Agenda item

To consider a report from the Director of Children’s Services which introduces the new Family Support and Parenting Strategy for Leeds, in addition to providing the Board with a brief overview of the work undertaken by the Parent Partnership service

The Board received a report from the Director of Children’s Services which introduced the new Family Support and Parenting Strategy for Leeds, and provided Members with a summary of the work currently being undertaken by the Parent Partnership service throughout the city.

A copy of the ‘Family Support and Parenting Strategy’ was appended to the report for Members’ consideration.

Barbara Newton, Strategic Leader - Partnership and Participation, Children’s Services, and Wendy Winterburn, Parent Partnership Co-ordinator, Education Leeds, were both in attendance to present the report and answer Members’ questions.

Having received an overview of the key issues detailed within the report, in addition to a summary of the work which had been undertaken to produce the parenting strategy, a question and answer session then ensued. The main areas of debate were as follows:-

Promoting and Consulting upon the Support Available to Parents and Carers

·  Members acknowledged the range of support which was currently available to parents and carers in Leeds, and enquired how parents’ awareness of such provision could be maximised. In response, the Board noted that via a range of initiatives, such as an advocacy service which operated throughout the city, parents and carers were provided with as much information and support as possible, in a format that was easily accessible;

·  Having noted the level of consultation with parents and carers which had been undertaken throughout the development of the Family Support and Parenting Strategy, Members referred to the 335 questionnaires which had been completed by parents as one element of the consultation, and asked what the number of respondents was as a proportion of all parents and carers residing in Leeds. In response, Members were advised that this information would be provided;

·  Members further discussed the range of methods used to publicise the support  available to parents and carers, and learned that face to face contact was still most parents’ preferred method of interaction.

Meeting the Needs of Parents and Carers

·  Members emphasised the importance of ensuring that appropriate provision was being delivered to meet the needs of all parents and carers throughout the city. In response, the Board noted that a more systematic understanding of parents’ needs was being developed, which would enable the range of needs across the city to be mapped and addressed more consistently and effectively;

·  Following Members’ enquiries, the Board learned that the parenting strategy aimed to enable a fully integrated and multi-agency approach to be taken towards the delivery of provision, so that the needs of the family as a whole, rather than just the needs of the individual young person, were fully addressed;

·  In response to the Board’s enquiries, Members were assured that the aim of the advice and guidance given to parents and carers was to inform and empower them, in order to enable them to make informed decisions.

Performance Monitoring Issues

·  The Board made enquiries into the extent to which the progress made by those parents, carers and young people receiving support was monitored. In response, the Board learned that although feedback was already being received from parents and carers, longer term tracking mechanisms, which would monitor the impact of the provision, were to be developed in order to enable the service to be improved. Members then highlighted the considerable length of time it could take to receive data from any such long term monitoring mechanisms, and noted that the timescales for such monitoring would depend upon the indicators which were used.

General Observations

·  Members received further information relating to the independent mediation service, and the circumstances in which such a service would be provided;

·  The Board discussed how the provision which was being established for parents and carers was working towards the Government’s localisation agenda;

·  Following Members’ enquiries, the Board noted that further information relating to the availability of the ‘Parent Line Plus’ advice service would be submitted to Members for information.

In conclusion, the Chair acknowledged that further consideration of this issue was required, and proposed that the matter was re-scheduled into the Board’s work programme.

RESOLVED -

(a). That the report and information appended to the report be noted;

(b). That the additional information requested be forwarded to Members for consideration;

(c). That the issue of support for parents and families in Leeds be re-scheduled into the Board’s work programme for further consideration.