Parenting and Whole Family
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 Whole Family 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 strategy contact Linda Murphy on 01904 554344.
York's Catalyst Family Intervention Project uses a whole family approch to improving outcomes for children, young people, parents and communities. For more information please see the panel to the right.
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 Programmes in York
Parenting Programmes Online Referral Form
- Practitioners can support parents in obtaining places on any of the parenting programmes offered in York by completing the online referral form. You can access the parenting referral form through this website.
Parenting Information & Support
- Family Information Service – is a free and impartial information service for local parents and carers of children 0-19 years As a practitioner you will find the service and this website invaluable in assisting you to find the right services to signposting parents to.
FIS - Telephone 01904 554444.
Workforce Development and Research
- Work with Parents Qualifications the WWP Level 3 and Level 4 qualifications seek to address the training needs of all parenting practitioners who do not have a graduate qualification in a helping profession. For more information on what is happening locally contact Liz Savage on 554463.
- 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.
- Family Lives for Professionals gives professionals working with parents a space to explore ideas and to support one another’s work
Other Useful Information Sources
- Family Lives for Parents the national website and helpline for parents – a useful tool for practitioners too!
- 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.
Search for services
Catalyst - Family Intervention Project
Catalyst, York Family Intervention Project, is aimed at families experiencing problems that are known to be significant predictors of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), Child Poverty (CP), Youth Crime (YC) and other poor outcomes e.g. mental ill health, domestic violence, substance misuse, child neglect, poor parenting skills, risk of eviction and behavioural problems.
