Parenting across Scotland manifesto 2011

Support for parents and families in Scotland

For most people in Scotland family is the most important thing in their life -for Scotland's future and for us all, achieving the best for Scotland's children is crucial. Currently Scotland sits near the bottom of the league for children's outcomes. We need to raise our game for the sake of Scotland's children. Good parenting has a key part to play in this.

In these difficult economic times, all too often families are bearing the brunt of the cuts. Parenting across Scotland's 2011 manifesto  calls on all the Scottish political parties to place families are at the heart of their plans for Scotland. Scotland's families deserve no less, and with government support, they will be the basis for long-term economic recovery.

1.         Develop a family and relationships support policy

Scottish Government has a duty to provide the environment in which Scotland's families can flourish and provide the nurturing their children need. Parenting across Scotland calls on the Scottish Government to:

• Develop an overarching family policy which draws the many disparate policy streams which affect families into a coherent approach and ensures that all families have access to the support they need
• 'Family proof' policies across Government departments

• Scrutinise policies to assess their impact on families and family life and ensure that money is spent effectively

2.        Invest in the importance of parenting

Good parenting is essential to ensure children have the best start in life.

• Value the role that parents play in bringing up the next generation
• Recognise the importance of fathers, and ensure that information and services are inclusive of fathers
• Ensure that young people have the skills and confidence to parent

• Invest in early intervention and early years services that are proven to reduce negative outcomes for vulnerable families

3.        Ensure families get the information and support they need when they need it

Intervening early to make sure that families get the help they need when they need it is crucial to stop problems becoming crises.

• Make sure support is available for all parents throughout their child's life, especially at the particularly challenging times of early years and teenage years
• Re-institute universal health visiting support for all families with young children, and re-invigorate the profession by revitalised models of recruitment and training

• Provide information for families through health and education settings and through local authority and employers' websites and intranets

4.        Support strong family relationships

Healthy parental relationships are fundamental to children's outcomes whether parents are parenting together or apart

• Ensure sustainable  support for organisations working with separating or divorcing parents, including relationship counselling, family mediation, child contact centres and relationship education
• Include information about relationships in information for parents such as antenatal classes, health visiting and other parenting advice
• Broaden skills and awareness of key parenting workers, such as health visitors, to include basic relationship support and knowledge of where to signpost

• Pioneer innovative solutions to family conflict, such as greater use of mediation in family court cases, parenting parat courses and Family Group Conferencing

5.        Support parents and families out of poverty

Parenting can be a difficult job for anyone but is made much harder and more stressful when families are also struggling with poverty

• Initiate a review of childcare in Scotland and based on this evidence come up with a new childcare strategy for Scotland
• Ensure that adequate, accessible and affordable childcare and out of school leisure activities are available to all families no matter where they live
• Encourage employers to be family friendly by designing a new Scottish family-friendly kitemark for employers, and a top Scottish family-friendly employer award
• Make sure that vulnerable families receive what they are entitled to through income maximisation schemes
• Engage with the UK Government to influence welfare and how they will affect families in Scotland