Parenting in Poor Environments

Deborah Ghate was formerly Director at the Policy Research Bureau (PRB), an independent not for profit centre specialising in applied social policy research in the area of children, young people and families. She has since become a Principal Research Officer at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London. Her recent work has included a national evaluation of services for parents provided through the youth justice system, research on how fathers use family support services, a major review of the international research evidence on `what works' in parenting support, and a number of evaluations of community-based initiatives supporting parents and children in high need communities. Neal Hazel was a Senior Research Fellow at the Policy Research Bureau. Since 2003 Neal Hazel has been a lecturer in criminology at the University of Salford, UK.

• Part 1: Introduction and Background. 1. Introduction. 2. Methodology and demographic characteristics of the sample. Part 2: Parents under stress. 3. Stress factors at the individual level. 4. Stress factors at the family level 5. Stress factors at the community and neighbourhood level. Part 3: Social support to parents in poor environments. 6. Informal support. 7. Semi-formal support. 8. Formal support. 9. Support deficits in poor environments. Part 4: Risk, support and coping. 10. Coping and not coping. 11. Coping strategies. 12. Social support and coping: Does support make a difference? Part 5: Summary of key Findings, implications and messages for policy and practice. 13. Patterns of need and support: Priority groups for policy and practice attention. 14. What do parents want from support? Messages for policy and practice. Appendices. References. Index.

The authors have made great efforts to bring the data to life by presenting the views of the family in a readable format whilst still providing the necessary statistical analysis. Direct quotes are used frequently which provide a pleasant contrast from the tables and figures... This in-depth book would be of use to occupational therapy practitioners who are investigating the issues which affect the uptake of their service in poor environments for two main reasons. Firstly, it provides a useful insight into the perceptions of parents about formal and semi-formal support; secondly, it suggests some new ways of tackling active participation and engagement from families who do not take up an occupational therapy service even though the need has been identified.