Parenting support: the role of local authorities and NGOs (NEW UPDATE)

Optimising family policies is Europe

The round table gathered five delegations from the Eurochild network (The Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Germany and Ireland) and observers from Belgium, Italy and Poland. The members of the Family and Parenting Support Thematic Working Group develop specific recommendations to optimise the development and implementation of coordinated family policies in EU Member States. It all started with a study trip to Denmark and Sweden in which projects promoting the well-being of children and combatting  child poverty were presented. As a result, the members of the working group concluded that there is a strong demand for evidence-based policy and practice at EU level. The Eurocild’s network therefore proposed to organise a round table and to set up a database which also emphasizes the need of good family and parenting support. The meeting started with presentations in which Eurochild’s delegations presented the following projects:

• The centre for youth & families in the Netherlands, including the spil centres in Eindhoven;
• Developments in family support practice, including the family support hub (United Kingdom -Northern Ireland);
• The family centres (Germany- North Rhine-Westphalia);
• The new futures model (Ireland);
• Parent support programme for (future) parents (Sweden- Stenungsund).

The presentations were followed by workshops which identified the role and impact of local authorities and  NGOs on parenting support. The programme continued with a field trip to two parenting centres in Eindhoven: a SPIL centre and the Youth and family Centre (CJG).

Lessons learnt: Promote positive parenting and map successful European practices

During the workshops and field trip, several learning experiences and possible interventions which might strengthen parental responsibility and prevent problems that can cause child poverty were formulated. These “lessons learnt” and recommendations are outlined in the Working Group’s report and entail the following:

• The definition of the term “local authority” varies from one country to another. Local authorities have different roles as regards parenting. They can either deliver or commission parenting and family support services;
• The same applies to NGOs who can play different roles and represent various family groups.  Thus, they can adapt to the different needs of parents. In order to avoid overlap in these services, local actors must work with integrated approaches and should clearly define their tasks;
• Progressive universal services and early intervention are required to provide proper family support.  Families should be identified at an early stage to signal possible needs in order to provide targeted services. These services should be provided as early as possible and as a result stimulate active participation in parenting support programmes;
• There is a need to normalize parenting support and to offer services based on the notion of ‘positive parenting’. Facilities should not only focus on the shortcomings of a family, but also embrace active independent participation by parents. Families should feel it is normal to ask for help and to receive the necessary support based on their situation. Additionally, they should play a central role in designing and implementing supporting projects;
• Evidence-Based approaches can contribute to the implementation of successful parenting projects. However, parenting support should not solely rely on for instance well-known American or Australian evidence-based programmes. Support programmes in European countries are characterised by different cultural settings and existing institutional services or systems.

Based on these visions, local authorities should play a key role in mapping successful practices using different theoretical principles and ‘working elements’ across Europe.  This could lead to even more successful services meeting the demands of each family.

Contact

Eurochild secretariat
Avenue des Arts 1-2
B - 1210 Brussels
Tel:  +32 2 511 70 83
Fax: +32 2 511 72 98
info@eurochild.org

Document type

Policy

Publication date

May 2011

Source

Eurochild