Enfield Parent Engagement Panel PEP

1. Enfield Parent Engagement Panel PEP Anne Stoker Parent Commissioner Denise Garner PEP Project Manager Corell Scott PEP Parent Champion Dunia Namugabo PEP Parent Champion Florence Mampasi PEP Parent Champion Iseka Luala PEP Parent Champion Striving for excellence www.enfield.gov.uk

2. Influences affecting PEP Development This development has been strongly influenced by the voices of local people and communities. Listening to the voices of Enfield parents is one strand of the Borough’s Parenting Commissioner’s commitment to parents, directly informing the review of the Enfield’s parenting strategy. In 2009- 2010 over 1,000 parents were consulted with the primary aim of seeking views in relation to parenting support needs and find out why parents were not accessing local services. The brief specifically set out the priority to reach out and capture the views of parents from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds

3. Influences affecting PEP Development • The following recommendations were proposed from the Voice of a Thousand Enfield Parents: • To develop innovative community based interventions • To develop partnerships with places of worship • To devise parenting programmes tailored to different groups’ needs that incorporate cultural and religious values. • To capacity build voluntary groups • To create a strand of parenting support that nurtures community cohesion • To evaluate effective marketing of parenting support services • To develop informal tiers of parents supporting parents

4. Influences affecting PEP Development Following the tragic death of young people as a result of serious youth crime, the Enfield Young Peoples Life Opportunities Commission spoke to in excess 250 young people, parents, adults and elders. A key recommendation in the report of the Commission was to create a Parents Engagement Panel for parents in the community to give mutual support to promote change and encourage positive attitudes.

5. Strategic Support • There has been clear strategic sign up to delivering effective parent support within Enfield for number of years from Enfield Strategic Partnership, Children’s Trust, Councillors and from the Director of Schools and Children’s Services • Enfield Parenting Strategy 2008 -2011 has now been in place for three years and is reviewed annually. The new three year plan 2012 -2015 is currently out for consultation outlining plans to develop support for parents and carers. The PEP is part of this strategy. • The Strategy is accompanied by a booklet for parents, ‘Enfield’s Promise to Parents,’ which sets out what parents/carers can expect from local services and gives contact details for a range of services. • A multi-agency Parenting Strategy Steering Group meets 6 times year offering strategic direction, reviewing and prioritising the range of support services on offer within the Borough. PEP is reviewed within this strategic group.

6. Where we began • Enfield began this journey with a specific focus upon the Congolese community working in partnership with a small voluntary group CAYE (Central African Youth of Enfield). • This vision is now widespread with PEPs developing across all of Enfield with Parent Champions emerging from all walks of life

7. The Initial Professional Vision To have local parent’s central to the decision-making, shaping, driving and delivering services to improve outcomes for Children, Young People and their Families. To have local trained and professionally supported Community Parent Champions. Trained volunteers, offering parent-to-parent support, driven and delivered by Enfield parents to Enfield parents. To have parents and carers supported by other parents within their communities empowering effective parenting.

8. The PEP Parent’s Vision We will improve each others lives by supporting all parents and bringing together all communities We will embrace differences and strengths We will improve access to services and rights by listening and responding to everyone!

9. Specific Interventions • The PEP and Parent Champions engage across communities and within communities keeping children and young people safe by: • Challenging discipline methods and improving child protection through raising awareness within communities • Increasing low level parent to parent support within communities • Developing a structure for specific safeguarding training and ongoing support to local voluntary Parent Champions • Improving trust and communication between services and communities • Increasing understanding about key safeguarding messages between services and communities such as safe sleeping for babies, promoting breast feeding, healthy eating and teenage pregnancy

10. PEP and Parent Champions how do parents get involved? • Are you a parent living in the local community? • Are you interested in joining a voluntary parent engagement panel within your local area of Enfield? • Are you willing to go that extra mile and become a local parent champion trained by the Local Authority to offer advice, guidance and informal support to local parents within your area? • PEPs are developing across the Borough and parents meet on a monthly basis

11. Parent Champion Commitment • To become a Parent Champion you must come along to your local PEP meetings • You must be willing to have CRB checks undertaken • You must complete a minimum of 5 days intensive training covering 6 common core skills (safeguarding and recognising vulnerability, listening and communicating, information sharing, transition, child development and integrated working)

12. PEP Achievements • Influencing strategies at local level, coordinating workshops with PEP parents joining Councillors, Borough Commander, Chief Executive and many others to influence development of strategic plans to reduce serious youth crime • Influencing practice at National level by delivering a key note speech to Social Workers at the Community Care live conference (May 2011). • Influencing strategy at Government level meeting with Sarah Teather (Children’s Minister) at Westminster to discuss what is happening in Enfield promoting how early intervention can protect and safeguard children • Short listed for Pan London Safeguarding Board award for emerging best practice

13. Parent Champion Achievements • Parent Champions are: • Delivering accredited parenting programmes within the Community • Volunteering in schools with reading and writing projects, supporting transition • Supporting other parents to meet with respective professionals such as social workers, teachers, educational psychologists, health visitors and parent support advisors • Discussing and delivering key messages within their community • Recruiting more parents to join PEPs

14. Parents views Outcome and Impact Outcome: increased confidence within Congolese parents. Impact: Congolese go out and work or volunteer which has never happened before. Outcome: improving aspiration. Impact: parents have the desire to seek employment, training, education and volunteering across all communities. Outcome: Reducing child poverty and improving parental aspiration for their children. Impact: breaking the cycle of poverty, parents that have never worked are now seeking further training and employment opportunities. Outcome: breaks isolation within communities and across communities. Impact: “Since I came to this country 5 years ago I was isolated I had nothing to believe in. I believe in the PEP I can contribute, I talk to other parents, I have never had this opportunity before”.

15. Parents views of Outcome and Impact Outcome: improving community cohesion. Impact: PEP and Parent Champions vision gives us a common understanding and cause to improve life for our families and our future generations within Enfield. Outcome: capacity building within communities. Impact: Congolese community never had aspiration to volunteer, the concept was not understood; now we have many parents working in a voluntary capacity within PEP. Outcome: improve readiness for school. Improve parental involvement in early learning understanding the importance of play, language development. Impact: More children ready for school, improved attendance, improved parental engagement with schools. This is impacting upon all Nationalities but much improvement within Congolese community.

16. Parents Views of Outcome and Impact Outcome: Opened doors that I would never have thought possible, inspired us. Impact: “There are services I did not know existed, I have found passion” “We are war torn families that came from a Country that has failed us. We came to the UK and saw failure, poverty was normal for us. Now things can change”. Outcome: Empowerment, changing from within the PEP is real and practical. Impact: “The PEP has changed us from within. We see positive changes because of the PEP; the Parent Champions are the positive role models within our Community”. Outcome; Keeping children safe Impact: Parent champions trained to recognise vulnerability, offer parent to parent support helping parents understand importance of Social Care in protecting children who are being abused.

17. Why is it so successful? • This project is truly parent led, parents decide the agenda and Chair their local PEP meetings. • This project focuses upon parents in order to prevent abuse and harm. PEP and Parent Champions give parents back their power base, giving them the tools to make a difference within their family and Community. • Enfield parents have been given a voice and many opportunities; including influencing local and national strategy. Parent Champions are now being asked to sit on Strategic Boards within Enfield such as Health Scrutiny Board and Young People’s Life opportunity Commission, directly influencing policy and practice. • Parents from the PEPs will form a parent parliament in order to widely influence decision making

18. YEP (Youth Engagement Panel) and PEP The Youth Engagement Panel (YEP) have unique ways of working with young people in Enfield. The YEP has trained young people to work as volunteers, being mentors and excellent role models to other young people in the Borough. They also present many of the youths’ views in their local communities. The YEP actively work alongside Parent Champions to promote community cohesion with a particular emphasis upon challenging stereotypes and reducing fear about youth crime.

19. PEPs and Parent Champions We now have 6 PEPs up and running at: • Upper Edmonton (Angel) • Enfield Island Village • Lower Edmonton (Ark) • Bushill Park • Enfield Town • Turkey Street 50 Parent Champions have graduated, there are approximately 150 PEP members with membership growing at a fast rate.

20. Can this be done in your LA? You will need: Clear Strategic sign up Action plan preferably driven via local Parenting Strategy A keen group of parents willing to kick start A little funding and a lot of commitment

21. Enfield PEP Contacts Anne Stoker Head of Parenting Support and Parent Commissioner or Denise Garner PEP Project Manager Email: parent.commissioner@enfield.gov.uk

22. PEP Logo