Parental assets and influence on young people's decision-making: engaging 'hard to reach' parents

Grimwood, Tom ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8099-6191 and Snell, Laura ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4455-8076 (2021) Parental assets and influence on young people's decision-making: engaging 'hard to reach' parents. Health and Society Knowledge Exchange (HASKE). (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Health and Society Knowledge Exchange (HASKE) was commissioned by Hello Future to explore the role of parental influence in young people’s decision-making about their future. The aim of this project was to explore the context of Cumbrian ‘hard to reach’ parents and carers, and the routes to engagement with them. This work built upon HASKE’s previous work on an asset-based approach to widening participation, which mapped the variations of assets available to and engaged by young people in Cumbria.

Outreach programmes have often found it difficult to engage parents as part of their activities, despite research showing that parental influence can be a key factor in young people’s decision-making over whether to apply to University and apprenticeships. Understanding parent’s aspirations for their children in the context of their own social and cultural capital is key to improving the number of applicants to University, but this is all the more significant in deprived areas and traditionally ‘hard-to-reach’ groups.

The project consists of the following:
1) an initial deep dive of literature concerning ‘hard to reach’ parents, focussing on the barriers and enablers to engagement. This literature came predominantly come from the education arena, but also included psychology, sociology and other appropriate subject areas. The literature review also included apposite grey literature, for example, policy work from The Children’s Society, Family Action, Action for Children as well as both the Scottish and English governments.
2) The findings of the literature review were compared with those from Hello Future’s parent and carer surveys in order to consider what the unique challenges Cumbrian parents may face.
3) The findings were used to inform a number of email interviews to explore in more detail the context of Cumbrian ‘hard to reach’ parents and carers, and the routes to engagement with them.

Item Type:	Report
Publisher:	Health and Society Knowledge Exchange (HASKE)
Departments:	Health and Society Knowledge Exchange (HASKE)
Additional Information:	This project was commissioned by Hello Future and conducted by Health and Society Knowledge Exchange (HASKE), University of Cumbria.
Depositing User:	Laura Snell
Date Deposited:	21 Apr 2021 09:15
Last Modified:	13 Jan 2024 11:32
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/5940

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