Commissioners Toolkit
Database of replicable parenting programmes
User guidance
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) have commissioned Parenting UK to provide this database. Single Commissioners of Parenting Support in local authorities and others in similar roles across England will be able to use it to select and locate parenting support programmes that can be replicated for use in their area. Parenting programmes are defined broadly as any formal interventions designed to support the parent/child relationship. This includes practitioner training. Click here for general guidance on offering parenting support.
The programmes listed in the Toolkit have been selected where the authors/providers have produced evidence that the programmes have been assessed as being of good quality and have a proven and effective evidence-base. While every attempt has been made to be as accurate as possible, Parenting UK are not responsible for the information on each programme which in each case has been provided by the programme author/provider. If you wish to challenge any of the information provided please contact the author/provider and let Parenting UK know.
In reviewing evaluations of parenting programmes the commissioners will want to consider: whether the evaluation is independent and objective; whether the evaluation has been undertaken by an organisation or an individual with the appropriate skills and knowledge in undertaking evaluations; details of outcomes and effectiveness. For some of the programmes a Peer assessment, written by an experienced practitioner in response to standard questions, is available from Parenting UK.
This Toolkit provides information about a wide range of programmes for parents. When selecting programmes you will need to find those which are appropriate for the characteristics and needs of local parents and the associated strategic priorities for parenting support in your area. To help with this, you will be able to search for a range of features:
Method of delivery
This field covers the practical means of delivery e.g. in a group, one-to-one or through leaflets.
Location of delivery
Some programmes are specifically designed for use in a particular setting e.g. school, parent's home or prison.
Keywords
Keywords have been assigned to each programme. Use this field if you want to refine your search.
Target of the programme
Particular circumstances are covered in this field, including: young parents; fathers; black and minority ethnic communities. There is also a category all parents in this field. For programmes which don't target parents in particular circumstances use the term all parents in this field. If you don't mind whether the programmes you are searching for are targeted or not, leave this field blank.
Level of need
Different programmes may be suitable for parents/carers with different levels of need:
low needs are the normal stresses and difficulties of parenting that all parents experience;
moderate needs are higher than normal but not deep rooted;
substantial needs are chronic and deep rooted;
critical needs arise when the children of the family are being or have been taken into local authority care.
Age range
Some programmes are specifically designed to meet the needs of parents of children in a particular age range such as babies or adolescents.
For practitioners or trainers
This field enables you to identify programmes for use by practitioners working directly with parents or those for use by trainers to develop practitioners’ skills and knowledge.
To carry out your search on the database, click on the Submit Query button on the bottom of your screen.
Because there are so many variables to be considered when choosing a programme, the database is structured so that you can undertake very complex searches but you can still make simple searches. Fields may be searched either by typing in the terms you are interested in or by selecting and pasting terms from word wheels or drop-down menus. When typing in your own terms you can make them more inclusive by truncating terms using * for example, train* retrieves training, trainers etc. When using the word wheels you can scroll through all the entries in a field and see how often they occur, selecting and pasting those you are interested in, see illustration below:
You can find programmes that meet more than one criterion by combining terms within fields or between fields.
To combine terms within a field, use & (AND), / (OR) and ! (NOT). You must have spaces on either side of the &, / and ! operators for them to be correctly understood. For example:
video & dvd retrieves only programmes in BOTH video AND dvd formats.
group / one to one retrieves programmes for parents which can be delivered EITHER in groups OR one to one.
refugees ! grandparents retrieves programmes suitable for refugees but NOT those that are also aimed at grandparents.
If you use multiple words in a search without using the characters listed above, they will be treated as a phrase - adult relationship guidance retrieves only the phrase adult relationship guidance but not the individual words within the phrase.
To combine fields in your search select the AND, OR and NOT drop down options on the left of the field boxes, for example:
Target of the programme enter young parents and select AND from the drop down button on the left of the box,
combined with
Method of delivery enter group and select AND from the drop down button on the left of the box,
combined with
Level of need enter critical and select NOT from the drop down button on the left of the box retrieves programmes for young parents delivered in groups that are not for critical levels of need.
When you have finished one search and want to start another afresh you can clear all the boxes on the search screen by clicking the Reset button at the bottom of the screen.
Reminders of how to use these terms are given on the search screen of the database.
NB Some programmes are not specifically targeted in all or any of these ways but are flexibly structured so that they can be adapted to parents’ particular needs. A more detailed search will exclude these programmes.
When you submit your search, a search results screen will be displayed giving brief details of all the programmes on the database that match your requirements.
You can see a full record for any programme that looks interesting to you by clicking on View to the right of the programme entry. This will bring up a full record display screen giving a more detailed description of the programme including cost, information about evaluation of the programme, supplier details, and whether there any geographical limitations to the programme's availability. It also indicates whether training is available to run the programme and if so whether this training is a condition of acquiring the programme or whether it is not compulsory to undertake the provider’s training when acquiring the programme.
Have a look at the Toolkit and browse the range of programmes which seem likely to meet your needs. Most providers are happy to provide additional information or discuss possibilities if you contact them.
Some agencies can develop services, including training for practitioners, specifically tailored to your needs. Click here for a list of providers who can develop programmes tailored to your needs.