A Helping Hand For Parents

In a bid to crack down on violence and misbehaviour at schools around the country, the Government this week announced that it will be sending over 12,000 parents back to school themselves - to learn parenting skills such as rewarding good behaviour, setting boundaries, discipline, and how to play with children.

The behaviour of our young people is becoming increasingly of concern in the public consciousness. One need only open the newspaper or switch on TV to see a report on some student or young person in trouble. And, while the media does tend to focus on the negative and bring it more sharply to our attention, things do appear to be getting worse in some areas.

Ministry of Education figures on school suspensions and expulsions during the 2000-2008 period, for instance, display a disturbing trend of increasing physical violence in our schools. In that period, the number of students suspended for physically assaulting another student rose 24 percent; the number suspended for physically assaulting a staff member doubled.

At the same time, the number of students expelled completely from their school for committing physical assault on another student more than doubled - as did the number expelled for assaulting staff.

Youth offending statistics reflect the rising trend of violent offences we are seeing in schools. In 2000, police apprehended 4,538 young people aged under 17 for violent offences. This steadily rose to 6,006 by the end of 2008. While most involved young people aged 14-16, violence is increasing in the 10-13 age group: 1,062 apprehensions in 2000 increased to 1,158 in 2008.

Anyone who has children will agree that being a parent is no easy task. Charged with raising a member of the next generation - ensuring they become a decent and contributing member of society - is one of the most important and rewarding roles in the world. It is a job that comes with enormous responsibility but there is no job description or formal training and, in many cases, no support to speak of.

It can be easy for new parents to become overwhelmed by the pressures of having a child and certain valuable lessons can sometimes fall by the wayside.

The Government's programme seeks to address this. Initial research involving around 200 parents in the initiative's pilot scheme suggests the course - the Incredible Years programme - vastly improved the behaviour of up to 75 percent of the children whose parents took part.

As Associate Minister of Education, I visited an Incredible Years programme in Nelson earlier this year. Started 25 years ago at the US University of Washington Parenting Clinic, Incredible Years aims to reduce challenging behaviours in children aged three to eight years and to increase their social and self-control skills to improve their participation and achievement in education.

Recognising that parents are the key, the programme provides them with strategies to manage their children's behaviours - such as aggression, ongoing tantrums, swearing, whining, hitting, kicking, yelling, disobedience, etc. Using these strategies, parents can help their children regulate their emotions and improve their social skills.

Research has shown that aggressive behaviour and disobedience can be curbed if addressed early, before they develop into permanent behaviour patterns. Left unchecked, however, these behaviours can put these children at risk of poor educational outcomes - as well as unemployment, substance abuse, pregnancy, crime and imprisonment, domestic violence and shortened life expectancy.

Much of this sounds like commonsense. But, for young parents with no role model or supportive person to turn to in trying circumstances, the pressures associated with caring for young children (sleep deprivation springs to mind) mean a friendly face with sound advice is invaluable.

I was impressed by what I saw when I visited Incredible Years - and the feedback from parents speaks for itself. Participants have described the programme as the most positive thing they've ever done; that they've grown as a person and as a parent; that parenting has become fun. Meanwhile, facilitators have commented that the changes in parents have been "amazing." Sitting in, I learned a thing or two myself.

Parents have to begin early in order to mold their child's behaviour and personality, to ensure positive outcomes later in life. Incredible Years is based on that premise and is designed to ensure that parents do not miss those vital opportunities.

For too long we have provided an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff in the form of police, social workers, etc, who are expected to sort things out once trouble has occurred. Statistics show that this approach clearly isn't working. It makes is only fitting that we start early, prevent trouble before it occurs, and ensure the best future for our children. As the Jesuits say:

"Give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you the man."

More information on the Incredible Years programme can be found at www.minedu.govt.nz.

Lest We Forget - First Ombudsman Appointed (September 30 1962)
My work in the Consumer Affairs area has given me new insight into the important work of an Ombudsman - the office of which was first created in New Zealand on September 30 1962 with the appointment of former High Commissioner to Western Samoa Sir Guy Powles.

New Zealand was the first English-speaking country to establish an Ombudsman - previously a Scandinavian tradition - and Sir Guy faced suspicion from the public service and politicians. However, through his methods for handling complaints - investigative and consultative rather than adversarial - and his independence and concern for 'fairness, reason and fairplay' he won acceptance for the office.

Since then, the Ombudsman's jurisdiction has been extended to include: education and hospital boards, and local government agencies. Ombudsmen can also investigate complaints from people who have had requests for official information from a government organisation denied. Under the terms of the Protected Disclosures Act 2000, or 'whistle-blower' legislation, the Ombudsmen became responsible for providing advice and guidance to any employee who has made, or is considering making, a disclosure about serious wrongdoing in their workplace.