Parenting class vouchers

Daddima , it was ever thus, that the most committed parents are those who self referred. That was always the difference between parenting groups I was involved with either at camhs or at the social work department. Things don't change much do they.

I am a parenting practitioner, and have found over the last few years that the most "committed" parents are the ones who have self referred. I have delivered seminars to parents of P.1 children, and hope I've encouraged all parents to use the service ( which is free in our area)

If a parent ( or parents) have been told that attending a course would be a factor in regaining custody of their child/ children, I've found that they tend to already be carrying out all the strategies!

Locally we had a wonderful parents' centre. People could just drop in for company/cup of coffee/chat and there were classes available on everything to do with parenting, with child care available on the spot.

Along came the LA funding cuts and it was axed.

The centre I was involved with offered a universal service, i.e. no stigma at all, to every parent of a child under 12 months in their area. The hope was that if parents got involved with say baby massage, weaning groups, you name it, they'd hook into the toddler taming groups and onwards from there. it was an inspirational place. They moved from universal and last year had reached "hard to reach" in order to get any l.a. funding. this year, they've gone. it's dreadful

There are still a few CHildren's Centres going and they offer a range of support to young families. However people have to want to go to a class to gain from it..anyone there who is there compulsorily is less likely to gain anything from it. In that way if it was a more general thing then there would be less 'stigma' attached and may be better received.

If we wait long enough some bright spark will come up with the idea of linking it to benefits

Good link durhamjen. Sure Start centres were of course a flag ship of those "blairites" who we are all expected to despise and dismiss.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/government-hid-report-revealing-full-impact-of-cuts-to-sure-start-childrens-centres-a6808321.html

News about Surestart and how the government slid the report out on the last day before Christmas, even though it had been known about since last summer.

The centre I know well was targeting hard to reach families. The impact of the cuts on local authority services has resulted in the threshold for intervention being drastically reduced. Those hard to reach families would previously have had statutory social work involvement but that had been passed to the family centre staff. That centre has been closed with the building converted to offer support to teenagers. Absolutely bonkers. I don't mean the teenagers and their parents don't need support, I mean this constant government interference into professional services which need long term planning and commitment, rather than be at risk of being disbanded in order for Peter to be robbed to pay Paul.

Just been reading up on SureStart and it is still in existence, but in a much reduced format. It is considered one of New Labour's greatest achievements as part of the Every Child Matters programme and initially it was supported by the Coalition government in 2010. The main cuts began in 2011 when Michael Gove decided SureStart should no longer be ring fenced and so became subject to cuts as part of the overall local government budget. Over the last parliament 600 centres were closed as the service was reorganised. The current service is only targeted at families with the greatest apparent need. It does not appear to play a key part in government policy and under threat.

In 2007 there was a recommendation that a course available in Wales teaching improved parenting skills should be expanded to the rest of the UK. The course was more successful than any other at delivering a reduction in behaviour in young children. This didn't happen.

Cameron wants mothers to become tiger mothers , I knew a tiger mother, her only child threw himself under a train the day his exam results came out , it broke her, she thought she was doing the best for her son , get good results , go to university get a good job etc

But I know you didn't mean babycare.

Babycare classes were available back in the sixties btw. (For pregnant mums) I went to them.

Stupid I pad - or is it the site?

It would be far too 'police state' to make all parents attend parenting classes. No one escapes all parenting mistakes.

It should happen, compulsorily, when the need is seen to arise.

It would be far too 'police state' to make all parents attend parenting classes. No one escapes all parenting mistakes.

It should happen, compulsorily, when the need is seen to arise.

It isn't only children who are visibly "going off the rails" who might be at risk to themselves and society in general. For example, a child who has not received much emotional support or attention but who is subject to a very rigid and domineering style of parenting, may behave perfectly well in school and other social situations but may in later years experience difficulties and possible mental health issues.

Why should it just be 'wives' who attend the classes, Anniebach? Not to mention the fact that many women are doctors, PMs and solicitors themselves.

I think parenting classes should be made compulsory as soon as a child is seen to be going in the slightest bit off the rails. Perhaps then fewer children would end up in children's prisons and we would not see the horrific happenings shown on last night's Panorama.

I am sure doctors/PM's/solicitors wives will turn up clutching their vouchers

I'm inclined to think that parenting classes should be compulsory for everyone. I don't think just targeting families or children who are seen as a "problem" is a good idea because it stigmatises and creates a negative vibe to start with.

Personally speaking, I wish such a class had been available when I had my first baby because I hadn't a clue. Some information about play, how to de-fuse difficult situations, etc., would have been very valuable to me.

As others have said, having made huge cuts to council budgets which has had a knock-on effect for provision of child care services, and having dismantled a large number of the Sure Start centres, it seems a bit rich now to try and demonstrate a commitment to helping families. Also, the most clued up families can only do so much to aid their children's emotional, physical and intellectual development if they are working all hours and living on the breadline.

Wilma, the excellent sure start centres have largely been closed due to government cuts.
As Nellie and Lucky have said, local authority or charity funded family centres were offering parenting skills groups and many other excellent support services until the cuts put a stop to that. An excellent sure start centre I know well is to close its doors to families with young children and become a centre to support teenagers in trouble with the law. What happened to the research that confirms work with the under 3's reduces criminal behaviour later on.

Grrrr - its infuriating.

Round and round we go!

When I taught Home Economics We also taught GCSE Child Development. Just like cooking and nutrition some clever Minister for Education didn't think it should be on the curriculum.

He's hoping the middle classes will go to his parenting classes.
Those that are living in the new houses he will build after he's knocked down and got rid of all the council estates and replaced them with private rentals.

What happened to the SureStart service? I noticed the other day the a shop had replaced the SureStart centre near my FiL's local shops.