Flying Start: Qualitative research with high need families

Ipsos - in conjunction with SQW - has been carrying out the evaluation of the Flying Start early years’ programme on behalf of the Welsh Government. The programme aims to improve outcomes for children in some of the most deprived areas in Wales through the provision of four key services for children under the age of four: an enhanced health visiting offer, free high-quality childcare for two-year-olds, Language and Play basic skills classes, and access to validated parenting programmes.  As part of the wider programme evaluation, we were commissioned to carry out qualitative in-home depth interviews with 60 high-need families across selected case study areas in order to fully explore their experiences of taking up services, any barriers to service use, and the perceived impacts of the programme among this group.

Where Flying Start is working well, parents attributed a wide range of positive impacts on their family to the programme. The free childcare for children aged 2-3 was thought to have improved children’s early language skills, social skills and school readiness. The combination of health visitor contact and parenting programmes led parents to report that they had benefitted from day-to-day parenting advice, particularly in relation to child behaviour problems. Flying Start services have also led to personal impacts for parents such as reduced isolation, increased confidence from interacting with other parents, and improved perceptions of the local area. Signposting to other, non-Flying Start services had helped parents’ and children access a range of family services that had improved their lives, for example access to disability support, or help with housing problems. The Language and Play programme, while appreciated by parents, was not through to have had much of an impact on child or family.

However, the needs of some parents were not met by the programme, either due to lack of appropriate services, a poor relationship with their health visitor or inadequate advertising and signposting. In particular, some fathers, young parents, isolated parents and depressed parents had not taken full advantage of the services on offer by the programme. The report suggest a range of means to overcome these barriers and ensure that all high-need families in Flying Start areas have access to the appropriate services.