Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 16 May 2012
16 May 2012 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
National Parenting Strategy
Mark McDonald has made a valid point. The issue was the subject of discussion in the context of the Queen’s speech in the United Kingdom Parliament, and I look forward to hearing more details about that. We will certainly reflect the wider views of dads in our parenting strategy.
We want to change how we see and respond to fatherhood. In a modern successful Scotland, we want to encourage and support fathers to play a more active role in their children’s upbringing. The strategy will consider how services and communities can become more dad friendly and at how employers can encourage dads and mums to balance the worlds of work and parenthood.
There is no doubt that the agenda is huge and challenging and that change cannot be achieved overnight, which is why we are taking a phased approach. As a starting point, in September we will set out our aspirations for parents and for children and young people throughout Scotland. The position statement will help us to sharpen our focus on parenting, to place higher value on the role of parents, to articulate the benefits of supporting parents and to make the case for parents across a range of services and sectors, while ensuring that appropriate support is tailored to meet need. It will also reflect what parents have told us would make a practical difference, and will set out more detailed plans for later phases of work.
On the basis of meetings that I have had with parents, I anticipate that the next phase of our work, which will kick off later this year, will focus on three strands: parenting in the early years, parenting of older children through to adulthood, and preparing our children and young people to be the parents of the future.
I have set out what is planned for later this year, but we should not forget that a huge amount of excellent work is going on to support parents in Scotland. At national level we have a continuum of support from universal provision to specialist targeted support, which can be shaped to meet the particular needs of children and families at different stages of their lives. At local level, I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of projects and hearing at first hand from the parents who have benefited from their work.
The getting it right for every child approach is making a practical difference by ensuring that our key policies and services are child centred. We want to continue to build on that approach. As the motion says, a number of excellent initiatives are helping to support parents throughout Scotland, including the highly successful play, talk, read campaign, which encourages positive interaction between parents and their wee ones. This year the campaign has a bespoke bus, which is travelling to some of our most deprived and isolated communities.
The family-nurse partnership programme is a preventative, intensive home-visiting programme, which is delivered exclusively to teenage first-time mothers. The programme will be expanded so that by the end of 2013 it will support three times as many families as it currently supports.
A key and recurring theme that parents raise is childcare, which has been the subject of intense debate in Parliament. We know that high-quality early learning and childcare are vital in improving outcomes for children, and in enabling parents to participate in the labour market, so we are putting in place a range of measures to increase the amount of flexible affordable provision.
The forthcoming children and young people bill will increase the flexibility of early learning and childcare provision by increasing entitlement from 475 hours per annum to 600 hours per annum of early learning and childcare for three and four-year-olds and looked-after two-year-olds. This financial year we committed £4.5 million from the early years change fund to support local authorities in providing early learning and childcare for our most vulnerable two-year-olds, and we have established a £4.5 million communities and families fund to support community-based solutions for family support and childcare.
We will develop public-social partnerships to pilot early learning and childcare services in areas of particular or unmet need, and we will hold a national summit in June to explore new ways of working with the private sector to promote more flexible working and family-friendly practices. In addition, we are establishing a sub-group of the early years task force to consider how we might develop high-quality integrated and co-ordinated family centres and early learning and childcare services.
In conclusion, I say that I am very excited about the parenting strategy and the role that it can play in improving lives in families across Scotland. I know that we all recognise the importance of supporting parents as a way of improving outcomes for children and young people, and I will sincerely welcome constructive views from colleagues across the chamber on the approach that I have set out.
I move,
That the Parliament supports the Scottish Government’s aspiration to making Scotland the best place in the world for children to grow up; acknowledges that the vast majority of parents in Scotland already provide excellent support for their children; recognises the vital role that parents and carers play, not only in improving outcomes for children and young people in their care, but also in creating stronger communities and a more positive future for all; agrees that all parents need support at times and that parents and carers bringing up children in difficult circumstances may need additional support; welcomes the development of a national parenting strategy as a way of driving forward the shared ambition for improving outcomes for children and young people across Scotland; supports the approach taken to gathering the views of a diverse range of 1,500 parents whose voices are not normally heard and using this as a foundation for the national parenting strategy; thanks the many organisations that have hosted discussion groups with parents on the Scottish Government’s behalf, and welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to continued working in partnership with parents and a wide range of partner agencies to develop the detail of the work.
14:15
We want to change how we see and respond to fatherhood. In a modern successful Scotland, we want to encourage and support fathers to play a more active role in their children’s upbringing. The strategy will consider how services and communities can become more dad friendly and at how employers can encourage dads and mums to balance the worlds of work and parenthood.
There is no doubt that the agenda is huge and challenging and that change cannot be achieved overnight, which is why we are taking a phased approach. As a starting point, in September we will set out our aspirations for parents and for children and young people throughout Scotland. The position statement will help us to sharpen our focus on parenting, to place higher value on the role of parents, to articulate the benefits of supporting parents and to make the case for parents across a range of services and sectors, while ensuring that appropriate support is tailored to meet need. It will also reflect what parents have told us would make a practical difference, and will set out more detailed plans for later phases of work.
On the basis of meetings that I have had with parents, I anticipate that the next phase of our work, which will kick off later this year, will focus on three strands: parenting in the early years, parenting of older children through to adulthood, and preparing our children and young people to be the parents of the future.
I have set out what is planned for later this year, but we should not forget that a huge amount of excellent work is going on to support parents in Scotland. At national level we have a continuum of support from universal provision to specialist targeted support, which can be shaped to meet the particular needs of children and families at different stages of their lives. At local level, I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of projects and hearing at first hand from the parents who have benefited from their work.
The getting it right for every child approach is making a practical difference by ensuring that our key policies and services are child centred. We want to continue to build on that approach. As the motion says, a number of excellent initiatives are helping to support parents throughout Scotland, including the highly successful play, talk, read campaign, which encourages positive interaction between parents and their wee ones. This year the campaign has a bespoke bus, which is travelling to some of our most deprived and isolated communities.
The family-nurse partnership programme is a preventative, intensive home-visiting programme, which is delivered exclusively to teenage first-time mothers. The programme will be expanded so that by the end of 2013 it will support three times as many families as it currently supports.
A key and recurring theme that parents raise is childcare, which has been the subject of intense debate in Parliament. We know that high-quality early learning and childcare are vital in improving outcomes for children, and in enabling parents to participate in the labour market, so we are putting in place a range of measures to increase the amount of flexible affordable provision.
The forthcoming children and young people bill will increase the flexibility of early learning and childcare provision by increasing entitlement from 475 hours per annum to 600 hours per annum of early learning and childcare for three and four-year-olds and looked-after two-year-olds. This financial year we committed £4.5 million from the early years change fund to support local authorities in providing early learning and childcare for our most vulnerable two-year-olds, and we have established a £4.5 million communities and families fund to support community-based solutions for family support and childcare.
We will develop public-social partnerships to pilot early learning and childcare services in areas of particular or unmet need, and we will hold a national summit in June to explore new ways of working with the private sector to promote more flexible working and family-friendly practices. In addition, we are establishing a sub-group of the early years task force to consider how we might develop high-quality integrated and co-ordinated family centres and early learning and childcare services.
In conclusion, I say that I am very excited about the parenting strategy and the role that it can play in improving lives in families across Scotland. I know that we all recognise the importance of supporting parents as a way of improving outcomes for children and young people, and I will sincerely welcome constructive views from colleagues across the chamber on the approach that I have set out.
I move,
That the Parliament supports the Scottish Government’s aspiration to making Scotland the best place in the world for children to grow up; acknowledges that the vast majority of parents in Scotland already provide excellent support for their children; recognises the vital role that parents and carers play, not only in improving outcomes for children and young people in their care, but also in creating stronger communities and a more positive future for all; agrees that all parents need support at times and that parents and carers bringing up children in difficult circumstances may need additional support; welcomes the development of a national parenting strategy as a way of driving forward the shared ambition for improving outcomes for children and young people across Scotland; supports the approach taken to gathering the views of a diverse range of 1,500 parents whose voices are not normally heard and using this as a foundation for the national parenting strategy; thanks the many organisations that have hosted discussion groups with parents on the Scottish Government’s behalf, and welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to continued working in partnership with parents and a wide range of partner agencies to develop the detail of the work.
14:15
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-02888, in the name of Aileen Campbell, on the national parenting strategy for Scotland.14:05
The Minister for Children and Young People (Aileen Campbell)
SNP
The Scottish Government’s aspiration is for Scotland to be the best place for children and young people to grow up in. We want all our children to have the b...
Mark McDonald (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Will the minister give way?
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I will give way to dad Mark McDonald.
Mark McDonald
SNP
Does the minister agree that an issue that affects fathers—albeit that it is outwith the Scottish Government’s remit—is the short time that they are given fo...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Mark McDonald has made a valid point. The issue was the subject of discussion in the context of the Queen’s speech in the United Kingdom Parliament, and I lo...
Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I do not think that any member would argue about the importance of parents in a child’s life. Parents and other guardians are often the biggest influence on ...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I grant that a lot of the consultation work with parents who face particular challenges has been done, but my intention in having the debate was to give memb...
Neil Bibby
Lab
I will certainly give the minister some suggestions later in my speech.Better preparing and supporting parents in the responsibilities and opportunities that...
Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
The Presiding Officer
NPA
The member is in his last minute.
Neil Bibby
Lab
If the Government continues to let down kinship carers, what hope do other parents have that the national parenting strategy will help them?If the Government...
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
We Conservatives welcome the debate, and in so doing we recognise the importance of a permanent and loving family environment in which to bring up children. ...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
A number of fathers have been in touch with me about that. Does Nanette Milne agree that the courts seem to start from the position that the mother should ha...
Nanette Milne
Con
Yes, I absolutely agree with John Mason. My family has experience of that situation, although we had a very positive outcome and my grandchildren have great ...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
We move to the open debate. I remind members that speeches should be up to four minutes long.14:28
Clare Adamson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I am glad to speak in this important debate on a national parenting strategy for Scotland.I congratulate my colleague Jim Eadie on sponsoring yesterday eveni...
Anne McTaggart (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I am always glad to have the opportunity to discuss how we can improve the lives of children and young people in Scotland, and today is no different. However...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Like in Glasgow.
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Mr Wilson, will you please stop shouting across the chamber?
Anne McTaggart
Lab
The importance of the early years to a person’s development is now more apparent than ever. That should be reflected by action to improve children’s start in...
Sandra White
SNP
Will the member give way?
Anne McTaggart
Lab
My Labour colleagues in Glasgow—
Sandra White
SNP
Will the member give way?
The Presiding Officer
NPA
The member is not giving way.
Anne McTaggart
Lab
—will also extend the vulnerable twos programme, which offers support to vulnerable children across the city and will focus resources on parenting support fo...
Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP)
SNP
I congratulate the minister on securing this debate on the national parenting strategy and the Government on taking the time to consult families from a wide ...
Siobhan McMahon (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Developing a national parenting strategy that is coherent and relevant to families across Scotland is a laudable aim, but the motion is an extended exercise ...
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member give way?
Siobhan McMahon
Lab
No, thanks. Despite the coalition Government’s sad, if predictable, dismantling of it, sure start remains a shining example of the early years provision to w...