Agenda item

Report of Sue Frossell, Consultant in Public Health

The Board considered a report of Sue Frossell, Consultant in Public Health, concerning the Coventry Parenting Strategy 2018-2023, a copy of which was set out at an appendix to the report. The progress made to strengthen parenting provision in the city was also detailed.

The report indicated that there was clear evidence that supporting parents and carers to develop effective parenting skills was an important part of maximising their children’s potential. Coventry’s vision for parenting was to have ‘more Coventry children and young people grow up within supportive families and communities’. In order to achieve this, a multiagency steering group had been established to develop a new Parenting Strategy for the city. There was to be a Coventry-wide approach to supporting parenting, where everyone working within this area understood where their support fitted into the overall parenting support system.

The report set out the consultation process used to develop the strategy. Through the Coventry Parenting Steering Committee, a review of the current parenting provision in the city was completed. 21 agencies responded highlighting 55 different parenting projects in the city. A consultation with parents confirmed that access to parenting support needed to be strengthened. Consultation was also undertaken with young people.

The Board were informed that areas for improvement and key recommendations had been identified bringing together the views of parents and stakeholders and the evidence. The key recommendations of the strategy were:

i) Strengthen availability and accessibility of general information and advice to parents

ii) Harness technology and the developing digital systems across agencies to strengthen the parenting offer

iii) Ensure there is a systematic approach to ensuring the quality and effectiveness of the parenting offer across the whole system

iv) Ensure that this system wide parenting offer is delivered in a way which progressively provides more support across the social gradient and level of need

v) Ensure there is a clear focus on early help and prevention

vi) Improve cohesiveness of parenting support across Coventry

vii) Building parenting capacity in specific areas where gaps have been identified.

The multi-agency task and finish group had been set up to take forward the first four recommendations with the remaining recommendations acting as cross-cutting themes. Detailed delivery plans for each of the work streams were to be developed through the multi-agency Task and Finish groups. Parenting would also be strengthened in the future through the Family Hubs.

The Parenting Strategy would be owned and monitored by the multi-agency Coventry Parenting Steering Group and driven by the Task and Finish Sub-Groups.

Members discussed a number of issues arising from the report including support for the strategy; the financial implications and whether there was adequate resource to deliver these aspirations; the importance of destigmatising the need for help ensuring Coventry residents could ask for help at an early stage; the support provided by health workers and the family hub workers to families with young children experiencing problems; and the inclusion of the parenting strategy work as an action for the Year of Wellbeing.

RESOLVED that the Parenting Strategy recommendations be supported.