TITLE OF DEVELOPING PRACTICE EXAMPLE
Falkirk Council CLD Service – Falkirk Supporting Young Parents Project
built BY
Digitize Pathways in partnership with Tablet academy Scotland and Co.Lab Hub
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CONTEXT / BACKGROUND
NHS Forth Valley Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) expressed concern regarding the number of young parents who were living in poverty and feeling it’s affects such as lack of employment, social exclusion, lack of opportunities to build skills and loneliness.
With this in mind a project was envisioned that would allow young parents to:
- Make new friends
- Discuss issues that are relevant to them
- Get information and advice
- Learn new things
- Receive support
Due to restrictions in relation to COVID, young parents had found it difficult to access support services or build support networks with their peers. Falkirk Council CLD Service aimed to overcome these barriers so these young people would have a greater ability to develop their life chances.
WHAT WE DID
Falkirk Council CLD Service created the Falkirk Supporting Young Parents Project (FSYPP) to provides young parents with the opportunity to co-produce & participate in youth work activities. These activities were aligned with the outcomes of the Family Nurse Partnership i.e. self-efficacy, resilience and reducing social isolation & the following national youth work outcomes:
- Young People build their confidence and resilience, benefit from strengthened support network and reduce risk taking behaviour
- Young people develop their physical & personal skills
- Young people’s health & wellbeing improves
The ambition of this project was to allow young people to come together to reduce the effects they faced from living in poverty as young parents while also developing greater social capital within themselves.
HOW WE DID IT
Capacity was created within the project to work with 48 young parents giving them the chance to participate in a range of activities on a regular basis. The nature of these sessions focused on specific topics that the young people felt were relevant to them from childcare to the stereotyping young parents often face.
Within these activities the young people would also have the ability to learn and develop new skills that would benefit them in the future. With a focus on developing core and transferrable skills, activities aimed to provide the young people the ability to improve their literacy, numeracy and communication skills through a variety of engaging means. This was further strengthened by team building/team working opportunities which allowed all participants the ability to learn how to work well with others in different situations.
A number of sessions also focused on improving digital skills alongside the resources needed to take this forward. Young people were supplied with digital devices and data packages to help them broaden their access to the internet. This helped improved their technological confidence held, giving them the confidence to use devices in a variety of way including learning new things and improving employability prospects.
The sessions also offered a priceless ability for young parents to connect with other young parents. Taking part in different forms of exercise together while also learning to cook different meals, provided a unique experience for the young people while also allowing them to form new relationships. By being involved it gave everyone the chance to share experiences with others and not feel so alone in their situation. Taking part in activities that let the parents have fun, relax and learn new things proved to be a brilliant experience for everyone.
IMPACT / OUTCOMES
Often young people who become parents and live in poverty have a reduced ability to successfully engage with other parents due to barriers e.g. cost of activities, transport etc. By the parents becoming involved with this project they developed new relationships that had a direct impact on their mental health and wellbeing alongside the social isolation that they faced. It also allowed them to develop new and relevant skills that would improve their social mobility.
FEEDBACK
Some impact statements of those involved
“It helped me meet new people and overcome anxieties about meeting new people because before I would have never, like NEVER, asked or messaged people to go for a coffee or a chat.”
“Taking part in this project with other young parents has been an incredible experience both for me and my daughter. As a 19 year old mother it can be challenging to find other people who are in the same situation as me, but this project has helped me find friends and offered a wide range of opportunities.”
“I have learned some valuable skills while also having a good time and great fun. It’s very nice to be an active part of this community where I can give and receive help and support and makes me feel less isolated from people at my age. This has a huge positive impact on my mental health as well as my daughter’s development and well-being. It’s easy to forget about my own needs and well-being while taking care of a young child but this project allows me to take a break, focus on myself and be more present in the moment.”
Categories
Stage focus
Tags
LA
Falkirk
Where?
Children’s Services, Sealock House, 2 Inchyra Rd, Grangemouth, FK3 9XB
CONTACT PERSON
Mark Meechan
CONTACT EMAIL
mark.meechan@falkirk.gov.uk
