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What’s really going on? Parents’ views of parent support in three Australian supported playgroups
Dianne Jackson
University of Western Sydney and Connect Child and Family Services
SUPPORTED PLAYGROUPS ARE A dual-focus service model used widely in Australia to provide stimulating early childhood environments for children and support for their parents. This article discusses some of the findings from a recent qualitative doctoral study that explored three supported playgroups in western Sydney. In particular, it articulates what parents experienced as support in this context through the identification and discussion of eight categories of parent support: friendship and social network support; relational support; peer support; emotional support; parenting role support; information and resource support; ‘circle of care’ support; and multidisciplinary support.
Introduction
The supported playgroup is a dual-focused model applied widely in Australia to support the development and wellbeing of children and their parents. The model offers parents opportunities to meet and share their experiences, and children opportunities to play, learn and socialise. Supported playgroups are facilitated by early childhood teachers, community workers or allied health professionals with the aim of:
stimulating children’s development through quality early childhood experiences
increasing parental knowledge related to child development, early childhood learning and positive guidance skills
facilitating social networks
providing access to information and resources
providing opportunities for the identification of developmental problems and referral to appropriate services (Dadich, 2008; FaHCSIA, 2009; NSW DoCS, 2008).
Supported playgroups play a critical role in broader government strategies aimed at increasing the effectiveness of early intervention and prevention services for families with young children. It is recognised that the quality of care children receive, particularly in the first three years of life, affects how they grow and develop and their capacity to learn (see, for example, Centre for Community Child Health, 2009; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000). It is also recognised that social isolation has a negative impact on the quality of parental care and that children and their families need access to social supports like those provided in the past by extended families and traditional neighbourhoods. The continued funding of supported playgroups in Australia is premised on the belief that the support of families when their children’s development is most rapid, through the early years, will have a lasting influence on children later in life (Freiberg et al., 2005; NSW DoCS, 2008).
The researcher’s organisation is one of those which receives significant funding to provide supported playgroups in many different communities. It was this practice-level perspective that drew attention to the limited research evidence available on the model and its failure to address the many participation and facilitation issues, good and bad, arising daily. The limited research evidence also failed to address the broader questions of why the model appears to work, under what circumstances, and for whom. Some authors ask these questions about other parenting interventions and service models (De Mey, Coussee, Vandenbroeck & Bouverne-De Bie, 2009; Vandenbroeck, Boonaert, Van Der Mespel & De Brabandere, 2009). These questions needed to be asked and answered specifically in relation to supported playgroups.
The subsequent doctoral research from which this article is drawn focused on the in-depth exploration of three supported playgroups in western Sydney. The research aimed to generate data that captured elements of how and why the supported playgroup model appears to engage families with birth–five-year-old children. The three groups participating in the study were considered to be effective because of their ongoing engagement of a diverse range of families, and the study aimed to identify and articulate what made these groups successful.
Parent support emerged as a major component of all three groups, and this article concentrates on this aspect of the research findings. Importantly, the multi-faceted nature of support in this context was evident throughout the study, and eight categories emerged which shed light on what research participants perceived and experienced as parent support: friendship and social network support; relational support; peer support; emotional support; parenting role support; information and resource support; ‘circle of care’ support; and multidisciplinary support. This article describes these eight categories, and then examines them through the lens of education and social science discourses. The discussion also draws attention to the link between what parents experienced as support and the roles of the facilitators in the groups.
Methodology, design and context
The research utilised qualitative multi-case study methodology (Stake, 2006) within an adapted ecological framework (Zubrick, Williams & Silburn, 2000). This choice was determined by the need to understand and reconstruct individual perspectives within the social context of each playgroup in the study. In keeping with a constructivist perspective, this methodology provided the means to generate rich qualitative data that ‘drilled down’ and illuminated what was happening in the groups.
Further, the research design and methodology enabled examination of relationships within the playgroups and the interfaces between the groups and other systemic structures that affected the participating families. It allowed the researcher to directly experience the groups over an extended period in order to understand their workings and allow for descriptive analysis. Similarly, the methodology provided the means to give substantial voice to the playgroup participants and to make interpretations of data based on specific contextual detail.
The three supported playgroups involved in the research were selected because they were:
typical of the supported playgroup model
operating in different contextual environments
known to be successfully engaging families, particularly those from disadvantaged and marginalised communities
able to be easily accessed by the researcher.
Case 1
This playgroup operated in an area of high disadvantage and geographic isolation: in a community room within a publicly funded school, as part of a larger community development project. The playgroup had 10–12 regular participants, some considered by the group’s facilitators to be vulnerable because of high-risk factors such as domestic violence and mental health issues. The playgroup was facilitated by a professional with education and family work qualifications and a childcare worker. Sessions ran for two to three hours one morning per week.
Case 2
This playgroup operated in a community hall and focused on supporting parents aged 15–24 years. Many participants were known to the facilitators to be vulnerable because of high-risk factors such as young parenthood, domestic violence, and drug and alcohol abuse. The group had 15–20 regular members and was facilitated by a community development worker with education qualifications and other community services professionals who attended on a rotational basis. A childcare worker also attended the group each week. Playgroup sessions ran for two-and-a-half hours one afternoon per week.
Case 3
This playgroup operated in a publicly funded school hall as part of a larger community development project, in an area characterised by geographic isolation and a mixed socioeconomic demographic. The group had 25–30 regular participants, with approximately one-third being considered vulnerable by the group’s facilitators. The playgroup was facilitated by two early childhood professionals and a health professional. Sessions ran for two hours one morning per week.
All three groups operated on a ‘drop in’ basis; that is, there was no requirement to sign up to the group and participants’ attendance could be short- or long-term. All groups were made up of females and males who were either parents, grandparents or other carers, and 85 per cent of children were aged birth to three. Two of the three groups were operated by the researcher’s organisation.
Data gathering
The researcher visited each group six times during the study as a participant observer. In total, 18 such two-hour visits were made to the groups. The number of participants in each group at any time varied from 12 to 30 parents with children.
Three focus groups were conducted as part of the research and a total of 13 parents participated. Although the number was small, participants in all three groups represented a cross-section of short- and long-term participants, from varying social and economic backgrounds.
Two parents from each group participated in a semi-structured interview. Long- and short-term participants were chosen to provide varying perspectives. Interviews were also conducted with playgroup facilitators and two principals at schools where two of the groups operated. The interviews and focus groups were audio-taped and transcribed for analysis. The researcher also kept a journal that was analysed.
Data analysis
Ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Zubrick et Al., 2000) guided analysis in this research. Premised on child outcomes being influenced by multiple factors and relationships, the ecological model was used to examine the multiple factors that influence children and parents in the supported playgroups being studied. A conceptual framework of analysis was developed using resources drawn from the literature related to early intervention, parent support, and engagement and social capital theories.
NVivo 8 software was used as a data management tool and the reports generated were used in conjunction with revisiting field notes and listening to the audiotaped data while reading the full transcriptions. These processes helped to maintain the richness of the data for further analysis by ensuring that it remained embedded in the context in which it was gathered and that the nuances of what was said were not lost in transcription. The researcher also engaged an academic peer to code samples of data for reliability. The results indicated that 82 per cent of the data had been interpreted and coded in the same way, further substantiating the trustworthiness of the findings.
Findings
Friendship and social network support
Friendships and the formation of social networks that reduced social isolation emerged as important sources of support for playgroup members and were integral to their playgroup experiences. Facilitators also drew attention to the fact that the playgroup model supported positive interactions with and between all families within the groups, regardless of whether they were perceived to be vulnerable or functioning well.
Parents spoke at length about being able to come to a place where they could ‘be themselves and chat’ and about the value of making new friends and sharing common experiences related to raising children. Interactions amongst parents were observed throughout the study to include a mixture of social conversations unrelated to children, and the sharing of advice related to parenting issues such as feeding and toilet training.
Numerous examples were given that illustrated the support parents experienced through their friendships, both with other parents and the facilitators. Parents, facilitators and principals all shared similar views that the playgroups provided a non-threatening environment in which personal histories could be shared.
... [playgroup] is a space for people to actually talk about what is important to them and what they do with their lives, for people to feel that someone is listening … that’s why I have been a little hesitant to come down too heavily on all the chat and stuff because I think it’s been great for a lot of those people to be able to do that (Facilitator).
‘I don’t know what I would do without playgroup’ was also a comment from parents on many occasions. When questioned further, some parents offered explanations which highlighted the importance of the connections they made within these groups and the effect on their wellbeing and the ultimate wellbeing of their children:
… [playgroup] has like saved S’s [child’s] life… If I hadn’t gone, God it was bad … going and seeing all the other mums and watching how they interact with their children and seeing all the other kids and S was able to play with other kids her age, it was so much of a saviour … I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t gone ... It was like, that’s what me and S looked forward to every week … Yeah, if I hadn’t gone and gotten involved with other parents and other children, S would have probably gone to someone else long ago … she would’ve been fostered out which I would have hated. So it’s so much [playgroup] saved us (Parent).
The extended nature of friendships cultivated within the playgroups and the levels of support resulting from those relationships were described extensively by facilitators. The capacity of the groups to nurture parents and to promote their confidence in supporting one another was viewed as particularly important:
The friendships that they make, I think, is the most important aspect, and that they can swap phone numbers and babysit each other’s kids, and get together during the week, is one of the most rewarding things. When you sit back and look at all of that happen, if we can set the forum up for them to meet in a safe space and be there if they need us, is fantastic, because they can do the rest. And that support is available for them 24 hours a day after we’ve all gone home. It means they’ve got a phone number of a mate that they can call. And they did. I mean, not all of them, but the friendships that they have often are the only friendships that they had … (Facilitator).
As mentioned, playgroup participants had made strong friendships within the groups and many also met with one another outside of the group. As well, many parents reported that they now participated in broader community activities, and there were many examples of how parents had increased their social networks and become more linked to their local school or community as a result of their playgroup attendance.
While the findings in this study demonstrated that social interaction was valued highly by all participants, allowing time for parents to socialise within the groups also presented challenges to the facilitators and sometimes to members of the playgroups. As all the groups had the dual purpose of providing opportunities for parents to interact with their children as well as with each other, tensions often arose around striking a balance between these dual purposes. All facilitators spoke about grappling with this dilemma.
The supported playgroups in this study assisted in the reduction of social isolation and contributed to parents’ sense of wellbeing, confidence and ability to support one another. An emphasis on relationships and the provision of opportunities to socialise enabled parents to share their experiences and resulted in the formation of significant friendships and social networks. A challenge for the facilitators was the need to sometimes balance the dual purposes of the playgroups, that is, adult social interaction and parent–child interaction. These purposes were considered within the context of the particular needs of the group at the time and the focus of the group was structured responsively to reflect these understandings.
Relational support
Tensions sometimes arose among playgroup participants which were addressed through a process of mediation. This assisted each participant to see others’ perspectives and supported the maintenance and further development of positive relationships within the group. In Case 1, parents involved in these processes also took part in a focus group and concurred that, although it had been difficult at the time, the facilitator’s role in enabling mediation had been positive for the group. The facilitator reflected on the mediation process in this way:
Maybe just realising that what had happened was going to be taken seriously and we were going to try and work it out. It was kind of finding that balance between kind of smoothing over the surface and brushing it under the carpet a bit on one hand but also saying it was important to work this out for the future (Facilitator).
Managing group dynamics was an important aspect of the support provided to parents in this study. Although this was challenging, facilitators demonstrated their ability to address any tensions that arose through action that supported the further development of positive relationships within the groups. This assisted in enhancing the social connectedness between families, which in turn promoted parents’ continued participation, increased their access to support, and reduced their social isolation, factors which are all known to be protective for children (Vandenbroeck et al., 2009).
Peer support
Peer support emerged as an important element in all three groups. There were numerous examples of how parents used their interactions with other parents to increase their knowledge and parenting skills and as a means to view their children’s behaviour from varying perspectives. Many parents described their increased sense of confidence in parenting as a result of observing their children in relation to others at similar stages of development and in interactions with other adults. The type of peer learning happening in the groups was illustrated when one facilitator described how a mother had become more responsive to her young child as a result of a friendship with another playgroup participant:
… P didn’t want her [child] to be picked up all the time [in case she was spoiled] … I do actually see her picking her up quite a bit now, and I think that’s one of the amazing things about P’s friendship with Y. Y has this big baby … and she puts her in the pouch and puts this thing over the top of her and rocks her to sleep and that has been a process for P to see how Y parents and to see her being [a] responsive [parent] (Facilitator).
This study demonstrated parents’ ability to learn from each other when provided with informal social contexts in which to share their experiences. Through observing their children’s interactions with other children and adults and discussing relevant issues with their peers, parents gained new knowledge and perspectives that added to their parenting confidence.
Emotional support
All the groups in the study had a strong focus on nurturing the parents as a way of promoting positive outcomes for the children. Many of the participants were known by facilitators to have serious, unmet emotional needs, and many had not experienced successful or nurturing relationships themselves. Facilitators emphasised the importance of demonstrating genuine respect, care and appreciation in their relationships with them.
Equally, parents appreciated being listened to, and throughout the study they described how important it had been for them to develop relationships with the facilitators based on mutual respect, understanding and care. Many examples in all groups illustrated the type of nurturing support that parents valued:
This is going to sound stupid, but the cups of tea. I used to come in; I didn’t sleep like the first eight months that my babies were alive … And I’d come in, and I’d be like, I’m exhausted. And she’d meet me at the door, and she’d meet me at the car sometimes, and take my babies off me, and hand them out to people and make me a cup of tea … it was so nice. And I’d just sit there and drink a cup of tea, and go, oh my goodness, I’m going to die … the amount of times that I’ve had a cry … I used to come in and I’d be not sleeping for days, and I’d be going mad. She’d say, ‘You know what? You’re doing it on your own, you’ve been sleepless, you’re breast feeding, you’ve got a house to take care of and three children, what do you expect from yourself? It’s too much for one person. And then I’d be like, you know what, I’m a legend … (Young parent, with a four-yearold and two-year-old twins).
Emotional support was integral to the relationships developed by playgroup facilitators with parents, particularly in cases where parents were known not to have experienced nurturing relationships themselves. Facilitators expressed genuine care and respect for parents in their groups and built trusting relationships them. Parents benefited greatly from this type of support, which enhanced their ability to provide nurturing care to their children.
Parenting role support
Supporting playgroup members in their roles as parents was seen as a critical aspect of playgroup provision by the facilitators. They spoke at length about working within a strengths-based framework that recognised and affirmed parents as the most important people in their children’s lives.
Further, providing a place where parents did not feel criticised by their peers or by staff was viewed as particularly important for all families. One facilitator commented that there was a need to make sure parents felt they could be a ‘parent in progress’ while they were at the group and that parenting itself was a developmental process.
Parents drew attention to the new knowledge and insights they had gained about parenting through playgroup attendance. This ranged from practical information related to child development to gaining new perspectives about themselves and the ways they interacted with their children:
I think just watching the things that the workers do with the kids … the interactions that they have with the kids gives you ideas on what you can do at home with the kids. Whereas normally you just go, Oh go away, I’ve had enough of you. Go away (Parent).
I’m more patient with my children. I grew up in that sort of family where you hit first and ask questions about the problem later … From watching another parent and also from [the facilitator], things she’s brought in and just talking to people, it just sort of evolves and you’ve got to think about ways of not being so militant because if it’s working for other parents … (Parent).
[I have an] understanding of myself as a parent and of other people’s skills as parents … (Parent).
Facilitators and school principals also spoke about gradual changes they noticed in parents’ interactions with their children and emphasised the role that trust and respect played in parent/facilitator interactions:
[parents are] much more relaxed about asking for help, I think because they feel that they’ve been supported not judged, that it’s worked, that giving their trust to these people has worked out. It’s done something good, for them and for their child and their family … (School principal).
In contrast, not all things learned in the playgroup environment were transferred to the home. When asked if she now did anything at home that she learned at playgroup, one parent reported that sometimes the knowledge she gained at playgroup did not transfer to her home environment because of other factors. Despite this, she described the value of the respite the group provided for her:
There are all sorts of things I try and learn here to do at home, the parenting stuff, but the boy doesn’t pay any attention to it. We have a lot of struggles but at least I can come here without him being too much … it’s got better but he does need constant watch … Nothing is easy at home but at least I get a break [at playgroup] (Parent).
The playgroups in this study provided spaces in which parents felt supported in their parenting role. Facilitators respected parents as the most important people in their children’s lives and were diligent in their efforts to listen to their views and affirm their roles. They also modelled behaviours and provided gentle guidance related to child development and parental expectations. To this end, the groups provided opportunities for many parents to gain new skills and insights which were reflected in positive changes in their relationships with their children.
Information and resource support
Throughout the study it was frequently observed that practical assistance was given to playgroup participants in the form of information or other resources that addressed a pressing need or issue.
Likewise, parents gave numerous examples of the timely assistance given by playgroup facilitators to address child development issues. One parent described the playgroup as a ‘hub’ for information and likened providing timely support to parents to teaching children to read:
It just makes sense to me. It’s like reading. Do you read to them from birth, a little bit at a time, or do you wait till they go to school and then start reading to your children? Do you support mums and families from the very beginning, or do you wait until the wheels are falling off? (Parent).
The provision of practical, timely support helped parents in the playgroups to address issues that were pressing for them at the time. The facilitators’ broad knowledge of local services combined with their knowledge of child development enabled them to support parents at a time and place that was appropriate and relevant to them.
‘Circle of care’ support
There was a level of ‘behind the scenes’ discussion among professionals in each of the groups, to ensure that the needs or vulnerabilities of particular parents were addressed. These discussions always took place with the participants’ permission and within the policy frameworks relating to confidentiality in the organisations involved. For example, one facilitator described a situation in which a professional from another group had contacted her to inform her that a mother with severe depression would be attending the playgroup. This professional said the mother was often able to hide the way she was feeling but really needed extra support because of her mental illness. The facilitator reported that, with this awareness, she had built a trusting relationship with the mother, who in time was able to share with her the nature of her depression and to ‘be her true self’ with her peers in the group. This, the facilitator believed, had been beneficial for the mother and contributed to the family’s ongoing engagement.
The needs of more vulnerable families within the groups were addressed by a broader network of professionals. This ‘circle of care’ which in some instances included informal case work, enabled facilitators to provide a more knowledgeable and holistic approach to meeting individual needs. Parents benefited from this ‘one-stop-shop’ type of service delivery which provided them with emotional and practical support and which built their capacity for ongoing participation in the groups.
Multidisciplinary support
An important feature of the supported playgroups examined in this research was the multidisciplinary approach taken to supporting the wellbeing of children and families. The playgroups provided opportunities for more formal types of support to be delivered within a non-stigmatising, mainstream social context.
Professionals from a range of disciplines such as health, welfare and early childhood intervention were involved at the request of playgroup participants. Mostly this support took the form of itinerant visits by early childhood special educators, case workers or social workers. On a number of other occasions support was given by allied professionals accompanying families on their first visit to the playgroups. In addition, two of the groups were co-facilitated by professionals with social welfare qualifications, which enabled participants to access this form of expertise if necessary. In the other group, the facilitator had extensive experience in family work which, when combined with her education qualifications, created a multidisciplinary dimension to the support she provided.
The ability of all the playgroups to act as a platform for multidisciplinary support enabled families to access resources and support within a non-clinical, universal environment. Gently embedding more formal types of support within the playgroup contexts assisted parents in ways that may have been otherwise unavailable to them.
Discussion
Parent support is a complex notion to which participants in this study attached multiple meanings. At a time when there is extensive debate about the construct of parenting and support (see for example, Gillies, 2005; Vandenbroeck et al., 2009), the findings described here provide a significant insight to what parents with young children found supportive within these playgroup contexts. The research also responds to the call for descriptive studies that illuminate the inner workings and effectiveness of programs that support parents of young children (Quinton, 2004).
The supported playgroups in this study demonstrated a model of bringing parents and children together that placed value on each parent’s role within their family, regardless of circumstance. Importantly, each group provided social support and access to information and resources that were defined and driven by parents and accessed at a time and place they determined. The type of social, semi-formal support offered reflected what the literature reports is most wanted by parents, and what is most lacking in many formal parenting programs (Rullo & Musatti, 2005; Vandenbroeck et al., 2009).
All the manifestations of parent support indentified in this research were underpinned by genuine relationships. An examination of the actions within trusting, reciprocal relationships among participants showed that support was co-constructed and not something ‘delivered by an expert’. A growing number of authors argue that programs that aim to ‘support’ parents of young children, often ‘pedagogicalise’ parenting by implementing strategies that aim to teach parents how to parent (Vandenbroeck et al., 2009). These authors view the increasing worldwide trend to implement formal parenting programs as an attempt to inculcate middle-class values at the family level. They criticise the enforcing of middle-class constructs of parenting as a means of shifting blame to parents rather than addressing systemic social problems, such as poverty and its associated effects on family health and wellbeing. Further, these authors suggest that policies that focus on universalising an ‘expert’ view of parenting perpetuate the assumption that not ‘parenting’ in particular ways provides inadequate support for children’s learning and development.
In contrast, the types of interactions that occurred in the playgroups between parents and with facilitators reflected the Vygotskyian (1978) notion of socially constructed learning. The playgroup environment encouraged parents to share their experiences with one another and enabled them to be ‘scaffolded’ by facilitators if needed. What was important in these interactions was that the search for new knowledge was instigated by parents, rather than directed by facilitators within a predetermined curriculum framework, or on the basis of an ‘expert’ belief about what parents need. The playgroups demonstrated ways to work in partnership with parents to co-construct ways of being a parent within contextual circumstances, and it was clear that parents responded positively and found this worthwhile.
Further, all three groups studied were facilitated by at least one person who had early education qualifications. With this in mind, there could be a natural assumption or expectation that there would be a more pedagogical outlook on program delivery. This, however, was not reflected in the findings. Rather, they indicated that the facilitators demonstrated a true respect for, rather than tolerance of, diversity (Vandenbroeck et al., 2009), and engaged in in-depth reflections on their role in modelling behaviours and encouraging parent-directed learning. It was this type of respectful learning that parents valued highly and which they said increased their enjoyment and confidence.
Following on from this, it was clear that facilitators in all the groups held an underlying belief that the playgroups should be places for parents to ‘be’ and that their relationships with parents were built on a belief in their capacities to parent. This is not to say that many participants did not have other issues that interfered with their ability to parent, for example mental health issues or drug and alcohol abuse, but that these, not parenthood, were the main issues they needed help in addressing. These supported playgroups were characterised by professionals working relationally alongside parents rather than imposing a deficit, problematised program format that a number of authors argue against (Berry & Letendre, 2004).
At no point were assumptions made that parents did not know how to parent their children. Rather, facilitators interacted with parents in ways that suggested they believed parents had tacit parenting knowledge and which demonstrated their willingness to work alongside parents to create an environment that maximised their strengths and abilities. In the same way that early childhood educators create a relational environment that fosters children’s abilities to develop, the supported playgroups in this study provided environments in which parents could develop.
The ability of the supported playgroups in the study to nurture parents was well-evidenced and it was clear that it was valued greatly by parents. These findings substantiate the research evidence of numerous authors who reiterate that these relationships allow parents to shape their lives, while allowing professionals to provide instruction and encouragement for change as it is needed (Garbarino, 1992; Munford & Sanders, 2006).
Evidence from Swick, Da Ros and Kovach (2001) also shows that it is through ongoing, nurturing interactions with their parents that children’s emotional development is fostered. Children who experience loving relationships and empathetic interactions learn how to care and be nurturing themselves. This is described by Elshtain (1999), who says that as humans we are ‘talked into talking and loved into loving’ (p. 18). Munford and Sanders (2006) concur with this view but point to the need for parents to have experienced nurturing relationships themselves in order to provide them for their children.
Given the evidence that there were many parents attending the groups who had not experienced the relationships described above, the nurturing support they received may have made them more able to provide nurturing interactions and environments for their children.
As some facilitators pointed out, it took years for these types of relationships to develop with certain parents, therefore it was crucial that the program was ongoing and that it was in a format that effectively engaged parents.
It can be argued from the findings in this study that the support facilitators provided through mediation of adult relationships was also a component of nurture. Positive relationships between participants were vital; however, negative interactions sometimes threatened these relationships and mediation was seen as an appropriate intervention. This type of intervention is supported in the literature by Berry and Letendre (2004). Attention to adult relationship skills, it is argued, leads to more durable gains in parenting skills.
Both the facilitator and the playgroup participants who took part in the mediation reported that their relationships had benefited from the intervention. However, what is not known is the degree to which these benefits were long-lasting. Further research into relationship mediation within this context would be valuable.
There are growing concerns raised in the literature related to parenting programs that are delivered within the prevailing prevention climate. Vandenbroeck et al. (2009) and others argue that prevention programs aim to intervene before problems arise. Programs delivered under such circumstances have the potential to perpetuate the underlying assumption that being a parent is a risk factor in itself.
Case 2 in this study provides an illustration of a program that had been funded to target parents who were at risk because of multiple factors (including young parenthood) but where there were a number of parents whom facilitators described as doing well regardless of their risk factors. These parents, along with the rest of the parents in the group, could have felt further marginalised if they perceived that facilitators thought they needed to be ‘taught’ how to parent. This did not happen, however, because the playgroup provided an environment in which intervention related to parenting skills took place at parents’ discretion.
The friendships and social networks that parents developed within these playgroup environments were also integral to what parents found supportive. Many parents also reported that they participated in broader community activities as a direct result of attending the playgroups over an extensive period, which demonstrated the model’s ability to also act as a catalyst for the formation of bridging social capital (Leonard & Onyx, 2003).
These findings complement international research showing that programs offering a welcoming, inclusive environment to parents and children, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, build social capital through the provision of a sense of community and social inclusion (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000). Most importantly though, the social networks the playgroups provided supported the wellbeing of parents, which is known to increase positive outcomes for children, especially those exposed to high-risk or neglectful environments.
Finally, a crucial element of all three supported playgroups was their ability to provide multidisciplinary support at a time and place that suited families.
Significantly, it was evident that there were families in these playgroups who may not have made contact with the formal supports they needed if their access had not been supported through the relationships they developed within the playgroups. These findings reflect the international evidence which suggests that successful early intervention programs are often community-based and integrate the contributions of multiple disciplines (Barnes, Katz, Korbin & O’Brien, 2006).
Based on the evidence from this study, the supported playgroups offered parents a soft entry place that was able to meet their need for social interaction and helped them engage with formal supports when necessary. The ability of these groups to provide access to information and resources and to link families successfully to other relevant support services makes it more likely that these families will feel confident to engage with other services in the future (Ghate & Hazel, 2002).
Recommendations from the research
The development of nurturing, trusting and supportive relationships within groups such as those in this study is dependent on the engagement and ongoing participation of parents, often over very lengthy periods. This is problematic in cases where families’ participation is limited by the funding specifications dictated by government departments. In such cases, families are required to transition to other groups, such as parent-led playgroups, which can cause a great deal of anxiety for some parents and also reinforce the notion that parents are there to be ‘fixed’ or ‘taught’ and that this can occur within a specified amount of time.
There is an apparent need for policies that do not view the role of parenting young children and the provision of the types of support described in this study as time limited. Instead, parents require policy developers to recognise the ongoing nature of being a parent, and the need to provide holistic, social-support models, as opposed to training models.
Given that many supported playgroups are facilitated by early childhood staff and that this is likely to continue, the data in this study also suggests it is critical that early childhood training includes preparation for the complex task of supporting parents in settings such as these. Failure to provide relevant and specific training may result in the loss of some of the opportunities to work alongside and support families that this type of service provision offers.
Finally, the strength of this research has been in the rich descriptive data it provided. The systematic, holistic analysis of this data, using conceptual resources drawn from the early childhood and social science literature, has resulted in original theoretical understandings about this type of service provision and its function within the early childhood landscape. A larger study that builds on these new understandings and is framed by the eight categories of parent support identified in this research has the potential to provide a significant base for future policy development. It would also provide further insights into the value of peer support within informal parent programs.
Conclusion
To conclude, this research revealed that parent support was a highly significant component of the supported playgroups that were studied with eight different categories of support being identified: friendship and social network support, relational support, peer support, emotional support, parenting role support, information and resource support, ‘circle of care’ support, and multidisciplinary support. By analysing and linking the data to substantial evidence in the early education and social science literature, we see that the supported playgroups in this study facilitated a social environment for parents which focused on and encouraged support through mutual sharing and reciprocity. The playgroups decreased parents’ social isolation, increased parents’ confidence and increased access to formal support services. The nature of the support and learning that parents experienced in this study demonstrated the true value of providing safe, social spaces that allow parents to ‘be’.
References
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Australasian Journal of Early Childhood – Volume 36 No 4 December 2011
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