This document provides an overview of the Family Links Nurturing Programme (FLNP), which aims to promote family wellbeing and a healthy society by targeting the root causes of poor emotional health and breaking the cycle of ineffective parenting. The FLNP is a 10-week group program led by two trained facilitators using a workbook, CD and DVD. It is based on improving parents' self-esteem, expectations of children, discipline skills, and empathy using structured experiential learning. Evaluations found improvements in parental wellbeing, children's behavior, and family relationships. The FLNP is designed to be universally available to support diverse families.
5. Theoretical Model
of the Nurturing Problem Programme Theory
Programme
Nurture parentsā
Relationship empathetic insight into the
between poor emotional determinants of
parental wellbeing their own behaviour and
and quality of meeting their own needs
parenting
Four constructs of
positive parenting:
ā¢ self-esteem and
Intergenerational self-awareness
transfer of poor ā¢ appropriate expectations
parenting practices ā¢ positive discipline
ā¢ empathy
Impact of Help parents draw on their
poor parent-child experiences as children
relationships on to reflect on their
childrenās: relationships with their
ā¢ physical health
children and empower them
ā¢ mental health
to make changes
ā¢ education
ā¢ social competence
ā¢ employability Meet all learning styles
ā¢ nervous system through structured
experiential learning
6. Proximal
Programme Design Future Outcomes
Outcomes
10 weekly, 2 hour sessions in
groups of 6-10 parents
Improve Reduced mental
parentsā mental health problems in
2 trained wellbeing parents and children
Parent Group Leaders
Parenting Puzzle Book,
CD, and DVD
Improve childrenās
Improve long-term
childrenās
Provide parents with tools to: educational and work
behaviour prospects
ā¢ develop communication and
relationship skills
ā¢ encourage cooperative,
responsible behaviours
ā¢ manage challenging Disrupt
behaviours in a positive way Improve family inter-generational
ā¢ enhance relationship and relationships cycles of poor
nurturing skills
parenting, violence,
ā¢ build confidence and empathy
and social inequity
Parental mental health is one of the main determinants of childrenās outcomes. Excellent evidence based strategies or interventions will be ineffective if the parentsā own emotional health is poor, they will be unable to take them on board or use them consistently.
Bavolek designed it as a result of work with abused and neglected teenagers. Universal public health model Also, its capacity as a universal public health model, to be a strong prevention work tool as well as an intervention work tool with troubled families. EMPATHY: Bavolek way ahead of his time in stressing the importance of empathy. Empathic, responsive parenting not just the fluffy stuff, it has an effect on how childrenās brains develop. Further research just published demonstrates that toddlers who lack empathy are more likely to display antisocial behaviour as teenagers. The programme is influenced by social learning theory, how do toddlers learn empathy, how do parents learn empathy? As professionals as well as parents we need to have empathy as our ace card.
RCT came across many of the problems other real world RCTās experience, some results were inconclusive, happy to discuss this further with anyone. However researchers stated the above.
Effectiveness is important but in the real world so is appropriateness, for practitioners and parents e.g. If programme designed to be delivered by those with a minimum bachelors level qualification may not be suitable for family support workers in childrenās centres. If programme needs high level of English literacy may not be appropriate for some communities. Feasibility of delivery e.g. Accessiblity of resources, cost etc and roll out.
Comment Nurturing Programme is effective with wide range of family types and age groups of children. The Nurturing Programme is designed to be a whole population programme, which means it is designed to have an impact on a wide range of families. Parents whose emotional health is poor may need to complete the programme more than once. Universality reduces stigma This weekend Arifa and I training 20 volunteers from UK Islamic mission, incorporating Islamic values into the programme delivery. FL is a charity, we can do this because Sally has been able to secure funding. PGLs have helped us translate our Parenting Puzzle booklet -> Urdu; Somali; Polish ā perhaps Welsh in time. Parent Coordinator Richard trialled NP for Parents & Teens with very challenging groups. Ed. Psych, Ealing ā NP for families with children with Aspergers/Autism and other special needs. Prison Handbook trialled by Family Links Directors.
Notes: Geographical need āthe people we train work in the most deprived neighbourhoods in England We mapped where all the people we trained between 1 January ā 31 March 2011 to run parent groups work. The graph below shows that over half our trainees work in the bottom 30% of deprived neighbourhoods in England. This geographical targeting avoids stigma, but ensures that the families who are benefiting from the Programme are among the most needy in the country. A similar look at where our sales of the The Parenting Puzzle goes shows a similar pattern (yet to be quantified in the same way)
Also offer Open College Network accreditation for parents who may have no previous qualifications.