Parenting Support (including Family Learning)

Parents have the biggest single influence on their children's lives and are their child's prime educator. Good parenting in the home makes an enormous difference to children's outcomes. Services in extended schools can support parents in this role. Schools which work in partnership with parents to support their children's development can expect significant, consistent and lasting benefits.

Parenting support can be provided in a number of ways:

Information sessions at key transition points
Most schools provide information to parents at transition points. These could be extended to include other school-based issues such as health, behaviour, sex, drugs, alcohol etc. These sessions are often effectively delivered by a third party that is used to working with parents.

Parenting groups
These are groups which use structured programmes, usually over a period of a few weeks, which cover a specific topic. However schools often run more informal sessions for parents to encourage participation and build confidence before undertaking a more structured approach.

A "What's on" style directory of Parenting Groups is under construction, usually referred to as the "Parenting Database for Referrers". This will enable those who work with children and families to find out which structured programmes are running, where and when. It is hoped this service will be fully available in the autumn of 2009.

Specialised support
This is individual or small group support for parents who might need it e.g. parents whose children have problems with attendance or behaviour at school. This targetted support may be part of a parenting contract.
Information
Schools should provide information on the range of advice and support for parents through national helplines and websites and through the local family support service.

Family Learning
Parents learn new skills alongside their children and find out how they can help their child with school work. Many schools have found that family learning sessions have helped to improve standards at the school.

How to find Parenting Support

Children's services all work closely together, so all staff who work in Schools, Children's Centres, Health Centres and so on should be able to help you find the services you need. In most schools there is a Family Liaison Officer (FLO for short), or Parent Support Adviser (PSA for short) and their job is to help you find help and support when you need it. Kent also has a Children and Families Information Service or telephone 08000 323230 where you can get information about local services. Organisations who provide support services are also listed on the Kent Resource database www.krd.org.uk .

The Kent Children’s Trust Strategy for Supporting Parents

KCC’s Extended Services team has been commissioned by the Kent Children’s Trust to produce the Kent Children's Trust Strategy for Supporting Parents, through extensive consultation with parents and partners. 

The Kent Children's Trust Strategy for Supporting Parents

Every Parent Matters - Information Booklets

These useful booklets contain a wide range of information and suggest helful websites that parents can access on themes such as bullying, healthy eating, internet safety, child development, sex and relationships (secondary only) etc.  Two booklets have been produced by the extended services team in partnership with the Family and Parenting Institute and the national TIS programme.  The first booklet is for parents of children starting primary school and the second is for parents of children moving on to secondary school.

Primary Booklet

Secondary Booklet

Key Guidelines

• Schools can provide support directly or signpost parents to provision offered by other schools or by voluntary, community, private or LA partners.
• Provision should be, where possible, tailored to the needs of parents who would benefit from it.
• Even where demand is not initially evident schools should be working to ensure that fathers and mothers are engaged and feel able to ask for help if they need it.
• Schools should be taking active steps to reach out to the most excluded parents to encourage them to take up parenting support - an offer of informal activities is a good way to engage them initially.

Case Studies

For case studies of schools who are currently providing services relating to Parenting Support, please open the following link: Schools Core Offers: Online Case Studies Resource

Linked documents & Resources

• Every Parent Matters
  This document sets out what the government is doing to promote the development of services for parents and their involvement in shaping services for themselves. There is an associated document aimed at parents  'Every Parent Matters - Helping you to help your child '  DCSF publication PPMRP/22949
• http://www.tda.gov.uk/remodelling/extendedschools/coreoffer/parentingsupport.aspx
  Link to TDA website - gives useful advice about access and signposting and links to other websites
• Involving Parents: Raising Achievement
  This DCSF publication gives practical advice for developing home-school links and a related policy.
• Parents and Carers Magazine
  This document gives advice to parents of year 9 students to help them make their subject choices. There is a similar document for parents of year 11 students.
• Parenting Support
  This document, published by DCSF in 2006 gives more information about Parenting Support and lists some useful sources of further information with regard to; engaging with fathers, organisations with expertise in supporting parents, information for parents, supporting behaviour and attendance.
• http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/information/websites/
  This document, published by DCSF in 2006 gives more information about Parenting Support and lists some useful sources of further information with regard to; engaging with fathers, organisations with expertise in supporting parents, information for parents, supporting behaviour and attendance.
• http://www.parentscentre.gov.uk
  Parents website - information for parents with external links to useful websites