Transcript No Slide Title

Parent Participation
References
• Welsh Assembly Government
(2006) “Practice Guide for Children
and Young People’s Partnerships”,
DELLS Information Document No:
019-06, September 2006
• Family Policy Alliance (2005)
“Parent Participation: Improving
Services for Children and
Families”, Parentline Plus
Framework
• Definition: anyone who plays a
significant role in bringing up a child
• WAG adopted UNCRC – 7 core aims
• UNCRC - Parents have primary
responsibility; Family given necessary
assistance and support
• Policy drivers: Making the
Connections, Children and Young
People’s NSF, Parenting Action Plan
Why Parent Participation?
• Improve the quality of life of children
and their families
• Parents are biggest single influence on
children
• Can identify local issues, facilities
• Services will may be more relevant,
responsive and better used
• Increased trust in services
• Parents may become volunteers, peer
educators, mentors
A model for Parent Participation
Wilcox – 5 levels of participation
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Information – telling parents what is planned
Consultation - offering options
Deciding together – encouraging new options
Acting together – deciding together on best
option
• Supporting independent action – support to
develop own agenda
Understanding the Barriers - Parents
• Demands on time
• Feel alienated from a service
• May not use any service so are
“out of the loop”
• Wary of meetings/form filling – literacy,
jargon, gender issues, trust
• Practical issues – transport, access
• May not feel contribution valued
• Need support to contribute
Understanding the Barriers
Professionals
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Demands on time
Previous unsuccessful efforts
Constant need to engage
Geographical spread of families
Training/experience
Fear of parents’ ‘wish-lists’
Information
• Information about local services;
about children’s needs and parenting
and about planned developments
• Systems that ensure information
reaches as many parents as
possible
• Take into account the different ways
people are able to access it
• Parents can help produce userfriendly information
• Variety of ways of sharing
information
Consultation
• What can parents influence? –
consultation or deciding together?
• Use a range of methods of consulting
• Make sure minority groups have their
views taken into account
• Provide feedback to parents
Methods
• Leaflets, newsletters, displays – go to where people
are; include a leaflet in the local paper; ask the paper
to write an article and invite comments
• Surveys , meetings – door to door; set up focus
groups; questionnaire with freepost reply envelope
• Working groups/forums – set up
user forums; hold workshops/events
• Consider venue – “Ensuring Inclusion”
(good practice checklist)
• List of methods, including advantages and
disadvantages @
www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/aio/68967
Questionnaires
• Consider getting expert help to design
questionnaire
• Make sure questions are easy to understand
• Avoid leading questions/phrase
in neutral terms
• Pilot the question design
• Have some open questions
• Accessibility
• Covering letter
• Consider anonymity
• Consider language (www.plainenglish.org.uk)
Make meetings work for parents
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Ensure meetings held at convenient times
Preparation
Help parents contribute
Keep paperwork short and simple
“The minutes were like double Dutch to me –
it was all jargon and abbreviations”
• Ensure parents have a chance to speak, but
without putting them on the spot
Equality and Diversity
• Fathers and male carers – activity rather
than discussion; explicit in wanting
involvement of fathers; male friendly
images and language
• Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) parents
– outreach, BME projects or groups,
consider language and culture issues
• Parents of disabled children – Contact a
Family, Council for Disabled Children
(2004) “Parent Participation, improving
services for disabled children”
Further Information
• Lucy Akhtar, Development Officer for Parenting
Email: [email protected]
• Tony Ivens, Fatherhood Development Officer,
Email: [email protected]
Children in Wales, Tel: 029 20 342434
www.childreninwales.org.uk