Parent Know How is a £65 million programme from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, which seeks to transform the quality, choice, provision and awareness of parental information and support services, where needed, in order to help improve outcomes for children and young people.
In March 2007, the Government highlighted the provision of information and support for parents, including mothers, fathers, grandparents, carers or someone else with caring responsibility for a child, as a key area for development. Parent Know How forms an integral part of the Department’s response to that ambition.
Departmental backing for the programme was further strengthened by the release of the Children's Plan in December 2007, which has the central aim of making this country the best place in the world for children to grow up.
Parent Know How is designed to transform the provision of support and information to all parents. However, it has a particular focus on meeting the needs of parents who are not as well served by current services as they could be. This includes parents of disabled children, fathers from all backgrounds and parents of teenage children.
Working with key third and private sector organisations to deliver services, Parent Know How enables support for all those in parenting roles through:
- Telephone helplines – consisting of continued and increased support to seven existing helplines, enabling expanded capacity so more parents can get through to ask for help and advice.
- Digital services – including social networking tools and improved internet use.
- Syndicated print, video and audio content – intended to reach parents who are unable or prefer not to use helplines or internet technologies to access information, advice and support.
- Parent Know How directory – a comprehensive online directory offering parents and those working with them the ability to search for information about childcare and families services, in both their local community and nationally. Launching in September 2009.
You can contact the Parent Know How team by emailing:
parent.know-how@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk. You can also use this email address to register your interest in receiving regular updates about Parent Know How – for example about new services being introduced later this year and a proposed showcase event to be held in the Autumn.
