Parental Engagement and Relationships (PEAR) in Early Childhood (EC)

Project Information

PEAR_EC

Grant agreement ID: 890925

DOI

10.3030/890925

Project closed

EC signature date 24 March 2020

Start date 4 May 2020

End date 3 May 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 196 590,72

EU contribution

€ 196 590,72

Coordinated by

TALLAGHT WEST CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENTINITIATIVE COMPANY LBG
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PEAR_EC (Parental Engagement and Relationships (PEAR) in Early Childhood (EC))

Reporting period: 2020-05-04 to 2022-05-03

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Providing support to parents in the early years of children’s lives can positively impact children’s learning and development. The overarching aim of the PEAR EC project was to contribute to effective parenting support policies and practices to improve children’s outcomes. The specific objectives of the project were:
(1) To review policy and promising practices for supporting parents and families with children under six in Ireland; and to explore commonalities and differences in relation to other European countries, namely England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, due to their emphasis on prevention and early intervention in family support, aligned with the Irish policy. By identifying conditions and characteristics associated with effective support, PEAR EC aimed to contribute to informing policy and practice development to benefit families, including those experiencing poverty or social exclusion.
(2) To research the parenting support model Powerful Parenting, developed by the Childhood Development Initiative (CDI). This model involves placing a dedicated Parent/Carer Facilitator (PCF) within Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services to support parents and carers, and has been implemented in designated disadvantaged areas. PEAR EC intended to evaluate the impact of Powerful Parenting on the relationship between parents and ECEC practitioners, the home learning environment, and parental stress. Furthermore, PEARC EC aimed to analyse if these impacts varied by family characteristics. PEAR EC also aimed to study the implementation of Powerful Parenting to explore which model characteristics could foster positive outcomes for parents. Through this research, PEAR EC sought to share practices and learnings to inform the development of parenting support approaches, including within ECEC services, and, ultimately, improve children’s outcomes.
(3) To review policy and practices aiming to support fathers/coparents in Ireland. Given the goal of Powerful Parenting to support fathers/coparents, along with mothers and other carers, PEAR EC intended to evaluate its impact on parents’ gender views related to caregiving practices, and fathers’/coparents’ participation. By identifying conditions and characteristics of interventions aiming to support fathers/coparents, along with mothers, PEAR EC intended to contribute to policy and practice focused on promoting fathers’/coparents’ engagement in children’s lives.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Following the specific objectives of the project, the work performed and main results included:
(1) The review of policy and practices for supporting parents and families highlighted the importance of focusing on prevention, multiple areas of need and delivery modes, accessible services, continuity between universal and targeted provision, collaboration between services, and monitoring across local and national levels.
(2) Within the impact study of Powerful Parenting, PEAR EC assessed outcomes of parents with and without this model of support in their ECEC service. Seventy-nine parents participated in both pre-test and post-test assessments, which occurred within the same academic year. No significant impacts were found regarding the relationship between parents and ECEC practitioners, home learning environment, and parental stress. The two groups of parents were not equivalent in all their background characteristics, making it more difficult to draw conclusions about the impacts. The impacts were not found to vary by family characteristics. Within the implementation study of Powerful Parenting, PEAR EC collected the views of twenty-seven parents and two children, eight PCFs and seven ECEC managers, with the support of four peer researchers. Model characteristics with the potential to foster positive outcomes included tailoring supports to families’ needs, a focus on building trusting relationships with families, and coordination with other services.
(3) The review of policy and practices aiming to support fathers and coparents in Ireland highlighted the importance of developing and sustaining interventions with a father/coparent-inclusive focus, including outreach and engagement strategies. Within the Powerful Parenting impact study, no significant impact was found on parents’ gender views related to caregiving practices. Within the implementation study, participating parents highlighted the relevance of promoting fathers’/coparents’ participation.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

(1) The review of policy and practices for supporting parents and families can inform the development of effective parenting support interventions in Ireland and other European contexts. Easy access to services and the delivery of support according to families’ needs and resources can contribute to successful engagement and improved outcomes for diverse families, including those at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Collaboration between services, including governmental, community, voluntary and private, and monitoring the provision of support across local and national levels can help to ensure service accessibility and quality.
(2) Researching Powerful Parenting has the potential to inform the Irish and EU policy and practice on parenting support in ECEC. This model can bridge the home, preschool and other services, and allows flexible support for varying needs. The evaluation of Powerful Parenting highlighted the key work of professionals working directly with families, the PCFs, including in designated disadvantaged areas. Studying Powerful Parenting can also highlight the importance of evaluating parenting support interventions, collecting families’ views and attending to families’ characteristics. The involvement of peer researchers can contribute to promote community participation, and gain insight into peer research’s added value as a form of community-based research.
(3) The focus of PEAR EC on supporting fathers and coparents can promote the needed development of parenting support interventions and research that aims to include fathers/coparents. A clear and explicit focus on fathers and coparents can play a key role in promoting their engagement in parenting support interventions, and maximise positive outcomes for families. Inventorying and analysing the available supports can increase public knowledge and awareness, and encourage the development of measures to sustain these interventions.

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