Support for parenting of children at risk of social exclusion

Abstract

If a community values its children, it must cherish its parents (Bowlby in Santrock, 2000). It is not enough to sympathise with children at risk of social exclusion but we also need to connect with their parents and collaborate with them to enable them to help themselves. The number of families with children at risk of social exclusion is fairly high in many European countries. The situation is far worse in so-called transition countries of central and eastern Europe (Gudbrandsson, 2006), but Europe's rich states are not exempt. Due to difficult economic circumstances some of these children are not parented by their biological parents but much to their regret end up in residential homes or in foster care (ATD Quart Monde, 2002). This contribution to the report on positive parenting does not aim at giving a comprehensive presentation of research on social exclusion, but reflects the discussion taking place in the Working Party on Parenting of Children at Risk of Social Exclusion of the Committee of Experts on Children and Families (CS-EF) concerning the consequences of social exclusion on parenting. The chapter provides a conceptual framework for understanding social exclusion and the relationship between poverty and social exclusion. Ways of supporting parenting, including policy measures and positive ways of how professionals may engage with parents are also highlighted. Parents who themselves have faced social exclusion have also contributed to this report by sharing their experiences. A meeting was arranged in February 2006 with one British and two French parents, involved in the projects of social reintegration by ATD Fourth World, an international NGO working in a number of countries. These parents were accompanied to the meeting by professionals from this voluntary organisation. A Russian couple, recommended by the Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development and accompanied by a professional social worker who worked with them, also participated in this meeting. The accounts provided by the parents and some of the professionals present have enriched this contribution by highlighting the voice of the parents themselves in their struggle to come out of such difficult situations.