1st Edition
International Perspectives on Parenting Support and Parental Participation in Children and Family Services
This book provides an account of parenting support initiatives in children and family services from a number of jurisdictions, paying particular attention to their impact on both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ outcomes for participants and to the inclusion of parents in the design and delivery of these supports.
By focusing on parents who are experiencing challenges outside of the normal day-to-day task of parenting and in receipt of formal support services, their perspectives on the experience of receiving these supports and the difference experienced by children and family members are analysed. Conceptually driven and reflecting the individual theories and frameworks that underpinned the parenting supports, the participatory processes and the research undertaken, this book includes case studies from Australia, Bulgaria, England, Italy, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia and Spain. By highlighting the theoretical, conceptual and practical considerations required when supporting parents in an inclusive manner, it will be of interest to all scholars, students and practitioners working in the following areas: social work and social care, child development, child protection and social policy.
Chapter One – Introduction to parenting support and parental participation in children and family services
Carmel Devaney and Rosemary Crosse
Part One
Chapter Two - Parenting support and parental participation
Carmel Devaney and Rosemary Crosse
Chapter Three – Parents’ participation in the early childhood education and care system in Bulgaria: status quo and contributing factors
Ivanka Shalapatova and Tatyana Kotzeva
Chapter Four – Mapping parenting interventions in Portugal
Orlanda Cruz, Ana Almeida and Cristina Nunes
Chapter Five – Harnessing the power of evidence: parental participation in one early learning and childcare setting in Scotland
Lynn. J. McNair and Lian Higgins
Chapter Six – The integral role of parents in fostering a sense of belonging for school-aged children
Kelly-Ann Allen, Caomhán McGlinchey, Denise Wong, Christopher Boyle, Ma Lan and Tiger Chan
Chapter Seven – Supporting parents in acquiring (self)regulatory competence in the use of media technologies by family members: the case of programmes, projects and activities applied in Poland
Katarzyna Kopecka-Piech, Karolina Burno-Kaliszuk and Jeannine Teichert
Chapter Eight – Contact time for very young children
Stephanie Holt, Simone McCaughren, Aisling Parkes and Soma Gregory
Part Two
Chapter Nine – A participatory model of research with parents involved in a child protection and welfare service to inform its future strategic orientation
Rosemary Crosse, Patricia O’ Connor and Carmel Devaney
Chapter Ten – The implementation and effectiveness of group-based programmes for mainly vulnerable parent populations: key findings and lessons from research conducted in Ireland
Grainne Hickey and Sinéad McGilloway
Chapter Eleven – Mechanisms of change in parenting support initiatives for vulnerable families. Raising up parents’ voices through the significant events approach
Lucía Jiménez and Jesús Maya
Chapter Twelve – Let’s reflect together: building capabilities through participative assessment of the child’s needs
Sara Serbati and Daniela Moreno Boudon
Chapter Thirteen – Licence to help? A relational approach to families with complex lives
Lena A. Ulfseth, Anne Moe, Willy Lichtwarck and Edgar Marthinsen
Chapter Fourteen – "It’s a private matter" – aligning the views of Polish migrant parents and Irish service providers in the delivery of parenting support
Carmen Kealy
Chapter Fifteen – A relational approach to assessing and enhancing parenting capacity: Building Better Futures
Mandi MacDonald, Stan Houston and Lorna Montgomer
Chapter Sixteen – Understanding the experiences and perceived needs of parents with children on the autism spectrum
Sofía Baena, Lucía Jiménez and Victoria Hidalgo
Chapter Seventeen – Parental participation and community family support: ‘Family Support Hubs’ in Northern Ireland and ‘Family Hubs’ in England
Harriet Churchill and Helen Dunn
Chapter Eighteen – Learning and final remarks: parenting support and parental participation
Carmel Devaney and Rosemary Crosse
Biography
Carmel Devaney is an Associate Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, Head of Discipline of Applied Social Science, and a Lecturer in the School of Political Science and Sociology at the University of Galway, Ireland. Carmel is an Academic Director of the MA in Family Support Studies and teaches and researches in the areas of child protection and welfare, family support, parenting support and children and young people in care. Prior to joining the University, Carmel worked for many years in statutory children and family services as both a practitioner and manager.
Rosemary Crosse is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway. Rosemary works in the area of parenting support and participation. In addition to her academic work, Rosemary is a member of The Parenting and Family Studies Alliance, which aims to promote and facilitate critical inquiry into the changing nature of parenting and family life in modern society. Rosemary is also a member of the Parenting Network, which has been a central part of an all-island approach to promote the value of parenting support and to secure the necessary policy and strategies to embed parenting supports as key elements of all child and family infrastructure in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
