黑料网911

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reinforces evidence that children thrive when parents are supported and valued (Marmot, 2010; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000; Treanor & Troncoso, 2023; Ulferts, 2020). It highlights the importance of early relationships, home learning environments and family wellbeing in influencing children’s outcomes by age five, when inequalities are often already embedded. Importantly, it moves beyond attainment measures to emphasise that children’s health, wellbeing and development are relational and influenced by family and environmental circumstances. Despite policy recognition of parents as key partners, questions remain about how consistently this is experienced in practice. Tensions between policy rhetoric that values parents as partners and the lived realities are explored in this blog post and reflected in my own research (Delaney, 2026).

The OECD findings resonate with policy rhetoric in Scotland around the importance of parents and partnership working (such as the ). My PhD research exploring parent–professional interactions with families of three-to-five-year-olds in Scotland extends this evidence by showing how parents’ experiences of partnership can influence their ability to be recognised as central to children’s wellbeing and development (Delaney, 2026).

Scotland has developed an ambitious policy landscape focused on valuing and supporting families, including and the . These position parents as central to children’s outcomes and emphasise collaborative, relationship-based approaches.

‘There is limited empirical evidence in Scotland exploring how parent–professional interactions are experienced in practice.’

Despite this, there is limited empirical evidence in Scotland exploring how parent–professional interactions are experienced in practice, which my research addressed. Analysis of interviews with 14 parents and 11 professionals across early years, education, social work and the third sector generated three key themes using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis. First, supportive and trusting relationships with professionals were highly valued but not consistently experienced; parents felt more valued when listened to, included and respected:

There are some parents who professionals love. (Sharon, Social Worker)

Second, systems and practices sometimes undermined families, with bureaucracy, fragmentation and deficit-based assumptions leading some parents to feel judged rather than supported:

Your attitude definitely affects how people are going to deal with you from the outset. (Claire, parent)

Third, experiences of support and partnership were uneven, linked to families’ ability to navigate services, respond to offers of support, appearance and socioeconomic status:

I’m a nurse, and that can help, because you can speak the lingo. (Erin, parent)

My findings deepen the OECD study by showing that parents’ experiences of being valued are sometimes influenced not only by policy but by the quality of interactions with professionals and wider contexts. Family wellbeing is relational and systemic, meaning that supporting parents directly benefits children. The OECD findings should therefore encourage policymakers and professionals to move beyond rhetorical recognition of parents towards ensuring that support is genuinely accessible, timely, relational and consistent. One practical action would be to develop joint learning opportunities for parents and professionals to strengthen relational practice and help ensure parents consistently experience being valued as partners. Strong foundations for children are not built solely through services directed to children themselves, but through the relationships, systems and supports surrounding families.

My research concluded that despite strong policy ambitions, parents’ experiences of being valued as partners and supported by professionals were mixed, with some experiencing strong partnership and support while others encountered interactions that diverged from policy commitments (Delaney, 2026). This disconnect can contribute to poorer outcomes, particularly where families feel disempowered or unable to access timely, relational support. It therefore recommends reviewing policy frameworks to reflect evidence on inequality and parents’ lived experiences.

References

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

Delaney, D. (2026). Valued voices and villages of support: Parent and professional partnerships [Doctoral thesis, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow].

Marmot, M. (2010). Fair society, healthy lLives: The Marmot Review. University College London.

Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (2000). From neurons to neighbourhoods: The science of early childhood development. National Research Council and Institute of Medicine Committee.

Treanor, M., & Troncoso, P. (2023). The indivisibility of parental and child mental health and why poverty matters. Journal of Adolescent Health, 73(3), 470-477.

Ulferts, H. (2020). Why parenting matters for children in the 21st century: An evidence-based framework for understanding parenting and its impact on child development. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 222.