Research and analysis

Evaluation of the national academy of parenting practitioners' training: evidence-based parenting programmes

Report from the evaluation of the national academy for parenting practitioners' (NAPP) training offer in evidence-based parenting interventions.

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The current coalition government recognises the great importance of good parenting for children’s outcomes. It has commissioned several independent reviews that underline this. The Allen Review argues the social and economic benefits that arise from early parenting interventions. The Field Review emphasises the potential for good parenting to overcome the blight of inter-generational poverty. The Munro Review notes that child abuse is an extreme form of poor parenting and that effective parenting programmes are needed to ameliorate matters.

A growing body of evidence suggests that when evidence-based interventions are implemented at scale with families that need them, significant population-wide benefits can be achieved. These benefits include significant reductions in school failure, youth crime, adolescent drug and alcohol misuse and child maltreatment.

The national academy for parenting practitioners (NAPP) was established in 2007. Its aim was to transform the size and quality of the parenting workforce in England so that evidence-based parenting programmes could be made available to families who need them. An important objective of this initiative was to provide training to over 4,000 practitioners in one of ten evidence-based models.

This research report describes findings from the evaluation of NAPP’s training offer in evidence-based parenting interventions. The evaluation’s objective was to understand the value and impact of the academy’s training programme as it was implemented.

Published 23 February 2012