Parenting support

Parenting can be a strenuous and complicated task and parents may draw on their

networks - whether they be familial, friends, community-based or even internet-

based - to assist and support them with different aspects of parenting. However, an

equally important aspect is use of formal support services to help assist them with

the typical struggles associated with early and new parenting. In 2022, the

government published Supporting Parents: A National Model of Parenting Support

Services, a national model for improving parenting support services with four goals:

“greater awareness of parenting support services; greater access to parenting support

services; more inclusive parenting support services; and needs-led and evidence-

informed parenting support services.” (DCEDIY, 2022, p. 10). It is important to ask

parents about their experiences with both formal and informal support networks to

gauge gaps in services and potential areas for improvement. These items are still

quite relevant at age 3 as the growing child is still going through several new phases

of development and still requires near constant attention, supervision and care.

The main sub-topics/measures that could be continued from Cohort 24 at age 9

months are (a) an item asking what formal parenting support services have accessed

since the study child was born and an associated question on frequency of access; (b)

a question asking about the barriers to accessing formal supports for parents who

answered that they were unable to access the services or were unaware of them; (c)

an item asking about the level of support from family and friends the parent receives;

(d) an item asking about sources of parenting advice and support; and (e) an item

asking about the level of support received from the grandparents of the study child.

Recommendations for Cohort 24 at age 3:

•Repeat items on parenting support and barriers to accessing formal supports from Cohort 24 at age 9 months.

•Repeat individual item on support from family and friends from Cohort 24 at age 9 months.

•Repeat individual item on sources of parenting advice and support from Cohort 24 at age 9 months.

•Repeat individual item on support received from grandparents from Cohort 24 at age 9 months.

4.5 Summary of New Topics