While factors which led to the unrest in August 2011 are many and complex, the quality of parenting is undeniably a part of the jigsaw. In response to the events, the Prime Minister said “if we want to have any hope of mending our broken society, family and parenting is where we’ve got to start”. Although further analysis has now revealed that only 20% on average of those arrested were under 18, we know that the quality of parenting is a key determinant in predicting a child’s future involvement in anti-social activity or criminal behaviour, whether as a child or later in life. We also know that one of the key risk factors for future criminal activity is having a family member who has a criminal conviction. The children, present and future, of those convicted following the riots are at higher risk of criminal behaviour themselves. Why focus on parenting?
Parents are the biggest single influence on their child’s development. “Authoritative” parents, who show warmth, consistency and positive regard towards their children and set firm boundaries, are best for most children, rather than parents who are characterised as “authoritarian” or “indifferent”. Authoritative parenting builds the foundation for a child to grow up feeling loved and valued, and in turn children develop the capacity to trust and empathise, to respect other people, and to understand the consequences of their actions.
Not only do we know that parenting is crucial in determining a child’s future but we know also that parenting skills can be learned and enhanced, resulting in improved family wellbeing and better outcomes for children. There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of parenting programmes: over 100 randomised trials show the effectiveness of structured, cognitive behavioural-based interventions with a wide range of families in reducing child problematic behaviour, improving parent confidence and skill, and reducing child maltreatment.[i]
Unicef’s 2007 report card placed the UK at the bottom of the child wellbeing league table.[ii] Recent follow-up research by Unicef showed that wellbeing ‘centres on time with a happy, stable family, having good friends and plenty of things to do.’[iii] It is important that parenting policy is set in the context of improving overall family wellbeing. The quality of parenting is one of the key determinants in family wellbeing – recent reports and league tables show that Britain needs to improve in this area. Around three-quarters of parents say they want more information and support to help their parenting[iv] - policy-makers must recognise this opportunity to significantly improve family wellbeing across the country.
How to transform parenting in the UK
In order to produce any long-term improvements in family wellbeing, we must change the social norms surrounding parenting support – moving towards a society where seeking advice and support about parenting is as accepted as attending an antenatal class to get information about pregnancy and birth. The birth process, after all, lasts no more than 24 hours while parenting is a life long role. Parenting must be recognised as a skill that can be learned and enhanced.
In order to ensure social norms can be changed, parenting education and support must be offered within a framework which builds on a platform of universal support. The stigma associated with asking for help is thus diminished, and more effective, targeted support to those in greater need can be promoted. Parenting support models such as those in Leksand in Sweden and the SKIP programme in New Zealand, which are universal and preventative in nature, offer proof that this approach is effective.[v]
Parenting Support Framework
Universal provision
Integral to this parenting support framework is a universal platform that will ensure a shift in social norms, beginning with the inclusion of concepts of positive parenting and understanding child development in schools. This will not only help to ensure that the next generation of parents have the necessary understanding of what children need, but it also shifts the social norms around seeking advice as students will already have a lived experience of learning about parenting.
Providing parenting support for expectant mothers and fathers is another key area which needs greater recognition and development. All parents can benefit from learning about parenting and relationships during the antenatal period, rather than just the mechanics of birth and breastfeeding - and they are particularly open to learning before the birth of their first child.
Evidence shows that the first years of a child’s life are vitally important in laying the foundations for later outcomes, therefore we endorse the current focus on children’s centres and the introduction of an offer of universal parenting classes to parents of children under five. Given the evidence of the importance of the foundation years in shaping a child’s future, it is essential that all parents have access to advice and support during these vital years. This universal offer, if properly accessed following the shift in social norms, would greatly contribute to improving the overall wellbeing of families in the UK.
Early intervention at points of transition
We know that points of transition and change can be challenging and provoke anxiety, yet at these times parents are often more open to support and help. The key transition points which could be built upon include starting primary school and moving to secondary school, the birth of a new sibling and moving home. We believe that targeting these key times of transition will allow universal engagement with parents, leading to wider uptake of cost-effective early intervention and preventative work with families who may be experiencing challenges but have not yet reached thresholds which would bring them to the attention of more costly targeted interventions, especially if the interventions are delivered by a plurality of providers in universal settings.
Targeted interventions
To complete this framework there needs to be targeted interventions for families where there are established difficulties, such as mental health problems, parental substance misuse, or a family member in prison. To break the cycles of disadvantage that have become entrenched in some communities, targeted support towards these groups where we know there are additional needs is essential. In addition, there is a growing body of evidence which shows that multi-agency, whole family approaches are effective in supporting those families with multiple, complex needs. The Westminster Family Recovery Programme has seen a 69% reduction in accused offences and 48% reduction in reported anti-social behaviour, whilst saving an estimated £2 million in costs that would have been incurred had the 50 families involved not received intensive support.[vi]
Of course, throughout the parenting support framework, from universal to targeted services, the quality and training of the workforce - both in terms of what they do and the way in which they communicate with parents - is an essential ingredient to ensure high quality outcomes for parents and families.
Conclusion – challenging assumptions and avoiding pitfalls
The events of the summer raised two areas of potential pitfalls in relation to parenting policy. First, some parents were quoted in the media as blaming government for no longer letting them discipline their children. The unrest must not be used as an excuse to condone authoritarian parenting – characterised by harsh discipline and inconsistency. Authoritative parenting consistently sets firm boundaries but does not resort to harsh discipline that simply makes matters worse; it is more effective to use positive methods of discipline. Secondly, the unrest led to a strong response by the judiciary and local authorities, with custodial sentences and threats of eviction and loss of housing benefit. We must avoid responses that will inadvertently make problems worse in the future. Although the use of parenting orders has been questioned by some quarters of the sector, a Youth Justice Board evaluation of parenting orders showed that reconviction rates had dropped by nearly one third, and there was a 50% drop in number of recorded offences committed.[vii] We would challenge local areas to utilise parenting orders in place of evictions or loss of benefits.
Policy which focuses just on blaming parents and exclusively targeting “broken” families will only present short-term solutions and reinforce stigma associated with seeking parenting support, and will not improve wider family wellbeing across the UK. The Allen and Field reviews, together with the Coalition’s commitments to improve social mobility, provide an opportunity to make sound policy decisions focusing on sustained change rather than crisis management. For there to be longer-term change, the wider spectrum of family support – from universal through to targeted support – must be developed.
[i] ACAMH Emanual Miller Lecture and Day Conference presentation, Professor Frances Gardner, March 2011.
[ii] Child poverty in perspective: An overview of child well-being in rich countries, Unicef, 2007, p. 2.
[iii] Children’s Wellbeing in UK, Sweden and Spain: The Role of Inequality and Materialism, Ipsos MORI and Dr Agnes Nairn, 2011, p. 1.
[iv] Department for Education website: http://www.education.gov.uk/a00198258/government-trials-parenting-classes-for-all-parents-of-children-under-five.
[v] International experience of early intervention for children, young people and their families’, WAVE Trust/C4EO 2010.
[vi] Repairing broken families and rescuing fractured communities: Lessons from the frontline. Local Government Leadership/Westminster City Council, 2010, p. 20.
[vii] Positive Parenting, Youth Justice Board, 2002, p. iii.
