Barriers to inclusion and successful engagement of parents in mainstream services: evidence and research
| Pages | 220-234 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-05-2014-0027 |
| Published date | 09 September 2014 |
| Date | 09 September 2014 |
| Author | Vincent La Placa,Judy Corlyon |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Children's services |
Barriers to inclusion and successful
engagement of parents in mainstream
services: evidence and research
Vincent La Placa and Judy Corlyon
Dr Vincent La Placa is a Senior
Lecturer, based at Psychology,
Counselling and Social Work,
University of Greenwich,
London, UK.
Judy Corlyon is a Principal
Researcher, based at
Research/Consultancy,
Tavistock Institute of Human
Relations (TIHR), London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the current evidence base on barriers to inclusion and
successful engagement of parents in mainstream preventive services.
Design/methodology/approach – Evidence was generated using a narrativereview which uses different
primary studiesfrom which conclusions areproduced into holistic interpretations. It providesan interpretative
synthesis of findings based upon an exhaustive inclusion and exclusion criteria and systematic selection
of literature.
Findings – The paper identifies barriers to successful engagement as: structural; social and cultural; and
suspicion and stigma. In terms of successful engagement, it identifies personal relations between staff
and service users, practical issues, service culture, consultation, information and targeting, service delivery,
and community development and co-production approaches.
Research limitations/implications – The paper demonstrates that the evidence base is limited and not
adequately theoretically grounded. It argues for more research basedwithin a pragmatic approach, which is
more theoretically and epistemologically informed.
Practical implications – The paper demonstrates that more theoretically and epistemologically informed
research needs to be addressed in order to design mainstream services on behalf of service practitioners
and researchers.
Originality/value – Such an approach would assist policy makers and practitioners to develop
interventions to reduce potential barriers and facilitate successful engagement and is grounded within
users’ experiences. It would also reflect the complexity of working within a late modern environment, attend
to the multiple needs of users, and address the complex layers intrinsic to the construction and reproduction
of services, as well as widening the current evidence base.
Keywords Research, Inclusion, Children, Parents, Late modernity, Service use
Paper type Literature review
Introduction
Recent years have witnessed the growth in the provision of family support services (Axford et al.,
2012). The Green Papers, Supporting Families (Home Office, 1998) and Every Child Matters
(Department for Education and Skills, 2003) accentuated the government’s commitment to
expanding these services. More recently, the Department of Education (2013) aims to improve
services, particularly for vulnerable children and to support strong families through enhanced
services. The Coalition Government has emphasised the role and importance of preventive
mainstream services, particularly in children’s centres, in targeting families and children who
are most in need and in improving outcomes, particularly for so-called “troubled families”.
Financial investment in relations hip support interventions high lights the Government’s
commitment to supporting not only the parent-child relationship but also the parents’ own
relationship in the belief that stable families with quality relationships afford children the best
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JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S SERVICES
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VOL. 9 NO. 3 2014, pp. 220-234, CEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-6660 DOI 10.1108/JCS-05-2014-0027
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