Completed in 2009
PARENT SUPPORT ADVISERS PROJECT
Geoff Lindsay1, Hilton Davis2, Steve Strand1,
Ray Evans1, SARAH STEWART-BROWN3, Sue Band1, Mairi-Ann Cullen1, Stephen Cullen1 and Chris Hasluck4
1 cedar, 2 kings college london, 3 warwick medical school, 4 institute of employment research
The Department for Children, Schools and Families funded Local Authorities (LAs) to develop Parent Support Advisers (PSAs) who offer support to parents. PSAs were expected to take on a range of tasks with different objectives. One aim concerned support for parents to increase their general engagement in education but a major focus was to support parents whose children had or were at risk of developing behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.
Improving pupil attendance and preventing exculsions were important elements, but so too were helping parents access services including parenting groups, supporting pupils at transition between key stages and more general support.
The pilot ran in 20 LAs from September 2006 to July 2008. Our evaluation included data collection on all parents in those 20 LAs with whom PSAs undertook specific work (over 20,000); a survey of PSAs line managers towards the end of the pilot (over 600 respondents); and interviews with samples of PSAs, line managers, PSA Coordinators, parents and other professionals over the three phases of the study in 12 of the 20 LAs.
A final report was published in August 2009. Two interim reports were also produced. A short guide to the research has also been produced and is due to be published shortly.
Lindsay, G., Davis, H., Strand, S., Cullen, M.A., Band, S., Cullen, S., Davis, L., Hasluck, C., Evans, R., & Stewart-Brown, S. (2009). Parent support adviser pilot evaluation: Final report. DCSF-RR151. London: DCSF. (174pp) http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR151.pdf
