Evaluation of the Derbyshire NCH Children’s Support Service
Consultancy project for
the Derbyshire NCH Children’s Support Service.
Parental separation and divorce affects many children and their families.
The Derbyshire NCH Children’s Support Service aims to reduce the negative impacts of family conflict on children by offering them up to six sessions with a support worker.
The aim of this project was to examine service user and stakeholder perceptions of the role, value and purpose of the service and to identify strengths and weaknesses in what is provided.
- Collection and analysis of data from a random sample of feedback forms completed by parents, children and young people at the end of their contact with the service.
- Interviews with parents and children who have had involvement with the service in the last five years.
- Regular interviews with families who were currently using the service.
- Interviews with NCH support workers and other professionals who have referred families to the service including Family Resource Workers, a school nurse, and from CAMHS and CAFCASS.
- Parents’ reasons for attending the service related to their children’s emotional and behavioural difficulties and a desire for improvements in their wellbeing; the opportunity for their son or daughter to talk about their feelings and emotions with someone independent or impartial; and to enable children to understand the family situation and come to terms with changes in family circumstances.
- Data from feedback forms revealed that satisfaction with the service was high. Ninety two per cent of parents rated the service as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. Seventy seven per cent felt the service had ‘helped a lot’; a further 20 per cent felt the service had helped ‘a little’. Before coming to the service twenty nine per cent of children felt happy; after attending this had risen to seventy one per cent.
- Parents also felt that the service enabled children to develop strategies to cope with particular difficulties, including, for example, anger and nightmares, through communication.
- Family Resource Workers saw the outcomes of the service as enabling children to express their feelings, communicate better with their parents (and others), and helping them to manage their anger (thereby improving their behaviour in school). These were achieved through development of specific strategies ‘taught’ to the children during the course of the support sessions and also by providing children with an opportunity to talk. They recognised the value to the children of being able to speak to impartial adults who were trained and experienced in listening to their problems.
- CAMHS workers suggested that the support service used methods and approaches that were “imaginative” and “creative” and which engaged with the children. The service did not simply offer “talking”. One great strength of the NCH Children’s Support Service was that it was seen as not putting a “mental health label” on the situation or making it part of the medical process.
Munro, E.R. and Sempik, J. (2008) 'Supporting Children and Families: An evaluation of the Derbyshire NCH Children's Support Service. CCFR evidence issue 14.' Loughborough: Centre for Child and Family Research, Loughborough University.
Sempik, J. and Munro, E.R. (2008) 'An Evaluation of the Derbyshire NCH Children’s Support Service: perceptions of satisfaction and effectiveness.' Loughborough: Centre for Child and Family Research, Loughborough University.
Sempik, J. and Munro, E.R. (2008) 'An Evaluation of the Derbyshire NCH Children’s Support Service: processes and procedures.' Loughborough: Centre for Child and Family Research, Loughborough University.
'Parental Separation: Children’s Needs and Parents’ Responsibilities' (DfES, 2004) outlines the importance of minimising conflict and ensuring children’s needs are met during and after relationship breakdown. The services offered by the NCH support service are intended to support families and improve outcomes.
'Every Child Matters' (DfES, 2004) identifies the importance of children’s emotional and mental health. The Mediation and Children’s Service provides support at a time of separation and loss.
Findings from this evaluation indivate that interventions offered by the Derbyshire NCH Children's Support Service are highly rated and valued.
Joe Sempik
Emily Munro
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