Our accreditations
We take our work seriously and we’re passionate about seeing long-term change. As part of that, we are committed to rigorous evaluation of the efficacy of all we do.
Where has Kids Matter come from?
The Kids Matter programme for parents and carers of children under 10 years old has been developed over a period of 10 years by a team of Clinical Child Psychologists (Dr Eli Gardner, Celia Dean and Dr Ben Shanmugan) as well as ICF (1) accredited coaches and experienced community and family workers. Kids Matter focuses on strengthening parent-child interactions in order to reduce the impact of poverty on children in need.
Why create a new parenting programme?
Our programmes were developed in response to the extensive body of psychological
research showing that whilst parenting interventions are effective, they are often
underutilised by those parents struggling the most with the impact of poverty on family life. This is due to considerable barriers to engagement and retention of those parents most in need, such as locati
What does the programme look like?
The content of the six weekly sessions is informed by NICE (2) guidelines as well as evidence posited in the current body of parenting research essential to successful parenting interventions.
In addition, the delivery of the intervention specifically addresses known barriers to
engagement and retention of the poorest demographic by providing small groups in hyper
local settings, run by a peer facilitator around a table laden with inviting refreshments creating a warm, non-judgemental environment in which to learn key parenting skills. Crucially, the model allows for ongoing friendship and community, thus reducing isolation.
Are the facilitators trained?
All group facilitators undergo a rigorous four-day training delivered by our team of accredited ICF coaches and undergo regular supervision throughout the delivery of their groups. Safeguarding of each parent is ensured through the policies of the individual providers and overseen by Kids Matter through supervision and support calls. Each group is visited and given detailed feedback on any pertinent aspect of delivery.
transformational for the families that have been part of it, and is an integral part of our school community.”
Is Kids Matter ‘accredited’?
At present, we are currently awaiting the public call from Foundations to submit evidence of our programmes’ efficacy for their evaluation.
As Kids Matter programmes were developed by Clinical Psychologists, we are committed to rigorous evaluation of the efficacy of our three programmes: Kids Matter in the Community, Kids Matter in Prison and Babies Matter. From the beginning we have followed Foundations’ guidelines for the evaluation of new parenting programmes and have invested in a dedicated research and evaluation team; working with Clinical Psychologists and research experts from UCL, Anna Freud Centre and Edge Hill University to ensure continuous measurement of our impact. Our evaluation data regarding the effectiveness of the programme over its first 5 years was published in a peer reviewed journal: A preliminary evaluation of Kids Matter: A community-based parenting intervention. (3)
In line with recommendations from Foundations, our model of delivery is built on a clearly articulated Theory of Change and Logic Model with a strong Kids Matter Credentials evidence base from the extensive body of parenting research which are available to view on our website. For further information on our evaluation and evidence base please contact info@kidsmatter.org.uk.
As a charity with a vision to see every child in need raised in a strong family, we are
committed to the excellence of our parenting programmes, enabling us to come alongside
children and families facing disadvantage to see them thrive in spite of difficult circumstances.
Footnotes
(1) International Coaching Federation
(2) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (https://www.nice.org.uk/)
(3) A preliminary evaluation of Kids Matter: A community-based parenting intervention
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35901270/)
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Our programmes
All parents need support but our peer-led and accessible programmes have been written for families facing disadvantages, in the community or in prison.
Impact
By evaluating our impact, we are able to assess the effectiveness of our programmes to ensure life-changing support for children impacted by poverty in our communities.
Partner with us
By working in partnership with churches, charities and community-driven initiatives to build strong families, we believe it is possible to see children in need flourish.