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CHAPTER SEVEN: PARENTING AND FAMILY SUPPORT
Introduction
7.1 We discussed with parents, carers and children the sorts of help and support that families might need. We approached this with children by asking if they or someone in their family had a problem or something was worrying them, who might they talk to, who could help them and what help would they need. We then explored with them their experiences of this sort of service and what they would like to happen when they did talk to someone.
Parenting and family support service needs
7.2 A number of parents reported that they need a one stop shop for information for families, particularly when they move in to a new area. They need this to include information about local services, amenities and networks.
7.3 Parents who provide full time care often said they wanted to be able to use respite care to cover appointments, interviews, meetings or when they are ill.
7.4 Parents and carers do not want to be forced to return to work. They want to have the freedom, regardless of household income levels, to be able to do it when they and their children are ready. They want there to be a holistic package of support to do this which is driven by their needs and is provided at their pace. This support will include employment and training advice, better off calculations, childcare advice including initiatives to help pay for childcare and transport advice.
7.5 When a household is facing a particular problem, the parents and carers said that they need advice, information and support that is provided in a non-threatening way by staff who are not judging them or their family. This was reflected in the comments from children who felt very strongly that the people who can help them and their family must be friendly and kind. As an example one child who has had social work contact said that she wants social workers to be " nice and kind".
7.6 Her view of a social worker is that "she comes to make sure we are OK and having a nice time".
7.7 Some parents identified a need for specific support for families where an adult in the household misuses drugs and alcohol.
7.8 A minority of parents highlighted an issue that arises when a family member is caring for a child because that child's own parents cannot. For example, if a grandparent is caring for a child because their own parents misuse drugs and alcohol. There was a very strong feeling that grandparents and other relatives who care for children in this circumstance should qualify for foster care payments and other support in the same way as a foster carer from outside the family.
7.9 A few parents and carers reported a need for support services for families who have suffered the death of a child either through premature birth or death in childhood. This should be available immediately and for all members of the family. They also reported that there should be immediately available, accessible and free services for families where the adults are separating or divorcing. There was recognition that there are services but there is a lack of clarity about who provides them, what they offer, whether there is a charge and how they work.
7.10 We have reported on the money advice required by families in the ante and post-natal periods but families also need to be able to access financial advice on money, benefits debt and better off calculations. This would help them with financial difficulties and help them work out the impact of different scenarios, for example returning to work, moving house, using childcare and having another baby. It was common for parents in the focus groups to be unaware of how to access these types of advice.
Existing parenting and family support services
7.11 Children said that if they have a worry about themselves or another person in their family they speak to grandparents, parents and their families. They find it more difficult to think about talking to people outside their family unless they have had experience of it. One child commented that " psychiatrists just talk".
7.12 Where they did mention other people who might help them, they talked about doctors, police, teachers, the fire service, hospitals and, for a small proportion, social workers.
7.13 We asked parents and carers in the study about their experiences of parenting and family support services. The vast majority reported a lack of joined up working between professionals who could help them, specifically naming GPs, social work, midwives and health visitors. They said that there is not good early identification and intervention to address needs quickly and effectively.
7.14 We found evidence that parents and carers living in disadvantaged areas worry about coming forward and engaging with services if they are facing problems. They are concerned that if they admit to having problems, social work will become involved and their children could be removed and taken into local authority care. One woman reported that she had disclosed an issue to a social worker but had not been informed that the social worker had a duty of disclosure and the episode resulted in a police investigation. This had undermined her trust in social work services.
7.15 Stepping Stones in Wardieburn in Edinburgh was given as an example of a project that helps to support families. It provides a crèche while women receive support and advice, for example benefits advice and employability support. The women reported that it gives them a chance to get used to leaving their children in childcare and the activities help to build their confidence and abilities to prepare for work.
7.16 Services provided through Sure Start are viewed very positively and are greatly valued by people who use them. They value the peer support and said that it reduces the sense of isolation that many parents feel after having a baby. One woman commented that " it is easier to establish human relationships with people in the same position and not just health visitors and midwives". As another person put it "these sorts of groups are some parents' link to the outside world".
7.17 Peer groups are also a main source of information on a wide range of topics through which they can learn about what other help is available and get suggestions on how to cope with difficulties.
7.18 A significant number of adults in our study reported that they had issues with anti-social behaviour ( ASB) in their area, for example young people riding quad bikes near to where they live. A group of asylum seekers who participated in the study said that they suffer from the anti-social behaviour of local young people. Groups in Wishaw, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kilmarnock and Inverkeithing all spoke at length about ASB and the impact it has on their households and on the freedom they can give their children. Each group felt helpless in tackling it, often commenting that there is no support to stop this behaviour even when they report to the police. It impacts on the quality of their lives their sense of safety and community cohesion.
7.19 We found that parents and carers with a child with additional support needs can often experience what they consider to be long lead in times for support to be provided.
7.20 Parents in rural areas where transport is an issue want support services to be provided in their home and where this is not feasible, for there to be free transport by taxi to the service.
Gaps and issues in parenting and family support
- Families do not feel that there is an agency that is taking responsibility for dealing with specific instances of anti-social behaviour and that there is no help to tackle this behaviour;
- There is a lack of joined up working between support services which is particularly important where families have a complex range of needs;
- There should be readily available bereavement support for families who have lost a child and this should be tailored to the needs of the members of the family;
- Children would first turn to the other family members for help with problems they have or problems in their family. They would then think about teachers, doctors and the police;
- Many families need better access to money, debt and benefits advice;
- There should be clear accessible information on the support available to families when partners separate or divorce including support for children;
- Parents and carers do not want to be forced to return to work but if they do want to, they want a joined up package of support to help them do that and to support them through the transition back in to employment;
- The attitudes of staff are very important when families have issues that they need help with. They do not want to feel threatened or judged;
- There should be foster care payments for family members who are caring for a child or children; and
- Access to support services is a particular issue in rural areas and outreach and home visiting services are considered crucial
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