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Strong Local Voice, Strong Local ChampionAnnette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole |
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Parents need frontline support, not quick fixes - Brooke
April 25, 2007 12:00 AM
Families would benefit from more support in local communities
Commenting on the announcement that the Government is to set up a National Academy of Parenting Practitioners, Annette Brooke, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children, Young People and Families said:
"The importance of good parenting support cannot be underestimated, but national initiatives are no good without the appropriate support on the ground.
"The Government has clearly seen the value of bringing together research and best practice from a variety of fields, but I fear this is being seen as yet another quick fix.
"As long as the Government concentrates on promoting gimmicks such as national academies and supernannies, rather than focusing their resources in local communities, then we cannot hope to improve families' quality of life.
"What is the point of 57 supernannies and a national academy spread across the whole country when the number of frontline professionals such as health visitors is decreasing?"
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- Public Accounts Select Committee
Annette Brooke raised the issue of health visitors in a Public Accounts Committee Session on 22 January 2007:
Annette Brooke: … On page 32, the [National Audit Office report on Sure Start Children's Centres] states: "Centres considered that shortages of health visitors and funding pressures within Primary Care Trusts had contributed to difficulties in gaining commitment from health organisations to prioritise the work". I add to that a parliamentary answer that I had a short time ago that told me that the number of health visitors actually fell between 2004-05 and was certainly much lower than in 2001 [ref: 105859, 28 November 2006]. Can we really be assured that there is good working at both national and local level between health and education?
…
Hilary Samson-Barry: The number of health visitors fell nationally in 2004-05, but that is still significantly higher than it was in 1997. The number of health visitor vacancies in March 2006 was the lowest that it had been for the previous six years. Recognising the importance of health visitors, the Secretary of State for Health has asked the chief nursing officer to initiate a review of health visiting, which is led by Ros Lowe. It is taking place and will report in April to the Secretary of State.
…
Link to full National Audit Office report: http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/06-07/0607104.pdf
- Family and Parenting Institute Campaign for Health Visitors
The Family and Parenting Institute has launched a campaign to raise the voice of parents in the debate about the future of health visiting, to protect the future of our unique health visiting service by securing a well funded, well trained universal health visitor network accessible to all parents of children under five with additional help for those who need it most.
New evidence from a YouGov poll of 4775 parents of children under the age of five who were visited by a health visitor shows that parents give health visitors a clear mandate with overwhelming support for their role:
- 76 per cent of parents said they wanted parenting support and advice on their child's health and development from a trained health visitor with up-to-date knowledge
- 83 per cent of parents wanted that support and advice in the home
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