COMMENT
INVESTING IN SCOTLAND’S FUTURE
▏ Three years ago, Scottish Ministers set out a goal for Scotland to become the best place in the world to grow up. This is not just a nice idea - the nation’s very prosperity depends upon it.
A huge body of evidence shows a child’s early environment has a signifi cant impact on their life chances. The quality of care children receive can aff ect their brain development, their mastery of language, their social skills, and their ability to control emotions. All these factors can aff ect a child’s ability to learn, as well as their mental and physical health well into adulthood.
Children who grow up in nurturing, supportive, low-confl ict environments are more likely to cope with adversity, such as poverty, develop secure attachments and strong relationships, and avoid substance abuse problems and anti-social behaviour issues later in life. This is proven beyond doubt. Triple P – Positive Parenting Program - supports the development of communities and families to off er children these advantages. Triple P’s methods are widely shared amongst evidence-based programs and are well-tested over many years. Triple P’s advantage is that it can be applied across a wide population, but with diff erent tiers of support on off er to match the needs of individual families. This system’s eff ectiveness has been repeatedly proven in both real-world and research settings.
In 2012, the National Parenting Strategy for Scotland recognised that “whatever the issue and wherever they live, the support [parents] want should be made readily available to them, proportionate to their needs and those of their children’’.
As part of this, much valuable
work has been done through the Psychology of Parenting Project (PoPP). Consequently, the Scottish Government has a strong framework to build on to make good its pledge to extend PoPP nationwide. With the SNP’s 2016 manifesto committing to providing ‘everyone – regardless of their background – with the very best chance of success in life’, the time is right for all parties to recognise the science behind those ambitions and enable Scotland to become the best place in the world to grow up.
Matt Buttery
Chief Executive Offi cer, Triple P UK
www.triplep.net
Next generation
Kirsty’s mum is centre stage By Mary Renfrew,
Professor of mother and infant health, University of Dundee
▏ KIRSTY’S LIFE CHANCES – like all children – will be affected by the circum- stances she is born into, for good or otherwise. Her future health and development is in the hands of her parents, other family and friends, and the community and wider society in which she lives. Tere is evidence that Kirsty’s first 1000 days will be hugely important in shaping her later life. But it isn’t just those early months and years that matter, it’s also what comes before it.
What happens to any child is the product of what happened first to her parents, especially her mother. Kirsty’s mother Caley’s life opportunities, chances and decisions affect both the baby and herself. Caley is centre stage in Kirsty’s life. Tere’s all sorts of factors in pregnancy that affect the child’s life chances, whether the negative impact of stress, poverty or alcohol, or the positive effect of healthy food and nutrition. Who has talked Caley through her decisions? Who has been caring for Caley herself, so she feels safe and supported and with the right information about birth and beyond? Did she go for midwife care? Does she know about folic acid? Who will help and support her with breastfeeding, and weaning? Does she know about the importance of loving, holding, talking, singing, and reading to her child through her early weeks, months and years? Fathers, too, are so important. In Scotland there can sometimes be a slightly macho
thing, but actually, Scottish men are often very engaged with their children. Even if he’s no longer with Caley, Kirsty’s father is around, but how that relationship develops into the long term will make a big impact in Kirsty’s life. Spending time with Kirsty, holding and loving and playing and building her self-confidence as she grows is such an important gift a father can give a child. By the time she is born, Kirsty’s life chances have been quite radically affected already, for good or otherwise. Just as Caley’s own life chances have in turn been affected from the start by her own mother’s pregnancy and childhood. In Scotland we have generations of habits, and generations of poverty, we have to
break. Bottle feeding. Too much sugar, alcohol. Smoking. For some women, not enough support for their own mental health, nutrition, or difficult social circumstances. But we also have the opportunity to change that for children like Kirsty, and in turn, for their children. We can break through the social barriers with good policy and good support for
women and families. Without removing those societal barriers, it won’t be easy for Caley to make all the healthy decisions she might want. If she’s going to breastfeed, for example, like most women she’s likely to need support and help, and she needs to feel comfortable about breastfeeding when she’s out and about. Te Scottish Government’s maternity and neonatal review will report in the autumn I think, and that will be looking at how to keep mothers and fathers centre stage along with their babies, so all parents are able and supported to love, care for and nurture their babies. ⌞
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www.holyrood.com 23 May 2016
PARENTS
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