Enablers for involving children & families in reducing parental conflict service planning

Summary of local area practice

Summary

This resource summarises enablers for involving children and families in reducing parental conflict (RPC) service planning alongside examples of practice where local areas have overcome challenges in this area. It also includes ‘first steps’ tips to guide local RPC Leads in making early progress against each of the enablers.

Enablers for involving families in RPC service planning

This resource summarises enablers for involving children and families in RPC service planning alongside examples of practice where local areas have overcome challenges in this area.

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Enablers for involving families in RPC service planning

This resource summarises enablers for involving children and families in RPC service planning alongside examples of practice where local areas have overcome challenges in this area.

Download

Aims

The Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) Programme includes a focus on capturing family voice and lived experience in strategy and service design. The rationale for this is that services will work better when they are co-designed with those involved at the heart of them, in this case, the children, young people and parents who may have experienced parental conflict.

Analysis of round 4 of the RPC Planning Tool indicated that local areas are less mature in the Community key element – which includes involving families in service planning – when compared with other key elements, suggesting that local areas have struggled to make progress here.

As a result, Foundations has explored what works well for local leaders in involving families in RPC service planning and how they have overcome challenges. We held four online discussions in January 2024 to gather perspectives from local RPC Leads on their experiences of engaging families in RPC service planning. We then followed up in more detail with local RPC leaders who shared practical examples of overcoming challenges and amplifying enablers. This report summarises what we heard from local areas on how to take this agenda forward.

Who's it for?

Local areas who want to strengthen their reducing parental conflict services by making progress on involving children and families in RPC service planning.

What's in this resource?

This includes a summary of key enablers of involving children and families in RPC service planning alongside illustrative examples of local practice:

  • Enabler: Joining up across family support services
    Local case example: Developing parent/carer panel as a mechanism to influence service planning
  • Enabler: Voluntary and community sector organisations
    Local case example: Maximising the potential of community groups
    Local case example: Experts by experience parental group
  • Enabler: Senior leadership buy-in
    Local case example: The importance of securing senior strategic buy-in
  • Enabler: Connecting with community groups
    Local case example: Harnessing parent peer support
  • Enabler: The importance of language
    Local case example: Collecting and incorporating feedback
  • Enabler: Accessibility of place
    Local case example: Engaging with families in the community
  • Enabler: Diversity of representation
    Local case example: Meeting families in the community and joined up working.
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Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.

Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.

Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.

Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.

Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.

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Child Outcomes:

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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing substance abuse: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing risky sexual behaviour & teen pregnancy: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing obesity and promoting healthy physical development: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Evidence ratings:

Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.

Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.

Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.

Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.

Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.

Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.

Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.

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