Parenting Consultant Role

[Jon Symonds]

Hi everyone

I have just been offered a new job as a parenting consultant in family services(daunting enough as it is, but thankfully South Glos have not gone with the government term 'parenting expert'). It is a brand new role so there seems to be plenty of room for innovation and creativity.

I am interested in any ideas or experiences others have had in relation to this role and how SF ideas might be incorporated into this. All suggestions welcome!

Best wishes

Jon

[Fred Ehresmann]

Well Jon, it so happens that I too have landed a job as parenting consultant in the same authority.....smaaaaaall world innit!
I was wondering if this might be an opportunity to raise the profile of John Sharry's work in Dublin and import some aspects, or even all aspects of it into our little corner of paradise?
Also, in the Solutions 'clinic', we've had more folks coming with 'parenting issues', and I've been curious about the fact that we seem to have been helping them to address these, apparently to their satisfaction, without the use of a 'parenting programme' and merely using a first-session SF approach, and the usual way of doing follow up sessions if asked.
So I'm wondering whether SF, as a particular way of talking together, might be able to 'infiltrate' the programmes that are on offer.
At the very least we could be asking something like 'What might you notice that would let you know that a/this programme had been useful?' type questions.
Also, some of the role includes consultation, and I'd be interested in looking at Evan's model of SF consultation in terms of this bit of our role.
I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!
Seeya later.
F

[Peter Lewer]

Hi Jon and Fred

I have just left my role as Parenting Consultant for Kent County Council that I was in for ten years. In this role I set up a county parenting service that was and is exclusively SF. We made a decision early on to have no programmes and just ask questions that we hoped would be useful. This approach works and we recieved an Excellent rating from the YJB and a Blue Star rating (Excellent) from the old department of education. The county nominated me for national public servant of the year back in 2002. All this down to us taking an SF approach from the outset. I have also offered consultation and training to Government and NGO's based on the success of the service, which is still going strong.

I have been appointed to set up SF multi-agency services for Adolescents and aim to take my learning as parenting consultant into my new role.

If I can be of any help to you please get in touch. Pat Licnachan on the UKASFP list is still in the parentiong consultant role and would be a great resource to tap.

Regards

Peter Lewer

[Jon Symonds]

Hi Fred and Peter

Many thanks for the replies and avenues to explore. I will google John Sharry tonight and see what I can get online (and relook at the Handbook of SFP at work later in the week). I am also interested in what has been achieved in Kent - and would really like to hear more about it.

Is the no-programmes approach still surviving what with the government interest in programmes and the NICE guidelines promoting groups? How have you managed to meet whatever policy requirements there are out there. Clearly, it has been very successful - I have more than half an eye on how much could be used in South Glos where there is a pretty strong commitment to groups and a cautious, but growing interest in SF derived from varying degrees of evangelism espoused by Fred and myself (among others).

I also wonder whether the same job titles match up with the same roles. I am aware that our posts are brand new from the government and you were in your role for 10 years. Are they the same (I'm assuming of course you have full knowledge of my role - and half hoping you have more idea than me lol!).

Best wishes

Jon