Early Learning Partnership Project
The ELPP - Supporting parents to engage in their child's early learning.
More
Media enquiries should be directed to Emma Brennan, Press & PR Officer Contact :
t: 020 7424 3460
m: 078139 51418
e: press@familyandparenting.org 
Homes Fit for Families - 10 July 2008
Centre for Excellence and Outcomes (C4EO) in children's and young people's services - 10 July 2008Parenting support services - 07 July 2008
Youth Justice - 13 June 2008
Child Poverty – June 13 2008
Mental health - children and parents... - 08 May 2008
International links
Fairer fuel deal for families?- 25 April 2008
What are today's social evils? - 21 April 2008
Families and new technology
Bringing Up Britain
Slim chance of being obese?
Staying Safe: Action Plan
The Children's Plan
Work, income and childcare
Children and young people have safety fears about the new ContactPoint database for children in England
Homes Fit for Families - 10 July 2008
This paper explores how children and families are affected by their physical environment, both in their home and their immediate neighbourhood. It suggests policy solutions to ensure housing is fit for families. A download will be available shortly
Centre for Excellence and Outcomes (C4EO) in children's and young people's services - 10 July 2008
C4EO aims to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families by identifying and coordinating the evidence of what works at a national, regional and local level. Establishe and funded by DCSF, C4EO is a programme that brings together many of the organisations at the forefront of the children's sector.
FPI will be recruiting parents and carers for an advisory group whose views will have a direct influence on what C4EO does.
Parenting support services - 07 July 2008
Bristol City Council have been working with the FPI on a new
commissioning process to develop a new externally managed parenting
support service targeted at mothers, fathers and carers of children and
young people aged 8-19. This service will be planned and delivered in
partnership with local schools and integrated with a wide range of
mainstream family services. To find out more information and/or apply
please contact:
Jane Taylor, Parenting Commissioner, Bristol City Council, The Park
Centre, Daventry Road, Knowle, Bristol
BS4 1DQ; Tel: 01179039750; e-mail: jane.taylor@bristol.gov.uk
Youth Justice - 13 June 2008
The UK's four Children's Commissioners submited a joint report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
UK Children's Commissioners' Report to UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
On youth justice, the Commissioners recommend that the UK Government and devolved administrations should increase the age of criminal responsibility, reconsider the use of ASBOs, reduce the numbers of children in custody in England and Wales and establish a public inquiry on children in custody.
In November 2007 the Family Commission recommended to the United Nations Human Rights Council an increase in the age of criminal responsibility and proposed that criminal prosecution routes should be the exception rather than the rule
A Submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review 2007 from the Family Commission
Family Commission - November 2007
An overview of the law as it relates to children and young people is provided in our factsheet published in May 2007
Managing children's behaviour: Parents, children and the law
Family and Parenting Institute - May 2007
Other recent reports that are of interest include:
E Solomon and R Garside; Centre for Crime and Justice Studies - May 2008
J Margo; Institute for Public Policy Research - February 2008
R Sabates, L Feinstein and A Shingal; Department for Children, Schools and Families - February 2008
Davies and W McMahon (eds); Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, King's College London - May 2007
Links to these and more information are available through searching our Family Policy Digest
Child Poverty – June 13 2008
The latest in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series from the Department of Work and Pensions has just been published - covering 1994/5 – 2006/7
In a new paper on child poverty, we look at why child poverty matters, its affects on a child's life chances, how it is measured and what can be done.
Child poverty briefing paper
Family and Parenting Institute – June 2008
Further information is available from the digest.
Mental health - children and parents...
This year's Mind week is from 10 to 17 May and is based on the theme of debt and mental health.
A new CAMHS consultation has been launched -
Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services review - call for evidence
New published reports include:
Stress and resilience factors in parents with mental health problems and their children
Social Care Institute for Excellence
This research briefing discusses the factors that affect parents' and children's ability to deal with parents' mental health problems.
Mental wellbeing of children in primary education: Promoting children's social and emotional wellbeing in primary education
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
And
A new Department of Health Survey shows that attitudes to mental health remain broadly sympathetic
Also - The Parent Know-How programme, as announced in the Children's Plan, was launched in March .
A specific initiative includes information and professional advice to any adult concerned about the mental health or emotional well-being of a child or young person through the Young Minds helpline
More on mental health issues can be found in our digest
International links
Sharron Cole, Deputy Chief Commissioner of the New Zealand Families Commission is visiting the UK and is meeting with people from other organisations who are engaged in work which is similar to the Commission's.
Their work is wide ranging and covers Working Regulations, Family Support, Family & Parenting Support. New Zealand has a strong history of developing new approaches to family policy and services.
Sharron is meeting the FPI on 27 May 2008
Fairer fuel deal for families?
- 25 April 2008Energy companies have promised to do more to help low income households get out of fuel poverty.
This is part of new measures that were announced yesterday following a summit with government Ministers, energy companies and campaigners.
The meeting was hosted by the energy regulator Ofgem in a bid to tackle the needs of those who struggle to pay their gas and electricity bills.
The new measures include educating customers on switching energy suppliers and help for the poorest households.
Earlier this week, charities campaigning for a fairer fuel deal released new research which revealed that over 4 million households are spending more than 10% of their income on fuel. Following the meeting the campaigners welcomed the raft of initiatives but said that the new measures did not go far enough.
What are today's social evils?
21 April 2008Joseph Rowntree Foundation's consultation on modern-day social evils.
The summary is available on their website.Fairer fuel deal for families?
Families and new technology
New technology is part of all our lives and is constantly being examined in response to both the possibilities this allows and the threats posed.
A selection of links is presented here. For a full list search our websitefor "technolog".
Contribution To Debate: Do New Technologies Undermine Or Underpin The Family?
Lydia Plowman / November 2006
Staying In Touch: A Parent's Guide To Mobile Phones
Byron Review welcomed
March 2008
And in our digest
Parent Know-How programme launched
March 2008 Byron review report: Safer children in a digital world
March 2008
Home Access to Technology consultation
January 2008
NSPCC finds computer retailers unhelpful on child safety
November 2007
What Do We Know About Children's Use of Online Technologies? A Report on Data Availability and Research Gaps in Europe
September 2007
Bullying guidance issued
September 2007
Bringing Up Britain
BBC Radio Four is broadcasting the first programme in a new series called Bringing Up Britain on Wednesday 2 April 2008 20:00-20:45
The Family and Parenting Institute's Director of Business Development, Honor Rhodes, is on the expert panel of the first programme.
Slim chance of being obese?
A third of all year-six school children are overweight.
That's according to the Department of Health's latest study into the height and weight of the nation's children which also found that one in four under-fives is obese or overweight.
Since 2005, 900,000 pupils aged five to 11 have taken part in the National Child Measurement Programme: part of the Government's fight to help people lead healthier lives.
Its plans include increasing the amount of PE enjoyed by children a week from two to five hours by 2011.
The Children's Society has also raised questions over the health and well being of young people through its study into the commercialisation of childhood in which 61% of parents said the Government should ban the advertising of unhealthy food.
Staying Safe: Action Plan
The Staying Safe Action Plan was published in response to the Staying Safe consultation on the cross-Government strategy for improving children and young people's safety. Staying Safe was launched for consultation in July 2007, The FPI response to this consultation is available 
here.
This Action Plan sets out the work which Government will take forward over the next three years to drive improvements in children and young people's safety, which will be measured by the new PSA to improve children and young people's safety.
Every Child Matters
THE CHILDREN'S PLAN
On Tuesday 11 December the Government issued its new report The Children's Plan: building brighter futures, with a covering press release. FPI has put together a detailed overview of the plan with a 
covering letter.
WORK, INCOME AND CHILDCARE
The consultation on ending the right to income support for lone parents whose youngest child is 7 or over has just ended. Published responses include those from FPI and One Parent Families|Gingerbread.
A related report, Still home alone, by Karen Buck, a London MP, who examined the lack of childcare for 11 to 14 year olds, comes from 4Children.
Meanwhile the government has commissioned an independent review to look at whether the right to request flexible working should be extended to the parents of older children, and the Department for Work and Pensions has published statistics showing a fall of 133 thousand over the last year in the numbers claiming the key out of work benefits. Minister for Employment Caroline Flint said: "For these people getting off benefits and into work means the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families. Finding work can help boost self confidence and improve health as well as ensuring financial security." DWP research shows that more couples are in work and better off, according to new research by the DWP. The proportion of 'work-rich' couples (where both partners are in work) has increased from 57% in 1994/5 to 67% in 2005/6.
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE SAFETY FEARS ABOUT THE NEW CONTACTPOINT DATABASE FOR CHILDREN IN ENGLAND
The Office For Standards In Education (OFSTED) has issued a press release on the new report published on 21 November by the Office of the Children's Rights Director for England (OCRD), which found that safety and confidentiality are the main issues for children and young people when asked for their views on the Government proposed rules for running the new ContactPoint database. These reflect some of the concerns expressed by the Family and Parenting Institute in its response to the Government's consultation 
on the proposals for the database in July 2007. See also the news item from the Independent of Monday 26 November 2007, which includes a quote from Mary MacLeod, and the Minister's House of Commons statement about the delays to the implementation of the system.
Design:This Way Up
Powered by:ThinkAdmin
Family and Parenting Institute is the operating name of the National Family and Parenting Institute (NFPI). NFPI is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales. Registered company number: 3753345. Registered Charity No: 1077444. VAT Registration No. 833 0243 65. Registered Address: 430 Highgate Studios, 53-79 Highgate Road, London, NW5 1TL