Family Support and Parenting
Family Support and Parenting
Parenting is an activity undertaken by those who bring up children. This includes mothers and fathers, foster carers and adoptive parents, step-parents, and grandparents. Local authorities also act as corporate parents for children and young people in their care.
Children in Wales has seen supporting parents and families as a key part of our work for many years. Young children are closely linked to a family unit, hence the UNCRC strongly recognises and supports parents and families and their crucial role and responsibilities for protecting and caring for children and helping them acquire values and standards (Articles 5 and 18).
It is widely agreed that it is important for families to be supported in ways that are appropriate to their needs in order to build and create resilience and self-reliance. By equipping families with the skills and support they need at the earliest stage possible and building on the strengths of parents we can help them create supportive and enriching environments for their children. This will give them every chance of reaching their potential in line with the Welsh Government's seven core aims for children and young people.
The seven aims summarise the UNCRC and form the basis for decisions on priorities and objectives nationally.
- Have a flying start in life (Articles 3, 29, 36)
- Have a comprehensive range of education and learning opportunities (Articles 23, 28, 29, 32)
- Enjoy the best possible health and are free from abuse, victimisation and exploitation (Articles 6, 18-20, 24, 26-29, 32-35, 37, 40)
- Have access to play, leisure, sporting and cultural activities (Articles 15, 20, 29, 31)
- Are listened to, treated with respect, and have their race and cultural identity recognised (Articles 2, 7, 8, 12-17, 20)
- Have a safe home and a community which supports physical and emotional well-being (Articles 19, 20, 25, 27, 32-35, 37, 37, 40)
- Are not disadvantaged by poverty (Articles 6, 26, 27, 28)
Contact
For more information, please contact Anna Westall - Policy Officer
Parents Connect Wales
Parents Connect Wales- ‘Empowering the voices of parents and carers to promote children’s rights’
The project provides a clear way to access parents’/ carers’ views on areas of policy that impact their children and young people.
The National Parenting and Family Support Strategic Leads Network
Children in Wales supports professionals across Wales to support practitioners to deliver better quality family/parenting support services
Supporting families with distress and trauma 2021
This webinar covers trauma; parental distress and introduces ideas about how we can provide joined up whole family approaches in order to both support families through this pandemic and break these intergenerational cycles of distress and trauma.
The changing nature of modern parenthood 2022
At this webinar, delegates heard from a variety of professionals from the third, health and statutory sectors around how parents' and families' needs are supported in this modern world.
