Parents champion NSPCC’s ‘Take 5’ campaign at landmark conference

A group of Welsh parents will today (14 March) highlight the importance of a positive approach to parenting at a landmark conference.

Speaking in Cardiff to an international audience of child protection, parenting and children’s health professionals the mums, from Ebbw Vale, will tell how they parent positively and how they were involved in developing the NSPCC’s innovative Take 5 campaign.

The group will talk about their experiences at the event, which is being held at the city’s Angel Hotel.

It will form part of a wider conference on promoting positive parenting in Wales and the Minister for Children and Social Care, Huw Irranca-Daves AM, will also address the event.

It comes as the Welsh Government consults on removing the legal defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ in cases where adults are charged with assaulting a child. The NSPCC supports this common-sense move which gives children the same level of legal protection against assault as adults.

Closing this loophole would bring Wales in line with dozens of countries including the Republic of Ireland, Germany, New Zealand and Spain and give our children equal protection under the law.

To help parents use alternative methods of child discipline NSPCC Cymru / Wales created its Take 5 campaign, which includes five top tips for parents faced by challenging behaviour:

• Don’t expect perfect behaviour – all children misbehave sometimes
• Praise your child – affection and praise are more likely to see behaviour repeated
• Be consistent – a child’s behaviour improves when they know what the rules are
• Look after yourself – it’s much easier to take care of your child if you take care of yourself
• Remember, you’re not alone – every parent finds it tough sometimes

The NSPCC already supports mums and dads to parent positively through its Helpline, material on its website, information leaflets and face to face services. Take 5 complements this work by providing easy to remember advice about how to react when a parent is cross with their child.

The Cardiff event is a joint conference hosted by NSPCC Cymru/Wales, Children in Wales, International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and BASPCAN – which provides education and professional development opportunities for child protection professionals. Representatives from all four organisations will be speaking at today’s conference.

Faye is a mum of three and part of the group of mums from Ebbw Vale which backs the NSPCC’s campaign.She said: “In the past I’ve lost control and got upset and angry, but it’s not good for anybody in that situation.

“When you’ve lost control you can feel guilty afterwards. You shout when you don’t want to. You realise afterwards in hindsight you could have dealt with the situation better.”

Kelly is another ambassador of NSPCC Cymru / Wales’ Take 5 campaign who will speak at today’s event. The mum of two said:

“If I’m being positive my children will be positive. If I’m in a mood, they’ll be in a mood too.

“It’s important to Take 5 because if you lose your cool and start shouting it’s going to make the situation worse.

“Take five minutes, calm down and get yourself together. When we both have calmed down it makes the situation better.

“Try and leave the room if you can, but if not, talk to your child and find out why they’re acting like they are. They could be tired or hungry but you don’t know until you talk to them.”

Head of NSPCC Cymru / Wales, Des Mannion, said:

“This is the first time we’ve jointly hosted such a significant event on this issue and it’s important that we consider how we can promote positive parenting approaches across Wales.

“As well as being wonderful and rewarding, parenting can be challenging and exhausting. It’s completely natural for a parent to feel stressed, angry and frustrated at times. It’s how we react to that which makes a big difference to a child. And a parent.

“Keeping your cool and finding ways to manage stress and frustration is vital. We hope Take 5 offers some more helpful advice, tips and support for parents of young children.”

Anyone struggling with a young child has access to help. Talk to your health visitor, doctor, school nurse, family centre, Family Information Service, or the NSPCC’s 24/7 free helpline, on 0808 800 5000.