Parenting experts call on Sadiq Khan to roll out parenting support to all schools in London
Parenting experts are calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to roll out parenting support to all schools in London. London-based charity and accredited parenting course provider Brilliant Parents, which delivers the Triple P programme, are calling for increased access to parenting services within school settings across the City.
The call comes in the wake of mounting evidence that the pandemic has impacted children’s development with a 10% rise in the number of five and six-year-olds needing specialist speech and language support.
Those from minority ethnic backgrounds have been overwhelmingly affected with recent research from People Like Us revealing that people of black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are being disproportionately affected by the cost-of-living crisis. 52% say Government support will not see them through the next six months.
In addition, Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) found that “considerably more” children from ethnic minority and disadvantaged backgrounds missed out on formal early learning during the pandemic.
Parents are the first port of call to support their children with their mental health, academic success and emotional development. However, with the aftermath of the pandemic, mental health concerns and the current cost of living crisis, many parents need external and additional sources of support to get through this challenging period, and schools can provide a real lifeline.
Meave Darroux is Co-founder and CEO of Brilliant Parents, currently working across the boroughs of Hillingdon, Brent, Harrow, and Hammersmith and Fulham delivering Triple P parenting courses. She has called on Sadiq Khan to make parenting support accessible to all families in London, saying:
“As families try to cope with the deepening cost of living crisis and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for support is more vital than ever. That is why we are calling on the London Mayor to roll out funding for parenting programmes across all schools in London as a matter of urgency. This is necessary and required everywhere, but particularly in those boroughs where parents and families are struggling to support children to achieve their full potential.”
“All children have an innate ability to succeed, but life can knock them back in one way or another, and all of us know what a challenging time this has been for the whole country. At Brilliant Parents, we know that when given the right support, parents can have a major impact on their children’s happiness and health. We want to be able to give non-judgemental advice and support that is backed by research and proven by parents, to as many families in London as possible.”
“Brilliant Parents know that three in four parents feel there is a stigma attached to asking for help. We have seen how providing parenting support through schools can remove and eliminate that stigma because the support is there, openly available, and parents can hear from other parents about the success they have had. Mums and dads don’t need to feel singled out”
Brilliant Parents support programmes are currently available throughout schools in Hillingdon, Brent, Harrow, and Hammersmith and Fulham. The programme offers courses and seminars that follow the Triple P Positive Parenting approach, and have seen significant success and evidenced impact outcomes in providing parents access to support programmes.
Darroux spoke of the particular success of Brilliant Parents across Hillingdon and Brent, where they have reached and engaged a diverse range of parents.
She said “Brilliant Parents has been supporting Hillingdon parents since 2017. Our service is available across the borough, but we pay particular emphasis to those parents residing in the more deprived areas, many of whom are from diverse communities. On occasion, the parents we work with have commented that following the COVID-19 pandemic, their children’s levels of anxiety have increased, which in some cases has led to low school attendance and achievement. Not surprisingly, the additional burden of possible unemployment, being unable to feed their family or pay their utility bills, can make the job of parenting positively, increasingly challenging.”
In addition, over the last 12 months, Brilliant Parents has started supporting parents in Brent, courtesy of a National Lottery Reaching Communities grant, where there is a 64% proportion of residents from Black and Ethnic Minority communities. The Triple P Discussion Groups on offer to Brent’s parents have seen positive testimonials as to the difference the workshops make. For example, a social worker commented that a mother who had attended a Brilliant Parents workshop expressed she is getting better at managing her child’s bedtime routines, and that the programme enabled her to put different strategies in place to improve her child’s behaviour. She also commented that mum confirmed she has witnessed a change in her child’s punctuality during the last week of term, and the school confirmed the child’s punctuality had improved.
Cllr Gwen Grahl, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools at Brent Council said: “Working in partnership with Brilliant Parents, has allowed us to offer a range of different workshops that focus on specific topics or challenges that parents are currently facing. The workshops that Brilliant Parents deliver contribute towards achieving the key priorities outlined in the council’s Early Help strategy and are part of the Family Wellbeing Centre support offer.”
Meave Darroux said “Whilst our parents experience many challenges, our staff and Triple P Practitioners are themselves from diverse communities and have their own lived experiences. This enables Brilliant Parents to connect with our service users with genuine empathy, which is the foundation for building trust and understanding. Despite the long-standing and traditional stigma of parenting support, Brilliant Parents’ Triple P programmes enjoy on average an 85% retention rate and result in positive changes for our families.”
Featured Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash
