Parenting interventions aim to reduce parenting risk factors, such as harsh or erratic discipline, poor supervision and conflict at home, and strengthen protective factors such as positive and consistent discipline, constructive supervision and supportive parent–child relationships. The presence or absence of these factors are strongly associated with offending and anti-social behaviour by children and young people. Parenting interventions can give parents the skills to parent authoritatively, lovingly and effectively and are vital to addressing youth crime.
The YJB’s evaluation of 42 pilot parenting programmes, Positive Parenting, showed that parents/carers attending the programmes improved their communication skills, monitoring and supervision, ability to handle conflict and relationships, and generally felt more confident as parents. The report also concluded that there was a place for compulsory Parenting Orders.
See also:
Key Elements of Effective Practice - Parenting
Key Elements of Effective Practice - Parenting provides guidance for the development of quality in services to parents. It sets out the need for YOTs to provide programmes based on clear theoretical principles and evidence of effective practice.
Targets
YOTs have substantially increased their parenting provision in recent years, enabling them to meet the YJB corporate plan target to double the level of parenting interventions delivered to 11,000 per year. Between April 2005 and March 2006, this target was exceeded as more than 11,000 final warnings with interventions and community-based penalties had a parenting intervention attached to them. In 2004, we estimated that there were only 5,000 interventions being delivered each year, so this represents a significant growth in parenting delivery.
We are keen to see the growth of parenting interventions continue, both in terms of interventions attached to community disposals and those delivered as part of prevention programmes.
Funding
YOTs are investing an additional £9.5 million in parenting services during 2006-07 and 07-08. As well as expanding and adding intensity to existing services, this new investment will fund other targeted parenting services for children at risk of entering the youth justice system, fathers, BME parents and young parents who are in prison.
Respect
Extending support to programmes and ensuring parents fulfil their responsibilities are central to the Respect agenda [opens in new window].
In November 2006, the Respect Task Force announced that it will provide funding to the 77 Respect areas in England to support parenting provision linked to anti-social behaviour teams. The funding will be used to employ practitioners who would be able to deliver structured parenting programmes to the parents of families exhibiting anti-social behaviour, or at risk of doing so. Having these key new staff in post will make it much easier to refer families to parenting programmes.
The YJB will be working with colleagues from the Respect Task Force to try to ensure that YOT parenting delivery in these areas can be enhanced with the creation of new posts.
Young Parents
The YJB is aware that while limited data is available on the number of young offenders who are parents, the numbers are significant (perhaps between 25 and 40% according to figures for young people in custody) making this a very important issue for the youth justice system. While YOT parenting strategies will focus on the parents of young offenders, young parents should not be forgotten.
The YJB will be publishing guidance on linking support to young people with support to their families (including their children) in the community later this year.