Parenting support can help to reduce serious harm to vulnerable children

New evidence has reveals that parenting support, such as the Parenting Through Adversity Practice Guide (for babies and children aged 0-10) commissioned by the Department for Education, can help reduce harm to children and strengthen the parenting skills of parents facing adversity.

The Guide, which provides advice and guidance to local leaders in health and children's social care about how evidence-based parenting support can help to transform the lives of families facing adversity, supports delivery of the Children's Social Care National Framework and provides a vital tool for social workers, family support practitioners, local authority leaders and health professionals.

The Guide draws on two comprehensive reviews, conducted by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI) in partnership with the Universities of Oxford, Amsterdam and Monash, and by Foundations, as well as insights from parents and practitioners. It addresses the critical challenges some families face, such as parental stress and weakened parenting skills, which increase the risks facing children and lead to poor outcomes.

According to the latest statistics, parental mental health is the single biggest factor driving children's social care activity, and further research published this week suggests that one in four children need social care services by the time they turn 18.

Donna Molloy, Deputy Chief Executive at Foundations and member of the Department for Education's Children's Social Care National Practice Group, said the Practice Guide “marks a significant breakthrough” in understanding of the effectiveness of parenting support for families facing adversity.

“For the first time, we have robust evidence that parenting support can help to reduce serious harm to children experiencing vulnerabilities, improve children's behaviour, and reduce parental stress.

“As councils struggle to cope with the costs of children's social care, our evidence shows that proven models of parenting support can help to keep children safe with their families, improve their outcomes and alleviate pressure on an already overstretched system.”

The Practice Guide recommends that evidence-based parenting interventions should be made available to families as part of integrated strategies to reduce the risk of more serious harm to children.

It also suggests that, to help keep children safe, targeted help for families on the edge of care or receiving Family Help should include more structured forms of parenting support, and that evidence-based parenting interventions should be made available to families to improve child behaviour and strengthen parenting practices, and reduce parenting stress.

It also recommends that leaders work together to co-ordinate an effective multi-agency system, a clearly communicated local parenting offer, and easy referral pathways for those who need it, without the need to wait for specialist mental health treatment.

"Our findings provide a clear endorsement of the role of parenting interventions for parents experiencing complex and multiple needs, such as poor mental health, poverty or substance abuse,” Jane Lewis, Project Lead and Associate Director at Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI), said. “Parenting programmes can help to strengthen families' resilience in the face of these challenges and can help families to provide the best start in life for their children.”

Emma Ford, North West Programme Director, Warrington Borough Council, said the priority now is to “focus on supporting local areas in putting this guidance into action.”

“This involves enabling the how — ensuring that implementation is practical and impactful—while avoiding additional strain on an already pressured system.”