Accessing support can be a daunting experience in any circumstance and parents shared how they can feel anxious or overwhelmed when delivery methods change, or they need to join a new online group without knowing what to expect. Changes in delivery modes caused by COVID-19 restrictions have meant many organisations have had to flex and adapt, which has been an uncertain experience for staff as well as for families. The research found that taking everyone along on this change journey, by sharing updates, information and practical guidance, helped them to feel more confident and secure.

This step is about ensuring staff and families understand what changes are happening, why, and how they might affect them. It’s also about giving people autonomy with how they want to show up to remote sessions, just as you would for face-to-face ones. Let parents know it’s ok to ‘come as they are’, for example keeping their camera off, or leaving early. Ensure they’re clear on what options they have, and that staff feel well informed to address any worries or concerns that might arise. 

What we learned from the practitioners:        

“We need to ensure that families are consulted with regards to times and days, and understand that things happen such as work and childcare commitments.” - Early years practitioner

Linskill Trust held interviews and focus groups with some of their families, to ask what kind of support they wanted to help them face the pandemic. For many, what they missed the most was engaging with and learning from other parents. Some of them had already set up mums WhatsApp groups, partly because it meant they could chat whenever they had a spare moment, day, or night. Linskill Trust heard that the one platform most parents were comfortable using, including those that otherwise struggled with technology, was Facebook. In response, they tested Facebook groups for parents of young children of different ages. These groups gave parents the option to engage with each other whenever they wanted, whilst maintaining a connection to Linskill Trust that was comfortable and which they felt in control of.

Our top tips for helping people feel in control:   

• Take everyone along on the journey of change you’re embarking on with your service:

  • Help staff and parents understand what might be the same and what might be different from before. Approaches like short regular updates can make all the difference.  

• Show and tell people what to expect each time you interact with them, ahead of time:

  • Before a group or 1-1 session let families know what to expect and what options they have. Is it ok if they arrive late? Or if they have their video off? Can they change the time of the call if they need to?

• Give notice and consistency:

  • Changes are necessary but can be disorientating. Make sure you’re giving families notice before you make a change. 

  • Maintain consistency where you can, for example, is it possible for families to see the same person regularly, even if the methods for connecting change? 

• Provide a safe runway into services:  

  • Give families permission to join in at their own pace and help to build their confidence via short telephone, text or social media chats.     

• Make people feel welcome​ and valued:

  • When people make it to the session ensure they feel special and wanted, in case they have any lingering anxiety about being there    

• Invite people to 'come as they are':  

  • Make sure families know that what’s important is them being able to connect and that. A messy house is ok, as is a bad hair day, crying children and cameras' off! Whatever works for them.

• Invite parents to co-design activities with you that will engage their children.  

  • Acknowledging parents’ strengths and asking them for their contributions can help them to gain agency and confidence which makes them feel safer and more in control.

Learn more:

• READ - Zoom safety tips- Knoji 

• TRY - Methods for creating human connection online- Deepr  

• TRY - Sending a visual agenda before your session- Grapevine  

In our research, we heard stories from parents who were struggling with their mental health, with grief and loss, and with the demands of parenting during the pandemic. Many were also worried that their children were missing out on bonding with close family and friends. Even as life begins to find a more familiar course families will continue to experience new stresses and worries, on top of the usual pressures of family life. More than ever, they need trusted organisations to walk with them on their parenting journeys.

Continue the non-judgemental, consistent, support that Early Years organisations are valued for. Let families know that even when physical meetings aren’t possible, you’re still ‘by their side’. Work with families to understand what this means, whether it’s facilitating peer-peer activities, having regular phone calls or welcoming them to a physical group, it’s important they know they’re considered and valued.

What we learned from practitioners:  

“Parents need that connection outside of the 9-to-5 office hours during this time.” - Early years manager 

What we learned from families:  

“I was getting weekly calls which made me feel valued as the calls were from the same person who had been running the group and I feel comfortable talking to her. I knew it was gonna be non-judgemental and supportive - not someone policing me and pointing the finger." - Parent  

Within their home learning packs, YMCA Lincolnshire has been trialing sending Positive Parenting Affirmation postcards to families to let them know that they are thinking of them. Here some of the card examples:

• "I am the best parent for my child"

• No one else can be a better parent to your little ones than you!

• Don’t be tempted to compare your child or your parenting skills to others.

• No-one else has a child quite like yours and no-one else knows your child like you do.

• We have all been moulded by our own personal life experiences that have made us who we are.

• There is no such thing as a perfect parent so don’t try to be one! Simply aim to be good enough.

Their aim is to help parents feel equipped and confident to support their child’s learning through positive interactions and simple activities. Combining encouragement with a reminder that YMCA is there for them.

Our  top tips for being ‘by their side’:   

• Learn alongside families; you don’t have to have it all figured out:

  • Families don’t need someone to be a ‘fixer’, but someone to walk with them as they progress towards their goals, learn how to do this together.

• Encourage peer-to-peer connections between parents:

  • Families really value being able to connect with peers who are having similar experiences to them, ‘being by their side’ could simply be arranging for this to happen.  

• Make it personal​:

  • Add your own personal touches when you’re communicating with families, don’t be afraid to show a little of yourself to develop human connection as well as a professional relationship.

• Create familiarity so families can feel comfortable and secure:

  • Consider what small ‘rituals’ you can build into session, whether that’s having a check-in and check out, saving time for tea and biscuits or each sharing a reflection, this repetition builds feelings of familiarity and security. 

  • Have a service mascot!   

• Make things easy when you’re communicating with families:

  • Remember to use plain language​ and to break down long sentences or complex points into smaller chunks. 

• Keep a physical presence in people’s lives​:

  • E.g. having a ‘shop front window display’ for your service, a signposted scavenger hunt around the community or visible groups in shared spaces.

Learn more:

• READ - How to run peer to peer groups online - Bipolar UK, Get Up Set Up, Mind, National Survivor User Network, and Together for Mental Wellbeing 

• READ: How to create online training- TESA collective

• TRY - Meaningful connections model- Co-create and Cast  

COVID-19 has forced everyone to engage with new, remote, methods of delivery, many of which have been difficult to get to grips with. Sessions have been shaped by the need to adhere to social distancing, rather than the strengths and preferences of families and teams. But according to our research, the thing that keeps families coming back to these new programmes is the same thing that kept them engaged before - strong, positive, trusted and reciprocal relationships with dedicated professionals.

This step is about acknowledging families’ strengths, as well as those of the staff team. Families have strengths and capabilities to build from and practitioners working with families are often experts in relationships and human connection. Reflect on what strengths you and the families you work with have, and how you can use and enhance these when delivering remotely. Be creative and think about how you can work together to achieve shared goals and aims. Building on your skills, collaborating, and using your imagination can make remote engagement both effective and powerful.  

What we learned from the experts:      

“We really had to dissect [things]. Little things like how you end a meeting – you just click a button and it ends. No. Normally you allow people to wind down, you warn them that it’s coming to an end, people leave at different times. So it’s putting something in place that has the same mechanism as a face-to-face meeting.” – Expert   

The Linskill Trust has trialled different ways to make the start of their online sessions meaningful, comfortable, and interactive. After learning that many parents find ‘silly’ icebreakers uncomfortable, they started inviting parents to post a coloured love heart to share their mood: Blue = not feeling great / Amber = feeling ok / Green = feeling fab. This enabled facilitators to tune in to where families were at and what they wanted from the session. They were then able to adapt the icebreaker approach in the moment. For instance, if the mood was mainly blue or amber, the facilitators would ask for ‘challenge or highlight of the week’ using the Zoom whiteboard function to encourage anonymous participation. If the mood was mainly green, facilitators would play a silly ‘would you rather’ Zoom poll with the group instead and have a lighthearted discussion to break the ice. By taking a person-centred approach they were acknowledging what families were bringing to each session and using their own strengths to ensure that engagement was meaningful.

Our top tips for playing to their strengths:  

• Identify what is ‘strong’ with families, not just what is wrong:

  • All families have capabilities and strengths, acknowledge, and build on these with them instead of focussing only on needs and issues.  

• Put relationships at the heart of your delivery:

  • Human connection breeds strength and resilience - don’t underestimate its importance.

• Recreate the ‘magic moments’ (e.g. chats at biscuit break) from your physical meetings:

  • Break down what makes your face-to-face offer special, from the first greeting to the last goodbye and incorporate these moments into remote sessions.  

• Be creative and trust your own style and strengths, as well as those of families:

  • Champion your and your families’ abilities and trust that all of your strengths will create positive opportunities and outcomes.     

Learn more:  

• READ: Working with families’ strengths, an asset-based approach- NICE

• TRY - Remote delivery resources- Online centres network  

• WATCH - Daniels Den playing to their storytelling strengths