Welcome to the June 2009 issue of the Family and Parenting Institute's newsletter – Family Focus. To subscribe to this newsletter click here

 

1. News
2. Family Policy Digest
3. Horizon Scan
4. Forward Look
5. Notice Board
6. Consultations

News

New Chief Executive for FPI

Dr Katherine Rake will take over from Mary MacLeod as Chief Executive of the Family and Parenting Institute (FPI) this autumn. Katherine, who is currently Director of the Fawcett Society, will be the new Chief Executive as Mary leaves after 10 years at the helm of the charity.

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Families and recession

New research from Relate, the relationship charity, has found that a quarter of families are arguing more because of the recession. And one in ten parents told Parentline Plus that money worries are threatening their relationship.

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£3.1 million of government money has been given to charities to help families struggling during the recession. The extra funding will go towards helplines for parents, provide relationship counselling and debt advice online.

DCSF

New Ministers at DCSF

Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP will be the new Children's Minister after Beverley Hughes stepped down last week.

Vernon Coaker MP will take over from Jim Knight as Schools Minister.

DCSF

ContactPoint in operation

ContactPoint – the database which holds the details of every child in the country – is up and running. 800 practitioners from social workers to police officers are being trained to use it. It was introduced in a bid to improve child protection. It aims to make it easier for professionals to share information which should help identify children who are a risk of harm.

DCSF

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Family Policy Digest

This month's digest covers developments around safeguarding children, FPI reports on parenting support services and health visitors, child poverty trends and research into the link between ethnicity and poverty.

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Horizon Scan

NICE guidance

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is issuing its draft guidance on Promoting Young People's Social and Emotional Wellbeing in Secondary Education in July 2009.

NICE

Child Tax Credit

The law is to be amended to clarify that from 31 July 2009 the current four-week run-on of entitlement to Working Tax Credit also covers the childcare element, including for couples when only one partner stops working.

HM Revenue & Customs

21st Century Education White Paper

The 21st Century Education White Paper is due to be published in the next few weeks. The paper is likely to outline plans for a new school report card which will give parents a fuller picture of a school as well as new powers for parents to trigger local council intervention in unsatisfactory schools.

DCSF

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Forward Look

Visit our calendar to find out about the latest events happening in the sector.
Check in to see the new look Calendar later this month

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Notice Board

Couple relationships

Factors in relationship breakdown and what can be done to support couples at difficult times is the subject of a new book from the Family and Parenting Institute called 'Couple relationships: A review of the nature and effectiveness of support services' which was released this week. Copies are available to buy priced £14.50.

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Conference 2009

The Family and Parenting Institute will be holding a one day conference on 30 November 2009 called Policies for Families – Challenges and Choices: The future of services for families. This event follows on from the success of PC2008. It will look at family policy now and into the future, with an emphasis on interventions and services proven to help families flourish.

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Parents' Week

The Family and Parenting Institute's tenth Parents' Week will run from Monday 19 October through to Sunday 25 October 2009. The theme will be 'The Changing Face of Families'. More information will follow in the next newsletter.

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Participants wanted

The Institute of Education would like to interview Black Caribbean parents who are in professional or managerial occupations and have one or more children aged between eight and 18 years old. It is for a new study on the 'Educational Strategies of the Black Middle Classes'. Interviews last about an hour. If you're interested in taking part or would like more information about the project please contact Dr Nicola Rollock at n.rollock@ioe.ac.uk.

NCB (National Children's Bureau) is looking for a small group of parents and teenagers to take part in a consultation about the new Healthy Child Programme, a Department of Health guidance document that will set out what services children should expect to make them healthier. Due to the deadlines consultations will take place in the week commencing 15 or 22 June and will last no more than two hours. All participants will receive a £10 gift voucher. If you know of anyone who may be interested in getting involved please email Liz Zachary at LZachary@ncb.org.uk.

Seminar on parenting services

Last week the Family and Parenting Institute held an event to talk about the future of parenting services. Over 200 people attended the seminar in London to hear the findings from the new research series 'Parenting services: Filling in the gaps'. Presentations are available to download at the Family and Parenting Institute website.

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My Place

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has announced an extra £31.6 million as part of the My Place programme which gives young people from deprived areas a chance to re-engage with their community.

DCSF

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Consultations

Consultations due to end in the next few months include a consultation from the DCSF about young people who are at risk of gang related violence or crime and the European Commission's proposal to amend the Pregnant Workers Directive.

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Emma Brennan Press & PR Officer
www.familyandparenting.org
June 2009
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Last updated: 10th June 2009 at 03:06:11