Services for children, young people and families

Parenting

Bringing up children is likely to be one of the most difficult jobs any of us ever do. As many as 75% of all parents and carers say there are times when they would welcome help and advice when it comes to being a parent.

We know that parents want to be good parents, want the very best for their children, want to give them a good start in life and see them succeed. We also know that the quality of parenting impacts on children, families, communities and society as a whole.

Children undoubtedly enrich our lives, but raising them can be hard work, and some of the challenges facing parents today are very different from those faced by previous generations. All parents have the right to expect high quality information, advice and support from public services.

What is Westminster doing to support parents?

We have recently published a Parenting Strategy and Action Plan.  Click here for a summary.

Read our new magazine Children First.

We are committed to doing everything we can to support all parents in Westminster do the very best for their children, so that children are enabled to fulfil their potential. We have established a One City priority to help the 600 or so families who are at highest risk of social exclusion whose problems bring them into contact with a range of statutory and voluntary agencies, on whom a disproportionate amount of public funding is spent, and for whom the outcomes, in terms of overall quality of life, and life chances for their children, are often the worst. We recognise there is much to do, and we intend to make substantial progress on this important priority this year.

By 2010, all schools will offer a range of parenting support, from information sessions when your child is about to move to secondary school to more specialised support for parents whose children have problems with attendance or behaviour.

The Government is currently piloting a scheme where schools appoint a Parent School Adviser who intervenes early to support children and families with problems.

There will also be more parental support available through local Sure Start children’s centres and extended schools, which will bring together the health, education and social services that parents of very young children need. One of the services on offer will be to provide training and advice for parents. They will also be able to intervene more quickly if they think a child is at risk.

In addition, there will be more experienced, highly trained professionals to help parents. The national parenting academy will provide training to practitioners working with parents in schools, social services, health and other settings. The overall aim will be to prevent things going wrong in children and families’ lives rather than trying to intervene when things have already gone wrong. The academy will aim to ensure that practitioners are experienced in standardised accredited techniques relating to parenting support.