Council and democracy

Family support conference benefits Croydon parents

'Croydon wants Parenting and Family Support for everyone who needs it' aims to share good practice among those involved in parental support such as family and parenting support services, children's centres, extended schools and youth services.

Information gleaned from the event will be used to inform the priorities for the first multi-agency parental and family support services plan. The plan is intended to ensure that all children living in Croydon who need parental and family support receive help early enough and on an ongoing basis, regardless of their circumstances.

Croydon has an above average rate of lone parents claiming lone parent benefit and one of the themes emerging from the projects highlighted at the conference is that parental support should not be given in isolation and that wider influences such as poverty or poor housing can effect parenting skills.

Croydon Council's cabinet member for children's services and adult learning, Councillor Maria Gatland, explains: "Croydon has a great track record of working with the voluntary and community sector and in partnership with other agencies but one of the lessons we have learnt is that it is important to ensure that all the services provided are joined up and made more accessible to parents.

"Many parents are aware that support is available but are unsure of where to go to find that support. We hope that by sharing good practice in this way we can develop a more seamless support service and, ultimately, help parents to help themselves."

One of the local projects highlighted in the conference is the 'Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities' project, which formed part of the Department of Children, Schools and Families' 'Parenting Early Intervention Pathfinder' programme aimed at parents of children and young people aged 8-13 years.

Local research and consultation with families had shown that there are a lot of services available to support children in the early and teenage years but there are gaps in services for children in the middle years. The idea of this programme is to prevent children's early involvement in antisocial behaviour and youth offending by involving their parents at this crucial stage.

The council worked in partnership with the Race Equality Foundation to deliver 12 local programmes and the results will be shared at the conference, including views from parents and the families involved.

If you want to find out more about the Croydon Parenting and Family Support Strategy please contact the project team on 020 8686 4433 ext 63529 or 62692 or email justask@croydon.gov.uk.