Component 3: Working with parents and carers
KidsMatter includes a component on working with parents and carers because it recognises the importance of parenting in promoting children’s mental health. International research has shown the positive effects of good parenting on children’s mental health and on school achievement. Australian research has found that parents more often consult teachers about emotional or behavioural problems their children experience than they do mental health professionals. It makes sense that if we want to support children’s mental health and wellbeing, families and schools should work closely together.
Families and schools working together
Parenting support and education is crucial to the success of school-based mental health programs for students. A collaborative approach where parents and schools work together to promote children’s mental health is more likely to yield substantial and sustained improvements for children. Parents and carers play an important role in promoting the effectiveness of school-based social and emotional learning (SEL). Families can have a positive impact on student achievement by providing additional support and opportunities for children to practise and reinforce the SEL skills they are learning in the classroom.
Schools supporting families
Schools, through their regular contact with families, are well placed to assist parents and carers in their child rearing and parenting roles by providing access to high quality information and education about parenting, child development and children’s mental health. Helping parents and carers to understand children’s mental health issues and to identify support services, will in turn enhance the mental health of their children.
Target areas and goals
Parents and carers will be much more likely to access available support and education if they have developed collaborative relationships with the school. The nature of these relationships is impacted on by the parents and carers themselves and their attitudes to and experiences of school – both currently and during their own education. Forming collaborative relationships with parents and carers can be challenging. The needs of staff, particularly their skills and confidence in relating to parents on these issues may need to be considered.
Provision of parenting information and education
Parenting information and education covers a broad spectrum from incidental or general information through to formal parenting programs. It is important that individual staff do not feel that it is their own responsibility to provide parenting information or education to parents and carers – the approach taken needs to be coordinated and supported throughout the school.
Community connections
Community groups and agencies that specialise in parenting education can also be invited to provide information sessions and specific programs at the school.
School staff can increase levels of support available to parents by linking them with relevant services and organisations in the community. Schools can also provide opportunities for parents to develop relationships and support each other – reducing social isolation is a protective factor for children’s mental health.
Three target areas have been identified for Component 3: Working with parents and carers, each with specific objectives. These are:
| Target areas | Goals |
|---|---|
| Target area 1: Collaborative working relationships with parents and carers |
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| Target area 2: Support for parenting |
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| Target area 3: Parent and carer support networks |
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Information and resources
The resources relating to Component 3: Working with parents and carers, have been specifically designed by KidsMatter to provide parents, carers and school staff with information and suggestions on how to work together to improve children’s development and mental health.
