The Welsh Assembly government published an action plan designed to encourage parents and carers to join in planning services for children. It set out a vision for the future development of parental support in Wales.
Source: Parenting Action Plan, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5101)
Links: Action plan
Date: 2005-Dec
A survey report described parents' feelings of loneliness during the early months of parenthood, as well as the social isolation caused by a lack of community networks as their children grew older.
Source: Real Stories How Families Spend Time: First annual parenting report 2005, National Family and Parenting Institute (020 7424 3460)
Links: Report (pdf) | NFPI press release
Date: 2005-Oct
A series of articles examined issues in parenting and parenting support.
Source: Children & Society, Volume 19 Number 4
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2005-Sep
The Prime Minister highlighted the responsibilities of parents in tackling anti-social behaviour. He proposed that 'parenting contracts' and 'parenting orders' should be used more widely.
Source: Speech by Tony Blair MP (Prime Minister), 2 September 2005
Links: Text of speech | Downing Street press release
Date: 2005-Sep
A paper sought to identify the characteristics of fathers who were not living with the mother of their child at the time of birth, and the extent to which they were involved in the child's upbringing.
Source: Kathleen Kiernan, Non-residential Fatherhood and Child Involvement: Evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study, CASEpaper 100, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion/London School of Economics (020 7955 6679)
Links: Paper (pdf) | Abstract
Date: 2005-Jun
A report said that thousands of grandparents were acting as foster parents in bringing up grandchildren whose parents were absent or had problems. It called for financial support to be made available to them.
Source: Oliver Blaiklock, Britain?s Pensioner Parents: The quandary of parenting your grandchildren, Office of Frank Field MP (020 7219 6636)
Links: Report (pdf) | Frank Field press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jun
A report warned that stepparents could become the focus for their children's anger, distress and uncertainty. It called for greater support for stepfamilies.
Source: Stepfamilies: New relationships, new challenges, Parentline Plus (020 7284 5500)
Links: Report (pdf) | Parentline plus press release
Date: 2005-Jun
A study examined how family centres could encourage learning and understanding within the family. (Family centres are community resources providing local support to parents and children.)
Source: Stewart Ranson and Heather Rutledge, Including Families in the Learning Community: Family centres and the expansion of learning, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 0205
Date: 2005-May
A research project found that parents showed little of the uncertainty concerning whom to turn to that was supposed to beset parents in contemporary society: nor did the research bear out fears of a 'support deficit'.
Source: Rosalind Edwards and Val Gillies, Resources in Parenting: Access to Capitals Project Report, Families & Social Capital ESRC Research Group/South Bank University (020 7815 5750)
Links: Working paper (pdf)
Date: 2005-May
The Welsh Assembly government began consultation on a parenting action plan. The plan sought to raise the profile of parenting in Wales, and set out the governments proposals for future development of parent support services.
Source: Parenting Action Plan for Wales, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: WAG press release | CIW press release (pdf)
Date: 2005-Mar
A report called for an increase in services that reached out to isolated parents, particularly those less embedded in their local community.
Source: Isolation and Loneliness, Parentline Plus (020 7284 5500)
Links: Parentline plus press release | Children Now report
Date: 2005-Mar
A study looked at the experiences of 50 families in relation to parental monitoring and supervision of young people aged 11-16. Parents generally took monitoring and supervision seriously, and considered it to be an important part of their care and protection for their children.
Source: Stephanie Stace and Debi Roker, Monitoring and Supervision in 'Ordinary' Families: The views and experiences of young people aged 11 to 16 and their parents, National Childrens Bureau (020 7843 6029) for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: JRF Findings 0165
Date: 2005-Mar
An article discussed the potential of family group conferences to act as a liberating intervention for families traditionally controlled by the state welfare system. Such conferences not only had the potential to shift the balance of power between the state and client families, but could also democratize decision-making within families. But such interventions could be seen as maintaining social control through subtle and possibly unintentional means.
Source: Sally Holland, Jonathan Scourfield, Sean O'Neill and Andrew Pithouse, 'Democratising the family and the state? The case of family group conferences in child welfare', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 34 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Jan