Opinion: To the point - Friends of the family
Katherine Rake, chief executive of the Family and Parenting Institute
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Families are in the sights of Government and political parties at the moment and as the general election gets closer, policies for families will be more and more in the spotlight.
The much anticipated Families and Relationships Green Paper did not promise much new Government spending, but its emphasis on family-friendly services, fathers, grandparents and relationships should be welcomed. What does all this mean for nurseries and early years workers?
First, the Government wants all services to be more family-friendly. Of course, many early years services demonstrate good practice that often goes unrecognised. But even children's centres and nurseries can vary a lot in how they respond to local need. For some it is unthinkable to open at weekends and evenings; for others it is normal because that is what local families have told them is essential.
At the FPI, we have been asked to work with the Government to design a process, materials and training that services can use, on a voluntary basis, to make their provision more familyfriendly. We would hope to do this in conjunction with families themselves, as well as using early years workers' extensive experience in this field.
Second, the Green Paper was at pains to emphasise the Government's commitment to the role fathers play in family life, particularly in the early years.
Extra help was promised for fathers to help them be more involved in their child's birth and upbringing. Every new father will receive a 'Dad's Guide' and nurseries and children's centres are going to be asked to think particularly about fathers, how they treat them and whether they include them as much as they include mothers.
Third, the Government announced that it was committed to helping and supporting relationships. Again, children's centres and early years settings will be asked to play more and more of a fundamental role in spotting couples whose relationships are going wrong and signposting them to services.
In the next month, the Conservatives are likely to bring out their Green Paper. All parties are committed to increasing support to children in the early years. This is really positive, but it also means more responsibility will lie with the early years workforce.
