The Parenting Council congratulates Dr Cindy Kiro, the Children’s Commissioner, on her bold and well-reasoned proposals to enhance the well-being of every child in New Zealand. The Council has made presentations recently to Minister of Social Development, Hon. David Benson-Pope and Minister of Health, Hon. Pete Hodgson, putting forward remarkably similar proposals. In both cases the proposals are concrete and readily able to be implemented. They go beyond rhetoric to what is both concrete and achievable.

The fact that the Parenting Council, which reflects a broad cross-section of New Zealand parents, and the Children’s Commissioner have come to similar conclusions, suggests that the time is ripe for Government to proceed along these lines, in order to address effectively the shameful record of New Zealand in relation to child well-being.

Points of similarity include:

The Parenting Council will lend its support to the Commissioner as she advocates for the refinement and adoption of this plan. Parenting Council Chairman, Lesley Max, says, “There’s a sense that people are realizing that we cannot continue down the path we’re on. If we want to live in a society that is safe, just and prosperous, we need to be much more focused on how children grow and develop and how the critical role of parents can be strengthened. If these proposals are adopted, we should have far fewer horrors like the murder of the Kahui twins blighting New Zealand.”

For further information, phone Lesley Max, Chairman of Parenting Council,
Ph: (09) 377 5384; 027473 4631

Landmark Day for Parents

In a groundbreaking initiative parents of children with special needs will now have a high level voice to Government through The Parenting Council, an advocacy group launched at the Beehive last year. The Parenting Council is an NGO consisting of CEO's from five major parenting organisations, pioneering new strengths for parenting and families.

This initiative is the first of its kind in New Zealand, and marks a bold move to recognise the importance of good parenting and it's impact on society; something that the Minister of Social Services, Hon. Steve Maharey, stated has taken New Zealand too long to recognise. The official launch of the Parenting Council was met with strong support from the Hon. Steve Maharey, signalling a positive outlook for working with the new Commission for Families.

One of the founding members Shirley Wass, former CEO of Parent to Parent New Zealand, said "Parent to Parent will seek to make a difference in ensuring that all government policy and legislation that impacts on parenting, continues to take into account the implications of parenting a child with special needs".

The council member groups are:

• Parent to Parent: a national information and support network for parents, caregivers and whanau of children with special needs.
• Parents Centre: a longstanding provider of antenatal and parenting education classes, through 54 centres around New Zealand.
• Pacific Foundation: the provider of the 'Hippy programme' prepares under fives for school.
• Triple P (Positive Parenting Program): a parenting and family support strategy that aims to prevent severe behavioural, emotional and developmental problems in children by enhancing the knowledge, skills and confidence of parents.
• Parenting With Confidence: dedicated to improving the lives of families throughout New Zealand through the provision of seminars and other strategic resources, and aims to inspire and equip parents with the tools and the belief that they can raise a great family.

The Parenting Council will work to advocate for parents and act as a watchdog on parenting issues. The strategic objectives of The Parenting Council are:

For more information on The Parenting Council please contact: Anne Wilkinson, CEO Phone 07 853 8491

GIVING PARENTS ACCESS TO PARENTING STRATEGIES THAT WORK

Steven Hayns. Psychologist and CEO Triple P (Positive Parenting Programme)

The Parenting Council is a grouping of leading parenting organisations with Pakeha, Maori and Pacifika representation that has come together to advocate for parents. Members of the Council include: Parents Centre, Parent to Parent, Parenting with Confidence, The Pacific Foundation and Triple P (Positive Parenting Programme)

The Parenting Council believes that parenting is a key issue for New Zealand if it is to be a peaceful and prosperous nation. The council believes that parenting does not just come naturally and that parents need strategies to be able to nurture, guide and inspire their children, within a social environment that supports them in doing so.

In February of this year Triple P with the support of the Parenting Council held the international "Helping Families Change" conference focussed on programmes to support parents. Before this conference a team of international researchers and policy personnel met to consider issues in providing an environment in New Zealand that supports parents.

It can be rewarding and enjoyable to be a parent but it is not always easy. The challenge for all parents is to raise well-adjusted children in a loving, predictable environment. Research carried out both in New Zealand and internationally has shown that around 10% of children show behaviour at some point in their childhood, that is oppositional or destructive and difficult for parents to manage. Children do not simply grow out of such behaviour, rather it is how parents respond to them that determines whether or not they grow up with behaviour problems. This figure provides a strong case for giving parents strategies that are known to work.

Even where parents are not experiencing difficult behaviour with their children they are raising them in an increasingly risky social environment that makes parenting more challenging. Risks to children and young people include easier access to: video, audio and internet delivered media with violent or pornographic content and easier access to alcohol and drugs. Older children and teenagers are attracted to risk taking. Young people need to be actively taught by their parents how to manage in risky situations. This need also provides a strongcase for giving parents strategies that work.

Triple P believes that New Zealand parents deserve programmes that have been thoroughly tested and that contain practical, effective and useable skills and strategies. The Triple P programme is one example of an evidence-based programme. It has been developed by, Professor Matt Sanders, a New Zealander, working with colleagues at the University of Queensland who has led a research programme including work in New Zealand, Australia and internationally . The Triple P programme is being researched both as a universal programme supporting whole communities and as a targeted programme for families at risk.

In Perth a universal implementation of the programme was trialed. One thousand parents of three to four year olds in a high need suburb participated in Triple P courses. In this course they were taught 17 skills and strategies for encouraging desirable behaviour and managing misbehaviour. Techniques included: descriptive praise, family ground rules, giving instructions, and the use of logical consequences, quiet time and time out. Sixty percent of the parents of three to four year olds in this community took part. The children's behaviour, their parents caregiving styles, relationships and personal coping were measured before, after and at one two and three years following the course. In this community the percentage of families with significant child behaviour problems was initially reduced from 38% to 13% with commensurate improvements in parenting style and parent's relationships. These gains have largely been maintained. An exciting find has been a significant reduction in the levels of depression and stress experienced by parents. This type of intervention is an example of a universal programme being implemented in a community to give parents strategies that work.

In Christchurch a very intensive programme is being trialed targeted at families having a high level of need. The Early Start programme works intensively with families over several years providing a broadly based intervention which includes Triple P parenting but also include other features such as home safety, budgeting, and preschool enrolment.

At the February meeting between international researchers and policy personnel there was discussion about the need for universal and targeted programmes and the role of government in providing these. There is debate about the extent to which government should be involved in parenting. One view is that the government needs to focus its resources on assisting high-risk families in particular. An alternative view is that universal programmes are needed to ensure all parents have access to the information they need for effective parenting and that government has a role in funding these.

The Parenting Council's view is that New Zealand parents need, affordable and accessible parent education and support universally available through effective delivery mechanisms, which respond to differing families differing levels of need. Our challenge will be to work with government and non-government agencies to ensure that New Zealand parents get what they deserve and need.