International perspectives on parenting support: non-English language sources

Abstract

The study began with a scoping review of parenting support in 12 non-English speaking countries (selected from a 'long list ' of 22).This initial stage involved searching primarily English language literature, using search terms typically used in the field of parenting support in England but also country-specific terms such as 'socialisation' and 'help with upbringing'.Internet search engines were the predominant search tools (e.g.Google) as this enabled searching of web pages from specific countries.Searching also drew on the research team's existing knowledge and contacts from previous cross-national work.The scoping review included both European and non-European countries.Five countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands) were selected for further exploration based on the criteria of: relevance to UK policy and practice, potential translatability to a UK service context, indications of promising or interesting practice in parenting support, and / or well developed policy frameworks for such work.A research partner with expert knowledge was recruited in each country and asked to prepare a knowledge synthesis report according to a detailed structured guide.Joint meetings of the international team were held to ensure common understanding of the study aims and of different approaches to parenting support.In the final stage of the work, the English team prepared the country reviews in a comparable format, to facilitate cross-country comparison, and analysed the material for messages that could inform policy and practice development in England. Findings Approaches to parenting supportThe five countries differed in the extent to which they had implemented, and prioritised, formal parenting programmes as a tool for delivering parenting support.Standardised programmes appeared to be most widely used in Germany and the Netherlands.Programmes included popular English-language models such as Triple P, as well as those derived from non-English language sources.The Israeli HIPPY programme (used in Germany and the Netherlands) and the Czech PEKiP programme (used in Germany) in particular may warrant further exploration in an English context.HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) is a two-year intervention, aimed at supporting school readiness through trained peer support for parents of four-to six-year old children.It combines home visits with group activities, and has shown promise in engaging families from minority ethnic communities and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.PEKiP (Prague Parent-Infant Programme) is a programme for parents with infants from one to 12 months, who attend weekly with their babies.It is based on social pedagogical group work, combined with play and exercise activities with the children.However, formal parenting programmes were rarely used in France and Italy, where most provision was designed to meet local needs and service frameworks.In Denmark, parenting programmes were used to some extent, but more commonly, support was embedded within universally used services such as early years settings.In all five countries, to varying degrees, individualised parenting support was available through universally accessible services such as 'family centres'.This provision included open-access counselling services, as well as group-based activities.Support (counselling, group work, and structured parenting programmes) often targeted couples, as well as individual parents, in line with an over-arching emphasis on intervening with the family as a unit not just its individual members.This emphasis on working with the family as a whole is required by legislation in Denmark and Italy, but was seen in practice in all five countries.