to attending a parenting group needs to be done. Another factor to take into consideration is the ethics of offering a time controlled parenting programme, with very little to offer after that. In my experience one programme is never enough to evoke change. The process of change for families is a very lengthy one with often-minute steps taken over a long period of support. Engaging the parent and keeping that engagement is a vital ingredient to change.

Some service providers are willing to deliver parenting support but don’t have the capacity - its often as an add on to their work load. Service providers are at times insufficiently skilled to support families with complex needs in a group setting and fear of disclosure and being able to 'hold it all together’ is a real concern for providers.

Effective and comprehensive support is not accessible for all parents. Access to universal support for the parents of young children is patchy and there is some improved access for parents experiencing some difficulties but for those in greatest need and those with older children, we can only support some of the families due to the intensive nature of the intervention required and very limited resources for this purpose.

Support for the most needy parents is very patchy. Services will require significant investment if we are to achieve any measure of success and positive outcomes for children.

Information is available for parents however parents need to have the motivation to seek it. It is difficult to measure if parents that need information the most are receiving it. Positive Parenting is promoted by services and some parents do know of or have heard of it. However in my experience families experiencing the most difficulties are the least likely to have a knowledge or understanding of this phase

An RCT Parents Forum is established together with a forum for the parents of disabled children. Fairly extensive consultation has been carried out with parents.

via the forum.

The key parenting issues, which need to be addressed by, the Welsh Assembly Government are:

Funding the City and Guilds Parenting Standards would be an excellent way forward. A three-day parenting group course training e.g. Incredible Years is simply not enough to then deliver the course to parents. I fear that some children could be put at risk by well meaning but un qualified and un experienced facilitators.

To enable parents to attend a parenting group funding needs to be available for transport, childcare and other running costs.

Assuring quality and continuity by funding dedicated workers to deliver parenting groups.

To be able to offer an effective service would eventually cut costs of existing services and offer the opportunity to families of real change

I have developed a Good Practice Guide when planning and delivering parenting groups in order to address some of the challenges service providers face when delivering parenting groups.

In order to promote positive outcomes for children we need to engage with parents. Parents are the key to children’s well being.