research in practice Wales Development Groups

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research in practiceWales Development Groups

• Welsh Assembly Governments
• Parenting Action Plan

Rhiannon Hodson
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The Parenting Action Plan

• published 15 March 2005
• consultation document (consultation period closes
  30 June 2005, final publication in summer 2005)
• supporting mothers, fathers and carers with
  raising children in Wales
• ie. seeks to raise the profile of parenting in
  Wales
• 13 proposals covering the next 3 years a
  living plan to be reviewed and updated annually
• 14 page summary or 34 page full report on
  Assembly Government website (www.wales.gov.uk)
• the advisory group was the Wales Parenting
  Forum (a body co-ordinated by Children in Wales
  and the NFPI)

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Why this session the link to evidence-informed
practice

• it is the framework for the future development of
  parent support services in Wales
• links to some of your projects
• eg. puts heavy emphasis on parental
  participation - listening to and learning from
  parents
• eg. parents role in supporting schooling
• where not prescriptive, you need to ensure
  research informs these developments in your
  agency (eg. how to spend extra funding)

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What it proposes (1)

• Information and advice
• develop a bilingual helpline (like the UK
  Parentline Plus) single national number for
  advice on the local support available
• publish several more booklets for parents to
  add to the 2 already available
• Promoting participation
• issue guidance to CYP Partnerships on setting up
  Parent Networks (forums to discuss service
  devt.)
• require Partnerships to ensure parents and carers
  can (and do) participate fully in service
  planning

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What it proposes (2)

• More support for parenting programmes
• provide extra money for Cymorth from April 2006
  explicitly to increase support to parents
• push integrated centres as the ideal location to
  deliver this support
• require each Partnership to consider the needs of
  parents and carers in planning
• enhance ante and post-natal support
• look into funding to train more people to deliver
  Webster-Stratton Incredible Years classes to
  help prevent or deal with difficult behaviours

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What it proposes (3)

• Grandparents
• compile a programme of work to support
  grandparents in their role in raising children
  (based on research)
• create more opportunities for intergenerational
  practice (eg. forums)

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What it proposes (4)

• Parents and schools
• encourage schools to build better links with
  parents
• develop schools to deliver services not available
  elsewhere in the community (eg. parent info
  points, courses, childcare)
• improve Parentsnet - the website for parents on
  their childs education (www.learning.wales.gov.uk
  /parents)
• Developing YP for parenthood
• improve teaching about sex and relationships in
  PSE
• encourage Partnerships to set up specialist
  support services, including for young fathers

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Questions

• what are the implications for your project?
• what are the implications for the services your
  team provides?
• can you think of existing examples of good
  practice?
• - information and advice
• - promoting parental participation
• - parenting support programmes
• - grandparents
• - parents and schools
• - developing YP for parenthood