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September 2004 THE MISSING LINK IN PARENTING PROGRAMMES Scottish Marriage Care today called for relationship skills to be included in parenting programmes. Speaking after being awarded funding from The Camelot Foundation for a young parents project in Easterhouse, Scottish Marriage Care's Research & Development Officer, Jo Field, said: "There is now strong evidence that it is not only what parents do with a child that matters, but also how the parents behave with each other. "Even if the parents are no longer together, the relationship between them still counts." Research shows that children whose parents have a troubled relationship, and fail to resolve conflicts successfully, have problems at home and at school. Couples are particularly vulnerable to relationship difficulties after the birth of a child. This is the time when relationship satisfaction tends to fall and conflict rises. Helping new parents with relationship issues was shown to reduce conflict in the parents' partnership. This reduction in tension greatly improves the quality of parenting. This is good for children's academic and social development. Most parenting programmes focus on the
mother-child or father-child relationship. But for
children, the main feature of their lives is the
relationship between the adults who look
after them. Field continues: "We all know
that good parenting is important. But there is
increasing evidence to suggest that good parenting
means parents should build good relationships with
each other, and with their children. This is what
makes children do well both intellectually and
emotionally." For further information, please contact: Johanna Field, Research & Development
Officer Phone:0141-222 2166 |
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