Family Growing Project Update and Supporting Parents and Children

This week I've spent three totally absorbing days on a 'Supporting Parent and Child Interaction' course. The programme was run by The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families and focused on developing the skills of the professionals who work with the parents of infants and younger children, using a positive model of child development and parenting, to help nurture the parent/infant bond. It was great to hear thoughts and examples from the other participants who were attending from across the UK, USA, Europe and Asia as well as from the course trainers themselves who had vast experience in the field.

As you will know, if you have been reading this blog over the last few weeks, I have been conducting a rapid research project. Subject to the findings of the research, I hope, in the New Year, to design a family growing project and the strategies and techniques described during this child and parent course, will enhance the programme aims and delivery, particularly for high risk children and their families.

My research has been considering the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on children and families and I have asked the question; 'Could a green care project offer families a chance to be together, in a quiet space outdoors, whilst learning a new practical skill or taking part in purposeful work?'

A handful of pieces of research into the impact on children of the pandemic have been conducted since the spring by organisations such as Barnardos and The Children's Society amongst others. While I'm sure its no surprise to find that many children have struggled emotionally with lockdown, you may not have anticipated that some children, such as those with social anxiety or young carers, have preferred online schooling and being at home to being in a formal classroom setting. 

For some families, spending more time together during lockdown has served to strengthen their inter-personal relationships but for vulnerable families, for whom daily life may already be a delicate balancing act of trying to keep on top of the challenges they face, perhaps due to poverty, mental health or other issues, this time may have caused significant distress. In a future blog I will share with you the experiences of green care organisations during lockdown and how this could be used to support families further.