Evidence into PracticeLessons from Parenting Support

Julia Gault, Head of Family Engagement, DCSF

Presentation at DCSF Conference: The Use of Evidence in Policy Development and Delivery, 9 February 2010

Investment to Improve Parenting• Significant growth since 2006 including:

• Parenting and Family Support part of the core offer for the over 3,000 Sure Start Children’s Centres and over 20,000 schools providing extended services;• over 3,500 Parent Support Advisors linked to schools•Family Intervention Projects will be operating in every LA by March 2010 – with a target to reach 10,000 parents a year by 2012-13• Each LA has two parenting experts able to provide one to one support to improve parenting skills• Each LA has funding for a Parenting Early Intervention project (parents of at risk children aged 8-13)

• Progress on parental confidence and empowerment now tracked at national level through Annual Parent Opinion Survey

Workforce Skills Critical Evidence is overwhelming of the power of parenting

interventions to change behaviour Skill of the practitioner in delivering the intervention

demonstrated to be critical to its effectiveness A small number of strongly evidenced manualised

programmes dominated and polarised the national debate

Wide range of Practice

HENRY

Solihull Approach

Strengthening Families

Strengthening Communities

Family Links

Homestart

Family Learning

Develop Your Child Coaching

24-7 Parenting

Easy Tiger Parents System

FAST

Many locallyproduced

programmes

Improve Practice

Mechanisms required to: Improve intervention choice Improve fidelity to proven practice Continue to develop understanding of effective

practice where there are gaps in current knowledge

Work of the National Academy of Parenting Practitioners addresses all of these

Response from the Sector Commissioning Toolkit has been well

received – looking at next phase of development and application of model to other sectors

Effective dissemination of learning from current trials

Evaluation of practice post-training innovative for a “skill area” rather than a “profession”.

Discussion Point

Are there lessons that could be drawn from this into your own policy/delivery situation?

Contact details

Contact: Julia Gault, Family Engagement Division, DCSF

Tel: 020 7783 8099

Email: julia.gault@dcsf.gov.uk

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