IPSWICH BOROUGH COUNCIL
PARENTING STRATEGY
CHANGING A CULTURE
Foreword
Welcome to the very first Ipswich Borough Council Parenting Strategy from a local authority
who are passionate about parenting.
The Ipswich Borough Council Parenting Strategy outlines our vision to offer contemporary
parenting advice, support and services to people causing a nuisance or engaged in anti-social
behaviour within their family or in the local neighbourhoods of Ipswich. It is set against a
backdrop of growing demand for services and increasing evidence that early intervention
has a positive impact on vulnerable families. It outlines our direction for mindful parenting
services ranging from early intervention to reduce and prevent anti-social behaviour through
to specialist, intensive parenting support for vulnerable and troubled families. It supposes
to support parents on their journey with their children through from early years to young
adulthood in a way that encourages engagement, co-operation, learning and involvement
in positive parenting.
The strategy aims to promote and support services that are tailored to the individual needs
of families, culturally appropriate and accessible across Ipswich. This strategy is the first
stage of the vision for community safety parenting service. It builds the foundation for
change and provides the policy platform to build and support both early intervention and
intensive support, whilst at the same time opening the door to explore new and innovative
ways to provide parents with the support they need to promote a safe, nurturing and
positive home environment.
My thanks to all those who have contributed to this strategy, for demonstrating a
commitment to promoting the best outcomes for parents, young people and families in
deterring and reducing anti-social behaviour in the community. I look forward to continuing
to work together to implement and review the strategy with all our partners on an annual
basis.
Neil McDonald
Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder to Community Protection
www.ipswich.gov.uk
Introduction and Vision
Index
By looking after our children, both when we are present with them and when we are
separated from them, we can enhance our sense of connection to them and this makes
us a better parent, a happier person and a more vital person.
Introduction and vision
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Why is positive parenting so important?
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Positive parenting and reducing crime
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Our priorities
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Delivery arrangements
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The National and Local context
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The Ipswich Context
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A Positive Parenting Strategy
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Appendix
17
Parenting is the most joyful and yet most challenging job that anyone will undertake.
Having responsibility for nurturing a child to independence and fullness of their own
potential is a unique and life changing experience for any parent and yet it takes more
than parents alone to raise a child.
Parenting is everybody’s business whether, grandparent, step-parent, relative, teacher,
police officer or simply a member of the local community we should all be involved in
supporting parents in doing the best that they can in raising their children. We want
Ipswich Borough parents to know that there is really mindful support for them as
parents and carers in the Borough of Ipswich.
Parents and carers benefit from a range of support at different times. Parenting when
your child is exhibiting anti-social behavior is even more challenging and calls for extra
resolve, influence and support.
This document sets out what we are doing to promote the development of services
for parents in Ipswich and identifies ways in which we are involving parents in helping
to shape services for themselves.
The strategy will be a working document supported by a delivery action plan, which
will be published separately. On-going consultation and involvement with parents,
children and young people, and with staff working with families in Ipswich will
continue to ensure the continued development and strengthening of the strategy.
It is important that at the point of service delivery, parents feel ownership of the
PREPARED BY:
Senior Parenting Officer - Community Protection
2013
1
“Mindful
Parenting is a
practice
through which
our connection
to our child,
and awareness
of our child’s
presence,
helps us
become better
grounded in
the present
moment.”
Why is positive parenting so important?
support they are offered and reassured that services have been developed with the
understanding of ‘parental need’ in mind, accepting that where anti-social behaviour
is on-going that the need for more enforceable elements may be required.
We believe:
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Parents should be consulted on services that affect them and their children and
should be involved in developing new services
Parents’ views should be listened to valued and respected
All our services should be parent and family friendly
Our workplace should be parent and family friendly
Parents are entitled to comprehensive information about services for themselves
and their children and are helped to access the information, advice and support
they need to help them with the role of parenting
Parents should have opportunities to learn and develop as parents
Parents’ needs change as their children grow and our services should reflect that
Parents need clear information about the process and services available when
children are being anti-social and find themselves engaged with police officers and
youth justice services.
There are compelling arguments, both nationally and locally, for strong multi-agency
and integrated approaches to parents and positive parenting. The ‘Every Child Matters’
Outcomes Framework was published in December 2004 and identified five essential
outcomes for children and young people with associated performance targets to
measure success in meeting these outcomes, these include:
• Staying safe • Being healthy • Enjoying and achieving
• Making a positive contribution • Benefiting from economic well-being
The role of parents in supporting the achievement of successful outcomes has been
emphasised in plenty of Government legislation and policies, including:
2004 ‘National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity
Services’,
2005 Schools White Paper ‘Higher Standards, Better Schools for All – More Choice
for Parents and Pupils’,
2006 Cross-Government ‘RESPECT Action Plan’, the 2007 HM Treasury/DCSF
documents ‘Aiming High for Children : Supporting Families’ and Aiming High for
young people: A 10 year strategy for positive activities’
24% of parents
surveyed in 2010
said lack of
parenting skills
was what put the
biggest strain on
family
relationships
“A positive parenting style has a strong and beneficial impact on children’s
outcomes and can act as a protective factor and build resilience against other
risks, including relationship breakdown.
There is also evidence suggesting that good, enthusiastic parenting
is not determined by social class or ethnic background and
importantly that it can be learned.”
Aiming High for Children: Supporting Families, HM Treasury/DCSF 2007
It is the Government’s intention that parents and carers from all backgrounds will have
more and better information, advice and support and have access to integrated
support when needed.
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3
Positive Parenting and Reducing Crime
Preventing Conduct Problems - Reducing Crime
National trends in parenting
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There have been major changes in parental employment patterns and in the way
that caring responsibilities are shared
Parents are having children later
Most parents are juggling caring for their elderly parents as well as their children
Parents of teenagers are increasingly saying they want more help
There is more variety in family structure and relationships
There are more single parent family units
Increased ethnic diversity in society is reflected in more diverse patterns of family
formation
Increasing numbers of young adults live with their parents
The number of children in poverty in the UK is increasing
The office of National Statistics reports more children being adopted between the
ages of 1-4. The proportion rose last year to 62% up from 58% of all children
adopted in 2012. Total adoptions in England and Wales increased by 6% to 4,734
There has been a long- term increase in the divorce rate. It has been estimated that
in England and Wales 28% of children living in married couple families will
experience divorce in their family before reaching 16, and of the 12.5 million
dependent children, 2.5 million are living in step families
The evidence of the importance of early intervention on parental impact has been
building rapidly over recent years.
All children misbehave but when that behaviour goes beyond what might be expected
as part of a child’s atypical development, problems can occur. ‘Conduct problems’
describes a range of oppositional or anti-social forms of behavior in children such as
disobedience, lying, drinking, stealing and fighting. When these behaviours become
severe or persistent it can lead to a diagnosis of ‘conduct disorder’, which in turn can
lead to a reduction in the way the child functions and cause severe stress for the
parents.
In 2009 the Sainsbury’s Centre for Mental Health produced a policy paper contained
the following statistics:
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Conduct disorder affects about 6% of all those aged between 5 and 16. Early onset
is particularly likely to result in persistent difficulties
Much larger numbers display conduct disorders, which whilst below the threshold
of clinical diagnosis increases the likelihood of adverse outcomes in later life,
including offending.
A very high proportion of those who have the most serious conduct problems will go
on to become involved in criminal activity. Most crime is committed by a small group
of prolific offenders typically starting their offending at an early age.
The Sainsbury Centre in the UK estimates that the overall lifetime cost for a single child
with conduct disorder is £225,000 and for a child with conduct problems is £75,000.
Triple P relieves the costs of lifetime conduct disorder
In a study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry asked: “Does the Triple P Positive Parenting Programme Provide Value for Money”?
They were examining Triple P as a means of reducing the prevalence of conduct disorder in children and
adolescents. The results clearly showed:
Triple P need only avert 1.5 percent of conduct disorder cases to pay for itself. Yet Triple P has the potential
to avert at least 26 percent of cases.
www.triple.net
This is just one of the key reasons why a parenting strategy is a vital ingredient in the
community safety team reducing anti-social behaviour as we set out to support parents
in turning around the behaviour of their children. Although, families may need
different services to meet all their needs, an evidence-based parenting programme
should be an essential part of a strong, overall support service.
We also know from national data and statistics that:
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Parents and the home environment they create are the single most important
factor in shaping their children’s well-being, achievements and aspirations
Parents are a crucial influence on what their children experience and achieve.
Parents, the home and community environment, followed by the quality of the
school that a child attends, are the greatest influences on whether a child succeeds
Most parents want their children to do well
Children are growing up in a variety of family structures, and while most children
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Our Priorities
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are safe, healthy and do well at school, many children and families find their
circumstances challenging
The 1.7 million one-parent families in Britain care for more than three million
children. Lone parents are more likely to be poor than other families: 50% of lone
parent families live on low incomes
Teenage mothers often have fragile relationships with their partners and 50% of
such relationships have ended by the time their baby is one year old
Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are still more likely to experience
a range of obstacles to success. While these factors can be overcome, they put
poorer children in danger of achieving less than their better-off counterparts. They
are more likely to live in poor housing, to suffer accidental or deliberate harm, or
have a parent with a mental health problem. They are less likely to be able to access
all the new opportunities that are available. The circumstances of their birth play
a substantial and increasing role in determining children’s life chances - social
mobility has declined since the 1950s
Recent analysis suggests that to increase social mobility, the relationship between
family background and educational attainment needs to be addressed, and
resources better directed at improving the outcomes of those from deprived
backgrounds
The priority for parenting services offered through community safety is partnering with
and engaging parents in parenting support. This will typically be through group
sessions, 1:1 parenting sessions or by signposting to or referring to other services
available across Ipswich to support families. In short, we want to address the ‘culture’
of parenting in Ipswich and encourage parents into parenting support services at the
earliest opportunity. Where young people are being identified as anti-social we need
to have the earliest possible conversations with parents about parenting support and
how we can assist in turning young people away from a downward spiral of anti-social
behaviour or crime and toward a more positive future.
Our key priorities for parenting are based on the themes of early intervention,
prevention, enforcement, and re-assuring and strengthening communities. The
Parenting Strategy Action Plan outlines how we will deliver these key priorities.
Priority 1 - Early Identification and Early Intervention
Speedily identifying, those families whose children are rising to the attention of the
police, school, or parents for negative or anti-social reasons.
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Working alongside the anti-social behaviour team, Suffolk Family Focus, Safer
Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs), schools, housing and Registered Social Landlords
(RSLs) to be proactive in early support to parents of children identified as being on
the periphery or at risk of anti-social behaviour and raising awareness of the
support that is available to them across Ipswich.
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Ensuring that parents are signposted to parenting support at the earliest
opportunity through any of the above agencies
in their own time, at home or wherever they can access a computer.
Its convenience means that every parent can get involved - no matter what their
problem, how busy they are or where they live.
Professor Matt Sanders
Priority 2 - Prevention
Foster an approach that helps others to recognise the importance of intervening early
to prevent children and young people becoming involved in anti-social behaviour and
other more risky criminal behaviour.
1. Our main objectives are:
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surveyed in 2010
the main concern
keeping them
awake at night
was - not being a
good enough
Our Key Priorities
Our main objectives are:
Triple P online gives parents the freedom to access a parenting course
19% of parents
To provide evidence-based positive parenting support and other supportive
programmes, which are open to any parent in the Ipswich area
To ensure that parents of children and young people behaving anti-socially are
identified and communicated with early, and are offered appropriate, timely and
relevant support according to assessed needs
To offer help and support to parents who are struggling with the behaviour of
their children
Supporting parents in engaging with other co-ordinated or integrated services for
example Team around the child (TAC), Intensive Support Outreach (ISO) and Family
Intervention Programme (FIP)
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parent.
24% said their
children’s future
Delivery Arrangements
Priority 2 - Enforcement
Many parents
Taking action to stop harm to others as well as offering support to help change
unacceptable behaviour is two sides of one coin. Both may be needed to protect the
community and help individuals and families. Ipswich Borough Council’s, Anti-Social
Behaviour team takes a tiered approach consisting of the use of informal advice letters,
formal warning letters, Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs), Parenting Contracts
and Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) as enforcement.
have found
parenting
courses
beneficial,
in particular
Our main objectives are:
To support the ASB team and the Police in the effective use of their approach and
enforcement measures where needed and including but not exclusively ABCs, ASBOs,
Parenting Contracts and Parenting Orders. We will engage with parents identified
through the ASB network and E-cins in support of encouraging them to support them
in turning their children’s behaviour around.
when they have
been delivered in
a community
based setting
(somewhere they
Priority 4 - Re-assuring and Strengthening Communities
Listening to parents, valuing their views and opinions about what services and support
they need in Ipswich. Keeping communities informed of what we are offering to
address parenting issues and offer positive parenting support in order to help reduce
crime and ASB ...
felt relaxed) and
Our main objectives are:
• To ensure our equality and diversity policy is supported through addressing the
parenting needs of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups and parents with low
literacy, learning difficulties and learning disabilities
• To inform communities of parenting support available to them to help address
parenting issues
• To ensure Ipswich communities are aware of how to access parenting support
feel judged.
With these priorities in place we want to benefit parents by helping to:
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Build respect in communities and reduce the level of anti-social behaviour
Increase the numbers of parents who feel informed about what parenting support
is on offer to them when they are struggling
Reduce depression, anxiety and stress in parents through evidence based parenting
programmes
Increase the numbers of parents attending parenting programmes to an ‘all places
full’ situation.
Remove the stigma from accessing parenting programmes and support.
Increase parent confidence when facing anti-social issues and challenging
behaviour from their children
Increase the perception of people to feeling that parents in their local area are
taking responsibility for the behaviour of their children and specific outcomes
relating to ASB
Increase the percentage of people who feel informed about what is being done to
address parenting challenges in Ipswich ...
Reduce people’s perception of ASB as a parental problem in their area
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in a way that did
not make them
The parenting strategy will be delivered through inter-departmental and partnership
working. Some of the important links are outlined below but more detailed
information is set out in the Parenting Strategy Action Plan. The success of the
parenting strategy relies on everyone working with parents in Ipswich to take a positive
approach toward parents and parenting and recognising that we need to change the
culture towards one of positive parenting across Ipswich. In turn this will support us
all in raising the bar on aspirations for children in Ipswich, which will naturally lead to
a reduction in ASB.
Anti-Social Behaviour Network
This group will play a key role in ensuring that the parenting strategy takes effect in
helping to reduce ASB. The network is made up of a number of SNT’s and other multi
agency partners who are tackling ASB in Ipswich
Ipswich Parenting Network
This network will be tasked with feeding into and commenting on the delivery of the
strategy. Led by the Senior Parenting Officer the group will include representatives
from a number of partner agencies who have responsibility for parenting and other
family support in Ipswich.
Children and Young People’s Service
Works to ensure children and young people are safe including from crime and ASB and
make a positive contribution via parenting support. Work with parents to develop
parenting skills and capacity.
Ipswich Domestic Abuse Forum
This forum actively supports and implements strategies to protect parents and children
who experience domestic abuse and are important in terms of offering specialist advice
and services.
Adult Social Care and Health
Ensures implementation of local multi agency safeguarding adults policy and
procedure, including working with parents with a learning disability.
Our Work with Partners
Ipswich Borough Council Senior Parenting Officer works with Suffolk County Parenting
Co-ordinater and Parenting Commissioner, Youth Offending Service, ASB Network and
other third sector organisations in delivering evidence based programmes and other
parenting initiatives.
Through the Ipswich Parenting Network and other parenting networks collaborative
work has been underway for some time. Key agencies in developing parenting
approaches and work in Ipswich Borough are Suffolk County Council, Youth Offending
Service, Police, local Councillors, and other third sector agencies. Implementation of
this strategy depends on collaborative partnership and working towards common goals
around parenting. The Ipswich Domestic Abuse Forum also supports work with victims
of domestic abuse, many of whom are parents.
At a very local level we also work in partnership with schools, childrens centres and
other community and voluntary agencies.
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The National and Local Context
This strategy is underpinned by the following key local and national drivers: •
Ipswich Borough Council Community Safety Plan including the Council’s
commitment to reducing ASB and re-assuring the public
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Suffolk County Council Community Safety Plan
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Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998: The Act creates a general duty
on every local authority to take account of the need to reduce crime and
disorder in all of its work. All policies, strategies, plans and budgets will need
to be considered from the standpoint of their potential contribution to the
reduction of crime and disorder
practical
parenting strategies
for children
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The National Community Safety Plan 2008 – 20011: built around five themes
including “further reducing crime and anti social behaviour” and “protecting
the public and building confidence”
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Crime & Disorder Act 1998: which gave us definitions for ASB and bought in
the ASBO
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Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. Supplemented the Crime & Disorder Act and
gave powers to close premises and drug dens
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The Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan 2003: A cross governmental and
wide ranging response to crime and its causes.
Performance Management of the Strategy
The success of our work on parenting will be reported to the Assistant Operations
Manager, Community Safety on outcomes and targets and anecdotal evidence. Vital
to this will be ensuring that local people have improved awareness about the parenting
services available in Ipswich.
The Assistant Operations Manager, Community Safety is responsible for the oversight
of the Action Plan and its implementation. Six monthly update reports will be made
to the Community Safety Partnership.
Timeframe
The timeframe for the strategy and action plan is 2013 - 2015 and will be reviewed
and updated annually.
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Families want
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throughout the
age ranges
The Ipswich Context
A Positive Parenting Strategy
National measures of deprivation and disadvantage point to Suffolk as being generally
affluent, particularly in its rural areas. However, there are areas of significant
deprivation, largely centred in Ipswich and Lowestoft. Also highlighted is the lack of
aspiration of children in Suffolk generally which is also prevalent in Ipswich.
The aspiration of the Community Safety team is for all children and young people in
Ipswich to feel safe, valued and supported to realise their full potential and make a
positive contribution to society.
Within Ipswich there are also areas of higher deprivation. These areas are characterised
by high unemployment, low qualifications, educational under- achievement, reliance
on social benefits and poorer health. These areas also experience higher levels of crime
and anti-social behaviour.
Ipswich Borough Council is committed to making parenting support services available
in an accessible way to improve outcomes for children in Ipswich Borough. It
acknowledges that there are differing levels of need in children, young people and
parents across the town and plans to implement a range of preventative and targeted
parenting support to reflect this variety of needs.
Ipswich has 23 primary schools, 9 high schools some of which are academies
In the Government document ‘Parenting Support: Guidance for Local Authorities 2006’
a number of key principles are described to underpin positive parenting:
and several sixth form centres including Suffolk One.
Ipswich has 12 children’s centres
10% of the Ipswich population have English as a second language
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Authoritative (warm and firm, not harsh parenting)
Attachment, initiated pre-birth and especially important in early months
Parental involvement, in the form of interest in the child and parent-child
discussions: how parents interact with their children is key
Positive parental expectations, beliefs and attitude; and parental supervision
The majority of parents in Ipswich are doing a good job; some are doing so in very
challenging circumstances using their own resources and informal networks of support.
However, there are other more vulnerable families who are not being helped by
services and others who might have additional needs but whose situation could
escalate without preventative support. For these parents their own level of difficulties
and needs make it very hard for them to meet the needs of their children. Some
parents face extra challenges when their child has additional needs which mean they
need to adapt their usual parenting style to support their child. In order to improve
outcomes for all children in Ipswich, work to support parents in meeting their
responsibilities is crucial.
Supporting Parents
Recognising the diverse cultural and economic differences for parents in Ipswich is
important in helping them to feel that we are mindful of parents in the Ipswich
borough. Where appropriate, parents will be empowered and supported to establish
peer and family parenting networks.
However the strategy emphasises the factors that impact on family life, such as
unemployment, poor health, low income, low literacy and numeracy levels, poor
mental health, domestic abuse and substance misuse. It also acknowledges that adults
and children have differing needs. It takes into account that some adults may need
additional support in order to benefit fully from parenting services. It also promotes
the offer of complementary services, such as a family intervention programme and
Suffolk Family Focus to promote the breaking of intergenerational pattern
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13
Integrated services
Linking the Positive Parenting Strategy with preventative services will provide better
outcomes for children in relation to all aspects of their health, welfare, development
and behaviour. Implemention of the strategy must be well co-ordinated and supported
by complementary integrated processes to ensure that from the perspective of the
parent who is seeking help:
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information about services will be readily available, this includes signposting to
support for families
they will be able to tell how services available can specifically help them
how those services can be accessed - through self-referral or professional referral
those services that are free at the point of delivery and those paid for by the parent.
Level 2 - Targeted parenting services for additional needs.
Targeted parenting support is more likely to address specific needs and risks, linked to
the achievement of specific outcomes. This level of parenting support is often provided
in groups or individually for identified parents with identified parenting problems. It
allows for rapid identification of parenting issues which may need referral to low level
intervention such as a parenting group or children’s centre services. Staff will often
work together on a number of outcomes for individual children and families showing
early signs of difficulty. This may involve the parenting service in using a Common
Assessment Framework (CAF) to invite other professionals into the family or the
parenting service may be invited to attend Team around the child (TAC) or Child in
Need (CIN) meeting.
Level 1 - Universal services, information, involvement and opportunities
Level 3 - Specialist services
The role of parenting support in universal services is to:
Specialist parenting support is provided as part of a care package where a number of
professionals are involved and where the needs being met are complex or there is a
high level of risk or need. These services need to provide:
Promote better outcomes for all children as an early intervention, by giving guidance
about positive parenting in a setting that everyone can use which needs no special
referral and to which no stigma is attached and may include general parenting
seminars, parenting hubs and parenting groups, signposting to children’s centres
and other agencies.
These services may help to identify and engage isolated and as yet unreached families,
enable parents and children to make full use of other universal services, which some
parents may otherwise find hard to access and accept. They may also identify more
complex problems, support families, signpost and refer parents to other support
services if necessary.
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very specialist and intensive parenting programmes linked to intensive family
support outreach (ISO) to prevent family breakdown or reduce the risk of further
serious problems such as offending or mental health problems
services to families who have a child with an illness or disability, for example family
support and well co-ordinated lead professional management of the case to
ensure that all the right services are involved and working towards an agreed care
plan
regular review of the care plan to ensure that it is co-ordinated and effective.
Parenting services to these families may include parenting groups or intensive 1:1
parenting work.
Many specialist services working with families with complex needs are provided by the
voluntary sector, which are often well placed when it comes to working with families
at risk. The key services working with families who have complex needs are:
Family Intervention Projects
Youth Offending Service
Anti-social behaviour network
Police
Integrated teams including social workers and Suffolk Family Focus
Health
Domestic abuse services
Services for children, young people and parents with complex disabilities or mental
health problems
Carers services
Other third sector organisations.
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15
Appendix
Definitions
For the purposes of this strategy:
Partnering with Parents
Parents in Ipswich are entitled to expect a range of high quality parenting services
delivered by skilled and trained practitioners. We commit to consult parents through
formal and informal processes about their parenting support needs. We will endeavour
to involve them in the development and planning of the services that we offer. We
will ask for feedback on all the services that we offer.
This strategy will be updated regularly and will be a living and active document in
support of the parents and children of Ipswich.
All Services being outlined in this strategy can be discussed with The Assistant
Operations Manager of Community Safety or the Senior Parenting Officer by
telephoning 01473 433438.
‘Parents’ refers to anyone acting in a parenting role, eg. mums, dads (including teenage parents and parent carers),
step-parents, grandparents and foster carers).
‘Parent Support’ refers to any form or provision of services, resources or assistance which will support parents in their
role.
‘Parenting Support’ is defined as any formal activity or programme whose specific purpose is to assist parents or carers
in promoting positive outcomes for their child. These might be individual or group-based, but are normally focused
and short term. They are aimed at developing parenting skills (e.g. play, behaviour management. communication
skills etc.) and enhancing the quality of the parent-child relationship by improving family functioning, parent
self-esteem, well-being and mental health, and the emotional and behavioural development of children. ‘
‘Positive Parenting’ is intended as Loving, Firm and Consistent and promotes child development and good behaviour
in constructive and non-hurtful ways. Below are some of the approaches used in positive parenting.
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Getting the best out of family life
Giving love and setting limits
Recognising a child’s needs are underpinned by love and being responsible for ensuring those needs are being
met
Providing a safe, engaging environment
Being nurturing and encouraging
Providing clear boundaries
Promoting effective discipline
Building resilience
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Useful Statistics, Data & Research
What are the cost benefits of Triple P Parenting programmes?
It is widely acknowledged that quality, evidence-based programmes can have profound, positive effects on children,
parent’s families and the wider community. There is a wealth of independent research to support this, both within
Europe and internationally.
A comprehensive financial analysis of the cost-effectiveness of parenting programmes has been published by the
Government’s Department for Education report into the Family Intervention Project (2008). It presents a compelling
case for making this support widely available.
Results
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The report Intensive Support for Families with Multiple Problems: The Business Case showed how evidence based
parenting interventions relieve the burden on local services and budgets associated with crime and anti-social
behaviour, health care, housing, education, drugs, alcohol and children’s’ social care.
The Department’s family savings calculator estimated delivery of evidence based parenting programmes could save
authorities an average of £81,624 per family. £40,341 was the direct service saving to the local authority itself.
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Young people attending the programme had significantly lower rates of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use
compared to young people who did not attend the programme (the control group)
The differences between programme and control young people actually increased over time, indicating that skills
learned and strong parent-child relationships continue to have greater and greater influence (please see the
attached chart)
Young people attending the programme had significantly fewer conduct problems in school than young people
in the control group
Parents showed gains in specific parenting skills including setting appropriate limits and building a positive
relationship with their child
Parents showed an increase in positive feelings towards their child
Parents showed gains on general child management including setting rules and following through with
consequences
Parents increased their skills in General Child Management such as effectively monitoring their child and having
appropriate and consistent discipline
Triple P reduces the cost associated with Child maltreatment
Researchers in the US Triple P System population trial estimated that for every 10,000 children under the age of eight
the results could translate annually into:
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Ever been drunk?
688 fewer case of child maltreatment
240 fewer children in care
60 fewer children being admitted to hospital of emergency units with abuse injuries.
-•- SFP 10-14 -•- Controls
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(Triple P - Positive parenting Programme)
Scientific Evidence for Strengthening Families Programme 10-14
The SFP10-14 was tested in a high quality scientific research study in Iowa in the United States. This study, and the
SFP10-14, was highlighted in an International Cochrane Collaboration systematic evidence review funded by the World
Health Organisation (WHO), the UK, and the Alcohol Education and Research Council (AERC) in the UK. This evidence
review was presented at the EU/WHO Ministerial Conference held in Stockholm 2001 which led to the Stockholm
Declaration on "Young People and Alcohol".
In 2009 the US National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine published a report on “Preventing Mental,
Emotional and Behavioural Disorders Amongst Young People: Progress and Possibilities” (Mary Ellen O’Connel, Thomas
Boat, and Kenneth E. Warner) and concluded that parenting programmes, e.g. SFP10-14:
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Reduce aggressive, disruptive, or antisocial behaviour
Improve parent-child interaction
Reduce substance abuse
Improve academic success
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40
30
%
20
10
0
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Baseline
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••
Year 1
Year 2
Follow up
Description of the SFP10-14 Major Longitudinal Study
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Evaluated through Project Family at the Institute for Social and Behavioural Research at Iowa State University
Tested with 446 families who live in areas with a high percentage of economically-stressed families
Participants were randomly assigned and comparisons were made between program participants and control
families
The study has followed the youth and their parents from 6th through to 12th grade
18
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19
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Year 4