parental role

Raised expectations: parental experiences of short breaks

Report that provides a snapshot of the experiences of parents of disabled children in order to highlight examples of good practice and identify possible areas of concern.

Findings do not cover a representative sample, so cannot reflect the progress of the short breaks programme as a whole, but provide real life examples of the way that impact can be made on the ground.

Effective relationships with vulnerable parents to improve outcomes for children and young people: final study report

York Consulting was commissioned by Action for Children to undertake research to articulate how Action for Children professionals develop effective relationships with vulnerable parents and how this makes a difference for children and young people. The focus of the research was to develop a skills framework that would define the key aspects of effective professional relationships and the competencies required to achieve them.

Parenting matters: early years and social mobility

Paper that argues strongly that the government is correct to take the bold step of embracing the firm evidence on child development in seeking to create a strategy that "sets out plans to support a culture where the key aspects of good parenting are widely understood and where all parents can benefit from advice and support...what is needed is a much wider culture change towards recognising the importance of parenting, and how society can support mothers and fathers to give their children the best start in life".

Choice and change: how disabled young people with degenerative conditions and their parents make choices about care and services

Disabled young people with degenerative conditions and their parents face many service-related decisions. This study looks at the realities of choice-making processes within families, exploring the respective roles and experiences of young people and their parents.

You are not on your own: a booklet to help children and adults talk about a parent's drinking

Booklet to help a child and trusted adult to talk together about what is happening in their life. It is written for children, but at the end of each section is a part written for adults.

It is for children who live in all sorts of families - those living with relatives, children in care, those who have a parent in prison, or worried about a parent or carer drinking too much.

Parents at the centre

Report undertaken to understand why some parents who are entitled to use early years services don’t normally do so. More specifically, the research seeks to understand how parents access information that shapes their decision-making about early years provision, and how service providers can better engage with and support parents to meet their families’ needs. On the basis of the findings, the case is made for a number of key policy changes, to ensure that early years provision enables children from low-income families to break out of the inter-generational cycle of disadvantage.