News Release, 4 February 2000
Parenting support across the country is patchy and subject to short term funding which makes it difficult to plan effectively according to The Mental Health Foundation's new report, Patterns of Parenting Support.
Despite this the Foundation says that excellent work is taking place in a number of different areas across the country. "The challenge now is to put into place a comprehensive survey of what is happening across the country and identify models of parenting support that do work well without any gulf between primary care and education for example," said Helen Kay, children and young peoples' programme manager, Mental Health Foundation. "Hopefully this report will encourage people to recognise what could be possible. Otherwise, we will end up with a number of short term projects which are out on a limb from other services, under-funded and helping neither parents nor children."
Written by Liane R Kordan of the Parenting Education and Support Forum the report looked in detail at three counties: Oxfordshire, Southern Derbyshire and Newham, which between them provided a balance of rural, urban and inner city populations. The report details the initiatives run within the area including aims, outcomes and funding. The projects covered ranged from those developed by local education services such as the six-week 'Managing Children' parenting skills course in Newham to the parenting forum in Oxfordshire involving local health professionals.
Patterns of Parenting Support recommends that
- co-ordinated policy should be developed at national and local level to support effective work and provide a basis for future development
- funding and planning of projects should be co-ordinated both locally and nationally to ensure that there is neither duplication nor gaps in services
- there needs to be a consistent approach in training professionals such as health visitors and nursery school teachers on the mental health needs of children and young people and parenting support
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For further information and interview requests contact please contact the press office on 020 7803 1105 / 1128 or email the press office
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