We wanted to make accessing evidence-based parenting support easier for parents. We wanted to run programmes in local communities and schools, which parents would find available on their doorstep.
Introduction
We wanted to empower our school and third sector support staff to be better equipped to help parents earlier, to avoid escalation and family crisis and to demonstrate to parents, the power of embracing a nurturing approach and the importance of healthy, parent / child relationships.
Wider context
Liverpool is the 4th most deprived authority when it comes to deprivation affecting children. There are 24,000 (28.9%) children living in relative poverty. In Liverpool, health, living environment, employment, child poverty and lower income are the main drivers of deprivation in the city. In the recent public health report State of health in Liverpool 2040 describes the current state of health for Liverpool residents based on current trends, and projections for 2040, presenting a stark report and the necessity for early intervention and change. The key health issues facing children and young people within the next two decades are predicted to be mental health, obesity, and child poverty.
Research tells us that what happens in pregnancy and early childhood goes on to impact physical and emotional health into adulthood. When parenting children, who are to become the next generation of adults in society, it is important for them to experience positive parental relationships. The Centre for Emotional Health’s Nurturing Programme demonstrates exactly that. The model focuses on parenting using the four constructs of empathy, positive discipline, appropriate expectations, and good parental self-awareness. These key elements help to provide a good foundation for positive mental health, for children as they grow and develop.
In Liverpool it is now, more than ever, that we need to equip our workforce who support families and share evidence-based knowledge with parents to promote positive mental health in their children – as the next generation. The Nurturing Programme is helping us to do this.
What we've done
Liverpool City Council provide a parenting support offer for families to access from preconception, up to their children reaching 19 years of age, (25 years if the child has a SEN need). The parenting offer ranges from universal to targeted support. The Nurturing Programme plays a large part of the offer, supporting families at both universal and targeted levels. The programme is already delivered by family link worker teams based across our five family hub sites and our 13 children’s centre sites, alongside their connector sites across the city.
As part of the Liverpool Family Hub agenda, through a review of the Liverpool parenting support offer and a process of co-production we have been able to expand the number of professionals across children centres, family hubs, primary schools and third sector organisations who are working in partnership with family hubs, to train as nurturing programme facilitators.
In 2023, through a process of exploring and engaging with headteachers, pastoral and mentoring staff across Liverpool primary schools, and leaders within third sector charities and organisations, we discussed the benefits of investing time for staff to train to become facilitators in the programme.
We explore how this would be beneficial to parents and families in having the opportunity to access a Nurturing Programme on their doorstep, at a building they are familiar with, with staff they may have contact with every day. Discussions took place regarding how the model and approach would enhance staff skills and expertise in being able to offer parenting support and intervention at a lower level, enabling families to have access to help earlier.
Explaining to leaders a handful of the benefits of having such a programme available to families in their setting, was key to enabling them to understand the importance of this opportunity. We discussed with them the following:
- intervening early to avoid parenting issues getting worse
- how issues at home impact on children’s emotional wellbeing, children’s ability to learn and their school attendance
- relationships formed when facilitating programmes can enhance parent / carer relationships, with school and services. Whilst giving the opportunity to observe improvements in the child’s well-being.
Over time we trained 32 practitioners in 2023 and 32 practitioners in 2024. Those schools and organisations that trained, agreed to the following:
- they would deliver two programmes a year for the city and return evaluation data to central parenting team.
- we would provide facilitators with an initial resource bundle to enable them to deliver their first programme
- parenting team would provide online peer support meetings to offer co-ordination of programmes, advertising support, and practical support.
This approach has enabled wider delivery of the programme to families across the city.
The challenges
Small challenges have been that some schools/ organisations who have trained, have not necessarily conformed to the initial agreement of delivering a group; however, this figure represents as a minority, and the overall investment of the approach outweighs this. We have had the occasional practitioner that has left the organisation or authority; however, this circumstance cannot be avoided.
Liverpool’s biggest challenge has been ensuring accessibility to face to face programmes for those parents whose first language is not English. There are a small variety of aid manuals for parents, available to use in some languages, which The Centre for Emotional Health provides, which we have purchased. However, key languages in our city, such as Arabic, are not currently available (these resources are produced based on levels of demand). So, this remains a challenge for Nurturing Programme facilitators in the city.
There has been a challenge in initially receiving evaluation information from facilitators at the end of programmes.
The solutions
We have gone on to reapproach schools/ organisations who have trained but not yet delivered programmes to explore how we can support and help to encourage delivery including offering facilitator support from our parenting team to buddy up and assist with initial delivery. We have offered online peer support which has helped to aid accountability to those who agreed to train and deliver programmes. This process has helped them to plan and prepare and be coached in ways in which they can promote their programmes and recruit parents.
We also encourage parents who may have an English-speaking friend or relative to attend the programme with them to help assist them, if English is not their first language and they wish to attend a group. We use apps such as google translate on mobile phones, but this is not necessarily the best resource.
We have recently trained a facilitator who runs a voluntary Muslim women’s community group. This facilitator is now delivering a programme to her group and is one example of how we have been able to support some parents whose first language may not be English to access a Nurturing Programme. This tells us that it could be beneficial to offer facilitator training to other parents who access their own community groups, where their first language may not be English, to enable us to offer better access to the programme for non-English speaking parents in the future.
Receiving evaluation data from completed programmes improved over time as practice was reaffirmed and peer support sessions online were offered to facilitators. This has greatly improved, and facilitators now see this stage of the programme delivery as a built-in part of the delivery process. Facilitators now also like to see the impact that their programme has had for parents and their group.
The impact
We have seen impressive impact data using the TOPSE – Parenting Self-Efficacy scales as a measure at the beginning and end of Nurturing Programmes for parents. The tool enables parents to score their views on eight areas of parenting confidence. Giving an overall impact area score for each group completing a programme. The eight areas are:
Emotion and affection, play and enjoyment, empathy and understanding, control, discipline and boundaries, pressures, self-acceptance, and learning and knowledge
There has been a challenge in initially receiving evaluation information from facilitators at the end of programmes.
In 2024, Liverpool Nurturing Programme facilitators delivered 25 programmes across the city. The above chart demonstrates where parents scored areas of parenting confidence at week one of the programme (in yellow) and then at week 10 of the programme (in purple). This tells us the four biggest increases in parenting confidence for parents in Liverpool were in discipline and boundaries, control, pressures and in empathy and understanding
Parents demonstrated increased knowledge at the end of their programme regarding how pressures affect parental responses to children and how these responses can influence parental communication. This increased awareness enables parents to make positive choices about how they communicate with their children at times of pressure and stress.
Parents who attended Nurturing Programmes in Liverpool in 2024, experienced an overall increase in parenting confidence by 15 per cent by the end of the programme, at week 10.
Parents tell us what their experience of attending a programme has felt like for them and how it has helped them.
I’ve learned to be a more present and patient parent. Some of the skills learned have been very useful at home. The kids have been more responsive and calmer, in certain situations. I still have a lot to practice but feel more confident in dealing with certain tasks and situations.”
I love how engaging each session is. I like the people I am spending time with. I am excited each week at this opportunity to learn something new.”
I really enjoyed the course, it taught me a lot of things, I thought I knew, but maybe didn’t or gave me a different insight into parenting from other people’s points of views, lifestyle or religion. It was nice to share with other families and I think we all learned a bit from each other.
Was really great to have this to help me to understand more about children and emotions. It’s helped me to get good mental health and make good changes.
I have enjoyed this 10-week course. It has helped me gain confidence with all five children and has motivated me to persevere and endure new challenges ahead.”
I have really enjoyed this course. With the help and guidance of my group leader, I have learned a lot about family life and children. I already thought I had a basic understanding of what was needed as a father, but I have learned so much more. I’m really glad I have taken part. I’ve learned a lot about myself during this time, so I am very grateful to have been part of it”.
Really a good course, really enjoyed it and learned new ways to help me develop as a father. Thank you very much.”
It’s a calm, relaxing place, non-judgmental people and I feel happy. This course was the highlight of my week”.
I thought my son was always trying to wind me up and there wasn’t that much communication, but now I feel that I love him so much and I am enjoying being with him all the time”.
The arguments in our house are stopping since I started giving my daughter choices and she feels free to choose the option she is more comfortable with”.
How is the approach being sustained?
The number of Nurturing Programmes being delivered across Liverpool have increased hugely since the project started in 2023. There are now on average approximately 24 Nurturing Programmes running across children centres, family hubs, schools and third sector services in Liverpool per term. With an average of group sizes being between six to eight parents. Some are larger with 11 or 12 parents in a group.
Through promotion and publicity, ongoing evaluation, and collection of data, we are looking forward to seeing what further impact this programme has for our families and their children’s health and well-being. Facilitators continue to communicate frequently with the central parenting team, access peer support and resources where possible, to enable them to schedule in new programmes. Schools and organisations are experiencing and hearing of the benefits to their parents and going on to support further programme delivery. The word is spreading widely and positively.
We are working with other local authorities in the Learning Partnership collaboration to share best practices and compare our impact data with other services. We are also delivering a joint breakout session with The Centre for Emotional Health on embedding impact measurement, at the Children and Young People Now conference in London in March 2025 to showcase our work in this area.
Contacts
This approach requires a lead to co-ordinate delivery, promote access for families, organise training, co-ordinate data collection and lead support for facilitators across a wide community network. It is beneficial to have staff experienced in delivering the programme to buddy, coach, and model to new facilitators. This approach supports capacity where organisations may have one member of their staff trained, as two trained facilitators are required to run a Nurturing programme. In the Liverpool Parenting team, we have three full time Parent Inclusion Lead Workers, all trained to a high standard and experienced in delivering parenting models. These team members assist delivery across the city in a variety of settings and support with new contacts and the delivery of other programmes available across the parenting offer.
Contacts
Lisa Lunt, parenting co-ordinator - Liverpool City Council
Email: [email protected]