One of the key priorities of the Integrated Children’s Services Project was the development of integrated family support services. Initial discussions between services highlighted the need for an expanded range of parenting programmes for highly vulnerable families. After examining several options, Mellow Parenting was chosen as an appropriately intensive programme.
Services commissioned the delivery of Mellow Parenting training, resulting in a pool of 24 facilitators from psychological services, health visiting, the voluntary sector and family support workers from early years and social work services. Three intensive 12 to 14 week programmes were developed; Mellow Babies, Mellow Mothers and Mellow Fathers. Each group involved three cross-agency facilitators.
All parents were very positive about the programme. They reported it helped them understand the influence of their own childhood experiences and significantly improved their parenting abilities. They reported they felt calmer. In turn, their children were calmer.
Parents were confident they had a wider range of strategies to manage their children’s behaviour and could interact with their children in a more positive way. In particular, fathers were helped to realise the contribution they could make and gained new confidence and skills to build positive relationships with their children.
Parents spoke highly of the supportive and positive relationships they had built with staff in the groups.
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