Parenting

A Guide for Practitioners

York’s Children & Young People’s Plan 2009-2012 aims to provide a clear sense of direction for everybody working to improve outcomes for children and young people in the City of York.

The Parenting and Support Strategy supports this by ensuring all relevant partners in the city are working together to provide mothers, fathers and carers the information, advice and support they need to feel knowledgeable and respond appropriately to the individual needs of their children and young people.

For more information about the parenting strategy contact Linda Murphy on 01904 554597.

Below are a list of links that may be useful when working with parents and carers. You may also find it useful to search the service directory for parenting support groups that run locally.

Parenting Strategy

• The Parenting Strategy for 2008 - 2011 has now been published and can be downloaded from this site.

Parenting Information & Support

• Family Information Service – a free and impartial information service for local parents and carers of children 0-19 years, but also a useful service for practitioners in terms of support for signposting parents to services. Telephone 01904 554444.
• The Local Parenting Strategy Team are based in The Children’s Trust Unit (CTU), Mill House, North Street. The team are available to work with partners in developing and delivering parenting information and support for mothers, fathers and carers of children 0-19 years. To contact the team telephone The CTU on 554597 or e-mail The Parenting Strategy Manager.

Workforce Development and Research

• The National Academy for Parenting Practitioners leads on research and workforce development to ensure that parenting in England is among the best in the world. Lots of information and resources for parenting practitioners. Information on evidence based parenting programmes and others.
• Parenting UK is the national organisation for people who work with parents. This site supports the sharing of good practice and keeps mambers abreast of new developments via their electronic newsletter. Developed the National Occupational Standards for Work with Parents.
• The Family and Parenting Institute work to make the voices of families heard by policy makers with a view to changing policy and practice . National lead for Parents Week, held each year in October. Information about Transition Information Sessions, also known as Starting School/Moving On sessions. 
• The Fatherhood Institute is the UK's fatherhood think-tank. Collates and publishes international research on fathers, fatherhood and different approaches to engaging with fathers.
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation is the UKs largest independent social research and development charity. It supports a wide programme of research and development projects in housing, social care and social policy. Many research findings relating to parenting. 
• Training & Development Agency provide information and support for schools around the Extended Schools core offer for parenting support. Materials to support the roll out of Parent Support Advisers in schools and Transition Information Sessions. 
• Parentline Plus for Professionals gives professionals working with parents a space to explore ideas and to support one another’s work

Other Useful Information Sources

• Parentline Plus the national website and helpline for parents – a useful tool for practitioners too!
• Parent Know How is designed to improve parenting support provision to all parents, with a particular focus on meeting the needs of parents who are not as well served by current sources of help as they could be; including parents of disabled children, fathers from all backgrounds and parents of teenage children. Download the leaflet on this page for details of the helplines, websites, text and social networks forming part of this service.
• Relate offers a wide range of services for parents, including face to face counselling, parenting workshops and Livetalk/SMS services. 
• Children in Focus aim to raise awareness of the needs of young people. Offers training and professional development, materials and courses for parents of teenagers and a range of publications. York uses their Escape/Parallel Lines parenting programme.
• Youth Justice Board - Information about Parenting Orders and the evaluation of 42 pilot parenting programmes and documents on Key Elements of Effective Practice and Involving Young People in Parenting Programmes.
  Also on this site a useful section for parents giving information about the youth justice system.
• Early Home Learning - How to help parents engage effectively in their children's early home learning.

Information around some of the Parenting Programmes used in York

• Mellow Parenting
• Positive Parenting – Family Matters York run a range of universal parenting courses and workshops across a wide age range. Schools and other services can commission sessions for parents from FMY and also find out where forthcoming courses are running via their website.
• Family Foundations (Webster Stratton Incredible Years)
• Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities
• Stronger Families (Escape and Parallel Lines)
• Speakeasy
• Family Links Parent Nurturing Programme
• More detailed information on all programmes is available by registering to use NAPP Parenting Commissioner’s Toolkit

To find out when and where programmes are taking place contact Family Information Service or visit the parenting section.