Press statement: Family and Parenting Institute works with the Government to deliver family friendly services for all

20 January 2010

Family and Parenting Institute is pleased to announce that it will be working with the Government to ensure all services are family friendly and are aware of families' needs.

The initiative is part of the range of measures announced today in the Government's Families and Relationships Green Paper.

FPI believes it is crucial families are actively involved in services that serve them – they must be involved in the service design, implementation and delivery.

Family and Parenting Institute intends to work with the government to design a process, materials and training that services can use, on a voluntary basis, to make their provision more family friendly.

Dr Katherine Rake, Family and Parenting Institute's chief executive, said: "Services need to demonstrate they are thinking about a range of family members including mothers, fathers, carers, grandparents, siblings, pregnant women, babies, children, teenagers and young people.

"It also needs to think about the various family structures in Britain, including married and cohabiting couples, lone parents, teen parents, foster families, adopted families, non-resident mothers and fathers, same sex couples to name a few.

"Family and Parenting Institute wants to work with national and local government, private and voluntary organisations and families to find out what makes services more family friendly.

"We want to see a bottom up approach, which means the active involvement of families in shaping services. That might mean designing materials and training that would spread best practice across the country.

"We want to bring about cultural and behavioural changes across all services, not just public services. That might include transport systems, neighbourhood planning and leisure facilities that would be much more attuned to families' needs than they are at the moment."

Case study
Family and Parenting Institute is already talking with families to find out what services work for them and how they can be improved. Nicola Mann is a single 37-year-old mum with a 10-year-old son, Nathan, who has a mild form of Asperger syndrome. She lives in Cricklewood, north London and is learning at college. She will be studying psychology and criminology at university in September. She highlights some of the good and bad experiences of the services she has tried to access for her son.

Nicola said: "We live in Stadium Housing Association and they run a youth club on Tuesdays. Its open to any resident and the local kids go there. There's PlayStation, pool, games and various activities for the kids. The workers are really good - they really want to help young children, as they know they live in a place with a lot of poverty. There are people the kids can look up to as good role models. It provides a safe environment and I feel real confidence in leaving Nathan there.

"I have to say so many other things the government provides for children are so expensive like football clubs, swimming lessons and karate. There are not enough affordable government initiatives. I think it's important the government provides these things as the children living on the estate are living in poverty through no fault of their own. I have seen them grow up and now they're 12, 13, 14 - there's no where to go. They hang around on the estate breaking things because they are bored and there's nothing for them. The Government should put more money into schemes like the one on the housing estate. It starts with a drop of water and the ocean is filled with little drops of water."

ENDS

Notes for editors
1. For further information contact Ben Miller, FPI press office on 020 7424 3477 or 07890 403 338 or email press@familyandparenting.org
2. The Family and Parenting Institute researches what matters to families and parents. We use our knowledge to influence policymakers and foster public debate. We develop ideas to improve the services families use and the environment in which children grow up.
3. See page 12 of the Green Paper: publications.dcsf.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/CM-7787.pdf