Agenda item

Debra Davies, the Assistant Head of Service, Child and Family Early Help – Family Services provided an update on Parent Champions.

Parent Champions are parent volunteers who contribute a few hours per week to engage with fellow parent/carers, offering guidance on accessing organisations that can provide them with support, such as local Children's Centres, Youth Service, Early Help and Family Information Services.

The current network is made up of three strands Coram, EPEC and VRU. The three strands enable with infants through to secondary school. This proactive approach ensures that parent/carers are well-informed about the services available to them and their children within their borough. Barnet Parent Champions are able to use their own experiences to support other parent/carers.

Empowering Parent Empowering Communities (EPEC) (ages 4 to 11)

• This 8-week parenting course is led by parents who have completed an accredited EPEC training and receive ongoing training, supervision and support from parenting specialists.
• EPEC groups are highly interactive, involving an engaging and creative blend of small and large group discussion, role play, demonstrations, information sharing and reflection. Parents practice and use new skills in everyday life to achieve specific goals. 
• The parent group leaders receive ongoing supervision and support from parenting specialists and have fulfilled DBS and other mandatory requirements. 

Coram (ages 0-5)

• Coram Family and Childcare is the leading national charity in the field of policy, research and advocacy on childcare and family issues, working closely with government, local authorities, businesses and charities to achieve positive and long-lasting change for families across the UK. Their vision is a society where all families are well-supported and have genuine choices about their lives. Coram Family and Childcare was formed when the Family and Childcare Trust joined the Coram group of charities in August 2018.

VRU (ages 9-18)

• The London Violence Reduction Unit has provided funding to sustain Barnet's thriving Parent Champion Programme. This programme empowers parent/carers to support one another by sharing information about available resources within the borough and using their own personal experiences to offer support, guidance and the ability to signpost, all with the aim of reducing youth violence.

Parent/carers encounter various challenges, including:

•      Accessing information for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

•      Managing school transitions

•      Managing behaviours

•      Uncertainty about meeting their children's needs

•      Increased anxiety related to youth violence in the community

•      Growing concerns about children's mental health and support

•      Worries about exclusion and rising NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training)

The two Parent Champions gave an overview of their experiences. They outlined that Parent Champions have had positive effects such as increase of attendance to workshops due to the relatable experiences of other parents.

The Chair asked the Assistant Head of Service, Child and Family Early Help, and the two Parent Champions how the board could further support the programme and make the role of a Parent Champion more influential. In response, one of the Parent Champions outlined that being invited and attending things such as the Barnet Children’s Partnership Board and building networks and connections is important to the role.

The Chair urged the board to use the Parent Champion programme if they ever require the views and/ or engagement from parents.

The Chair thanked the Parent Champions and Assistant Head of Service, Child and Family Early Help for the report.