Hansard

As a parent of three lovely young children and a former chair of the Blairdardie primary school parent board in Glasgow, I am delighted to take part in the discussions on the importance of parenting. I welcome the Scottish Government’s £18 million investment in a national parenting strategy that develops information, advice and support for those with guardianship and caring responsibilities for Scotland’s youngest citizens.

I thank John Mason for securing the debate. I agree fully with his views that fathers play an important role in the upbringing of their children, and that the rights and responsibilities of fathers should not be underestimated. I acknowledge that the national parenting strategy seeks to pursue more father-friendly services and policies, so that dads play an active role in the lives of their children and benefit from the same support services traditionally available only to mothers.

I caution against any implication that families without fathers are deficient or lack the necessary support structures to raise children in a safe and loving environment. Many children and young people have been brought up in single-parent families, and the absence of a father does not necessarily lead to less well-adjusted, healthy or successful young people as a result. Good parenting is about the commitment of the parent, or parents, to securing the welfare of their children, and it is enhanced by access to well-funded support structures that enable mothers and fathers to provide financially for their families.

An increasing number of young people are raised by same-sex parents. Those families are no less successful in providing the same stable and loving environment for their children than households with married heterosexual parents. Families come in all shapes and sizes. Every parent—and not just fathers—deserves the full support of the Government and local authorities in raising healthy and happy children.

I often talk about Parent Network Scotland when I speak in a debate on parenting. That voluntary organisation, which is based in Glasgow, provides training courses and support to parents in a non-judgmental and safe environment. All its programmes, which are evidence based, home grown and bottom-up led, have been evaluated by the University of Strathclyde.

I have seen at first hand the positive effect that Parent Network Scotland’s service can have on families and the increased confidence that parents enjoy as a result of the support that its staff offer. I believe that the Scottish Government’s parenting strategy should seek to recognise and build on the invaluable work that Parent Network Scotland and other organisations undertake in supporting parents and building the capacity of mothers and fathers to raise successful, healthy and talented young people.

Parent Network Scotland achieves all that. I believe that it is an outstanding network, because it is about parent power—it is about parents empowering and supporting other parents in their community. As you can tell, as someone with a community development background and community development training, I am a huge fan of programmes and organisations that involve a bottom-up approach.

17:15