A report said that involving parents actively in the education of their children not only helped to tackle the social exclusion of under-achievement, truancy and anti-social behaviour, but also offered parents much for themselves.
Source: Margaret Lochrie, Family Learning: Building all our futures, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (0116 204 4200)
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Dec
A new book examined changes in family practices and paid work, focusing principally on highly qualified women who combined the mothering of very young children with employment.
Source: Caroline Gatrell, Hard Labour: The sociology of parenthood, Open University Press (01280 823388)
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Dec
A report revealed how families feared that they were losing control, and struggling with high stress levels, when their child was accused of being a bully.
Source: Findings of Data on Calls from Parents of Bullies, Parentline Plus (020 7284 5500)
Links: Report (Word file) | Parentline plus press release
Date: 2004-Nov
Researchers found that parents with a history of anti-social behaviour were significantly more likely than other parents to engage in two or more types of problematic child-rearing behaviour.
Source: Jeffrey Johnson, Elizabeth Smailes, Patricia Cohen, Stephanie Kasen and Judith Brook, 'Anti-social parental behaviour, problematic parenting and aggressive offspring behaviour during adulthood', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 44 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2004-Nov
A report identified high levels of stress and anxiety among fathers, challenging the idea that fathers were 'distant' parents failing to pull their weight. Fathers knew they were key to the happiness and well-being of their children: but they often felt helpless when faced with challenging behaviour by their children.
Source: Hopes, Stress and Love: Listening to fathers, Parentline Plus (020 7284 5500)
Links: Report (Word file) | Parentline plus press release
Date: 2004-Nov
A research project looked at the extra services offered by the Parentline Plus organization to parents who contacted its freephone helpline. Parents who rang the helpline were offered the opportunity to be called back to see if they would like additional services, or if they had indicated that they would like more support.
Source: Charlotte Ritchie, Parentline Plus Telephone Support: An evaluation, Parentline Plus (020 7284 5500)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Parentline plus press release
Date: 2004-Oct
Researchers used the findings of the 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey to assess the need for advice and information on the part of different groups of parents who were of key interest to policymakers. It was found that fathers, Asian parents, and parents with lower levels of educational qualifications were less likely to be aware of formal sources of advice and information. Disabled parents, lone parents, and parents with non-resident children were all less likely to report being satisfied with the amount and quality of parenting advice and information available.
Source: Rebecca Creasey and Sara Trikha, Meeting Parents Needs for Information: Evidence from the 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey, Online Report 48/04, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf) | Children Now report
Date: 2004-Sep
Researchers evaluated the outcomes and costs of Home-Start support to 162 young families under stress (the scheme offers volunteer home visiting support to families with children under five). Although the mothers who had received the support of a Home-Start volunteer obviously valued the service, there was no clear evidence that it had made a positive difference to them in terms of outcomes, relative to those of the families in the comparison group.
Source: Colette McAuley, Martin Knapp, Jennifer Beecham, Nyree McCurry and Michelle Sleed, Young Families under Stress: Outcomes and costs of Home-Start support, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary | JRF press release
Date: 2004-Sep
An annual survey found a generally positive experience of parenting, with 9 out of 10 parents saying they were satisfied with their lives. But three-quarters identified the teenage years as the most difficult time, and more than half (57 per cent) worried they were not doing a good enough job.
Source: Laura Edwards, The Lever Faberg Report 2004: Parenting under the microscope, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: Report (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
Research examined families and the transition from youth to adulthood in five key areas - independence, financial support, family dynamics, economic transitions, and family formation. It found that, when making education/work decisions, young people needed to take a long-term view: but there were short-term pressures, sometimes emanating from parents.
Source: Gill Jones and Graham Martin, The Parenting of Youth: Social protection and economic dependence, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jul
A large-scale study explored fathers involvement with older children, the nature of fathering and its impact on children. It concluded that promoting better father-child relationships was about enhancing whole family well-being. Targeting one problem or one family relationship was not enough.
Source: Elaine Welsh, Ann Buchanan, Eirini Flouri and Jane Lewis, 'Involved' Fathering and Child Well-being: Fathers' involvement with secondary school age children, National Children s Bureau (020 7843 6029) for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: JRF Findings 724
Date: 2004-Jul
The government launched the Parenting Fund, designed to provide parenting support through the voluntary and community sector. The Fund was first announced in the Spending Review 2002. It will be worth at least 15.5 million over the two years 2004-05 and 2005-06. A children's organisation reportedly said that the Fund was too small to make any significant impact.
Source: Press release 10 May 2004, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288) | The Guardian, 10 May 2004
Links: DfES press release | NFPI press release | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2004-May
A report summarised findings from a major research programme on parental support involving 14 studies. It demonstrated the importance of joined-up integrated services that enabled parents to take control of their problems.
Source: David Quinton, Supporting Parents: Messages from research, Jessica Kingsley Publishers (020 7833 2307)
Links: Summary | DfES press release | NFPI press release | Community Care report
Date: 2004-May
A new book examined the role of fathers in family support. Men were increasingly involved in their children's lives, but most family support services were still used by mothers.
Source: Margaret O'Brien, Fathers and Family Support: Promoting involvement and evaluating impact, National Family and Parenting Institute (020 7424 3460)
Links: No link
Date: 2004-Apr
A report highlighted the need to establish a body of evidence on the effectiveness of parenting programmes for parents from minority ethnic communities.
Source: Jane Barlow, Richard Shaw and Sarah Stewart-Brown, Parenting Programmes and Minority Ethnic Families: Experiences and outcomes, National Children s Bureau (020 7843 6029) and Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Apr
A study found that 60 per cent of grandparents saw their grandchild or grandchildren every week, and slightly more (64 per cent) lived no more than half an hour away. Most found their role highly satisfying even if it involved hard work and responsibility for childcare when parents needed to work.
Source: Lynda Clarke and Ceridwen Roberts, Grandparenthood: Its Meaning and Its Contribution to Older People's Lives, ESRC Growing Older Programme/University of Sheffield (0114 222 6467)
Links: Findings (pdf) | LSHTM press release
Date: 2004-Mar
A report said that getting involved in adult learning could lessen the stresses of bringing up children and help people to be better parents, whether or not the courses had anything to do with parenting.
Source: Tom Schuller, John Preston, Cathie Hammond, Angela Brasset-Grundy and John Bynner, The Benefits of Learning: The impact of education on health, family life and social capital, RoutledgeFalmer (020 7583 9855)
Links: Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
A new book brought together authoritative research on supporting parents and carers. It showed how 'informal' support could be complemented by the provision of a fully integrated multi-agency response from healthcare, education and social services.
Source: David Quinton, Supporting Parents: Messages from research, Jessica Kingsley Publishers (020 7833 2307)
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Mar
A literature review found that homework could cause friction between parents and children, especially in middle-class families where concerns about a child's future could lead to a climate of pressure to succeed.
Source: Susan Hallam, Homework: The evidence, Bedford Way Paper 21, Institute of Education/University of London (020 7612 6050)
Links: IOE press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Feb
A report examined grandparents' relationships with their adult children and grandchildren in divorced families. It asked what part grandparents might play in public policy, and whether measures should be taken to support their grandparenting role.
Source: Neil Ferguson with Gillian Douglas, Nigel Lowe, Mervyn Murch and Margaret Robinson, Grandparenting in Divorced Families, Policy Press for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Jan