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Peep Progression Pathway qualifications for fathers (and their partners) - working with Highland Peep, Highland Council, CALA and HMP Inverness

“I gained useful skills through the Peep programme that will help me day-to-day when I’ve been released from prison. It gave me a better understanding of parenting and what can help my child.”

Staff: Two Peep-trained practitioners, Gillian Forbes from Highland Council and Mairianne Nairn from Care & Learning Alliance (CALA); the project built on CALA’s Prison Service work with remand prisoners and their families, and on Highland Council’s Peep delivery in local communities over the past decade.

Project overview (from the practitioners):

‘The course consists of 13 weekly hour-long sessions with the families, followed by an additional 30 minutes for the fathers to work on their portfolios. Each course has been run with two or three dads (who are in custody), their baby or young child and their partner. The first course went really well, and the families were really appreciative. We've now run it a few times at the request of the Prison Governor. We’ve seen all the dads grow in confidence and get really involved within the sessions. There were obviously challenges: the prison is fairly small but over-crowded, with many prisoners being either short-term or moving to another prison, and for some mums it was too far or difficult to bring their baby or child each week.

From the start, we were keen that the fathers would have the opportunity to gain an SCQF-credit-rated unit (level 3, 4 or 5), from the Peep Progression Pathway.  This is based on the parents’ own learning and reflections on an aspect of child development, linked to play and learning activities that they do with their child during the session, then record in a portfolio. The children can be any age from 0-5 years, so the courses have used the mixed-age ‘Early Child Development’ unit.  This includes Learning Together Programme topics such as Helping children feel good about themselves, Play and language, Sharing books with babies/young children, Maths in everyday routines and Food for life.

Completing the qualification unit also guarantees the fathers an interview at the local college when they leave, if they wish to do further training. The dads have all worked really hard on their credit-rated portfolios. For one dad it was his first recognised qualification, and this time one of the mums is completing a portfolio too. The dads have told us that it’s the highlight of their week – and we’ve found that it is for us too.’

Feedback from Dads involved:

• “Peep’s had a massive impact on me and my family – without it I wouldn’t have had that opportunity to bond with my baby.”
• “I’ve really enjoyed the course, it’s made me feel more confident in being a first time dad and I have discovered lots of activities me and my son can do together.”
• “The Peep course has emphasised things, why we do activities and how it helps my child’s development. I didn’t realise the impact reading a story had on my child.”
• “It’s helped me exist, I feel more like a father. Even getting to stand up with my daughter makes a huge difference, in a normal visit session we can’t get off our seats.”

Feedback from a Mum:

“I feel that - although the circumstances in which we attend Peep aren’t the best - it has had such a great impact on us.  Initially I felt it was going to be condescending, but after attending the first session I soon realised the benefit of it.  I’ve seen how much it helps my partner interact with our son.  The activities and tasks that fathers often don’t take part in, like crafts and messy play, he has been able to experience. I’ve also learnt from it, the in‑depth details of children’s learning is really interesting. Most of all it has helped keep a bond between father and son, giving them both time to play, learn and interact, and I feel this will be very beneficial for when he comes home.”

Feedback from Inverness Prison Governor, Stephen Coyle:

“The Peep course has given the fathers in our care the skills and confidence to shape play in a way which is fun yet maximises the benefits to their children, whilst strengthening the bonds in the wider family group. We are delighted this work will be ongoing.”

Feedback from a Prison Officer:

“This Peep project is also about preventing future victims.”

Visit from Maree Todd, former Scottish Minister for Children and Young People:

When Maree Todd visited one of the Peep sessions she was very positive about the encouragement, praise, nurture and strong relationships that she saw. She was also impressed by the emotional literacy displayed in the fathers’ written portfolios, and about the likely lasting benefit for the families.

Sustainability - training Prison staff to deliver the Peep programme:

The prison's recognition of the benefits of the Peep sessions for families is further highlighted by their decision to train some of their own staff to deliver the programme, in autumn 2024. The training will be funded through the Families Learning Together project, part of Scotgov's Whole Family Well-being Funding. Having their own Peep-trained staff will increase their flexibility and sustainability in how they can support family relationships in the future. 

“Really can’t describe how good it’s been to spend time with my family in this learning environment. Having this time has made me feel like a dad, as we can do fun family stuff together.”

Thanks to the Perth and Kinross Peep practitioners for this overview:

A multi-agency approach to providing rolling family learning in Perth Prison 

The project has been running for nine years, since being piloted by Perth and Kinross Council Parenting and Family Learning Team, Fife College and the Scottish Prison Service in 2015. The feedback from the families and Family Contact Officers was very positive. We started by delivering two 6-week blocks per year of family learning activities within the prison's learning centre, targeting Perth and Kinross families. 

After the programme's evaluation it became evident there was a larger need than we could support. Therefore we looked at what local partners could be involved in the delivery of the programme that would enhance the delivery frequency and impact for families. Since 2017 PKC has led a partnership of 4 local authorities (Perth & Kinross, Dundee, Angus and Fife), the Scottish Prison Service, Fife College and third sector organisations, to deliver a rolling programme of family learning in HMP Perth. 

A range of different family learning programmes are delivered through the year. Sometimes it is Peep Learning Together, or it could be a block of cooking sessions or Playing on Pedals, teaching young children to ride a balance bike.  This has enabled some of the most disadvantaged families to improve family bonding and parenting skills.

Peep project overview:

For the last few years we have included blocks of Peep in HMP Perth's family learning delivery schedule, which have targeted different ages of pre-school families. During these sessions, staff support families to take part in the Peep programme including singing, stories and activities that support their child’s development. All families make two keepsake books, one that can be kept by Dad, and one that can be taken home. The Peep staff develop positive relationships with families, and signpost them to support and family learning activities in their local communities.

Staffing:  Each block is supported by two staff from the local authorities, at least one is Peep-trained. The sessions are also supported by staff from the prison's learning centre, which is managed by Fife College.  

Feedback from families:

“It’s made kids be able to get closer to their dad and put that spring back in their steps. I’d like to thank all the staff for letting us be part of it.”

“These bonding sessions have been absolutely brilliant for the prisoners, partners and kids.  We've all really enjoyed them. We have really enjoyed making stuff, decorating stuff and keeping a book of what they have done.”

“It was great having some quality family time, we enjoyed when we met other families and 1:1 family time.”    

“Really can’t describe how good it’s been to spend time with my family in this learning environment. Having this time has made me feel like a dad, as we can do fun family stuff together.”

“Benefits of this group has been truly great as my son has more time to spend with his daddy and he even got to give him his first bath.”

Feedback from staff:

“This partnership assists in my role as family support coordinator for Tayside, including encouraging families to engage in family learning, and being able to feed back to the group directly from families their experiences and how it has benefitted them.” (Families Outside)

“The work of the partnership is a great development which is unlike other prisons in Scotland, working together to feed into the Child and Family agenda.” (HMP Perth)

Local Peep families, with guests Nigel Clarke and Baby Bear from CBeebies' The Baby Club, in the Nursery garden

Our Little Peeple Nursery in Littlemore, Oxford was officially opened by our local MP Anneliese Dodds, on Saturday 11 May. In her words: "I am delighted to have been invited to the official opening of Little Peeple Nursery. I'm pleased to see that Peeple works collaboratively with other agencies, including childminders and the local children and family centres, to provide much-needed support for young families in Littlemore and the Leys."

Thanks to all the local families and friends of Peeple who came (and brought the sun!), including Nigel from CBeebies' The Baby Club, and special guest Baby Bear.

Cutting the ribbon - left to right: Peeple CEO Sally Smith, Chair of Trustees Mark Harris, MP Anneliese Dodds and Childcare Manager Lindsey Hart

Little Peeple is a 44-place day nursery and pre-school providing early education and care for babies and young children from 6 months to four years. It's a new, purpose-built setting on the site of The Oxford Academy, built as a joint project between the school, the County Council and Peeple. It is run by Peeple, a charity which has been providing support for families with young children in The Leys, Rose Hill and Littlemore since 1995.

Lindsey Hart manages the nursery: “We are here to support parents, carers and children to learn together by valuing and building on the wonderful job that parents already do. Whether you are returning to work, preparing your child for school or want your child to socialise with other children, we are here to work with you to meet the needs of you and your child.”

Dr Sally Smith, Peeple CEO: “We want Little Peeple to offer children a home from home. We are open to all families from the community and to staff at the Oxford Academy. We are particularly pleased to provide opportunities for the students to gain work experience with us – they are the parents of the future!”

Please get in touch if you'd like to visit another time or arrange a place for your child to attend: t 01865 397972  or e littlepeeplenursery@peeple.org.uk.  Little Peeple Nursery, Northfield Close, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 4NH.

Here are a couple of examples of how Peep-trained practitioners have used the Peep Learning Together Programme to support their work with fathers in prison.

The projects' broad aims have been to help families maintain their relationships during and after custody, by:

• supporting families visiting the prison,
• developing new and expectant dads’ skills and understanding about the importance of their role as a father,
• supporting positive transitions back into family life for young children whose parent is due for release.

> HM Prison Inverness

> HM Prison Perth

Peep was identified by the Educational Psychology Service in Stirling as a strong evidence-based programme which contributes to securing better outcomes for young children through increased parental engagement in their child’s learning. The Educational Psychology Service currently leads on the implementation of Peep in Stirling, working collaboratively with early years establishments and partners.

A number of practitioners have been trained to deliver Peep approaches across Stirling Council. They include family support workers in Health and Education, Early Years’ Educators from nurseries, as well as practitioners from Homestart and the Learning & Employability team.

read more...

Peep practitioners cover a lot during our 2-day Learning Together Programme training, but it’s invaluable to have opportunities to share questions and practical tips with other Peep practitioners, when you’re doing Peep in ‘real life’, after the training.

Here are 5 types of Peep delivery support included in the training price – more info about them all in our log-in Members Area or contact us, and we look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon!

1  Website - with log-in areas for practitioners

As well as providing access to the whole programme (74 child development topics, session plans, parent handouts, etc), our log-in areas contain guidance on getting going with Peep delivery in a range of contexts. We also share case studies on our 'public' webpages, illustrating different ways that the Programme can be used.

2  Peep Champions: network meetings 

Organisations and local authorities often have their own 'Peep champion(s)' – someone who has a real commitment to supporting colleagues with their Peep delivery, and works with managers to have a Peep overview and take things forward within the organisation/ LA. This can really help you make the most of the Peep Training and Programme in supporting local families. These regular meetings will provide an opportunity to share questions and ideas.

3  Newsletters for practitioners and managers

'Peep Postings' is for Peep-trained practitioners and their managers, focusing mainly on ideas and updates that support your Peep delivery. Our 'Peeple Newsletter' focuses more generally on working with families to support the home learning environment, and anyone can sign up. We automatically add Peep-trained practitioners and managers to both lists, but you can unsubscribe at any time.

4  Peep practitioner Facebook group and social media

We have a closed Facebook group for Peep LTP Practitioners, for sharing questions, experiences and tips about using Peep with families: www.facebook.com/groups/peepltppractitioners 

We also post regular tips, ideas, links and updates (for parents as well as practitioners) via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, all @PeepleCentre, which practitioners are welcome to re-post on your local social media pages. We love to hear about what families and practitioners are doing, and you're welcome to tag us. 

5  Info briefing for managers

If you'd like a discussion with us any time about how you and your colleagues can make the most of Peep programmes within your organisation or local authority - maybe by finding our more about the different ways that your staff could use the programme or supporting practitioners who haven't used Peep for a while, or about using Peep across your local authority (potentially with a Peep Training and Support Agreement), then do get in touch or find out more about info briefings for managers.

Contact us with any other questions by phone:  01865 397970  or  email:  support@peeple.org.uk   or   training@peeple.org.uk

Bespoke post-course delivery support sessions &/or refresher training: 

You can also book your own tailored implementation/ delivery support session/s with one of our trainers/mentors. These fast-track and can extend what practitioners would learn for themselves, drawing on the mentor’s in-depth Peep knowledge and experience to help deal with any challenges or questions. They can be held online (e.g. via Microsoft Teams) or in person. They help quality assure programme delivery and can be useful soon after training to help practitioners get going, or as a follow-up/ refresher a few months or years later. Get in touch to discuss potential content and costs.
Our other Peep training courses focus on our Antenatal Programme, Peep Progression Pathway (parent qualifications), and early communication.

Here you can find some government policy links (and reports that have influenced government policy) that are relevant to Peeple's aims and to the parenting and early years sectors more generally.

> How Peep Programmes support early years Health work with families - demonstrates how Peep links to Public Health England's and the Dept of Health and Social Care's Six early years high impact areas for health visiting, relating to the Healthy Child Programme and MECC (make every contact count) approach (2018). The Peep approach also complements the iHV's 'Health Visiting in England: A Vision for the Future' (2019). Midwives, health visitors and community nursery nurses are often the main people, beyond close family and friends, that families have contact with during the weeks and months before and after a child's birth. The Peep Antenatal Programme and Learning Together Programme offer a simple way that they can share practical ideas with families, supporting the early development of a strong attachment relationship.  

> 'Improving the home learning environment: a behaviour change approach' (Nov 2018, Department for Education) 
Changing behaviour to help promote early language and literacy development through the home learning environment (HLE).

early education, learning and development:

>  'Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework' (updated April 2018, Department for Education) - England and Wales - The standards that school and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5.
>  Foundation phase framework for 3-7 year olds - Wales
>   'Foundations for quality: Review of early education and childcare qualifications' (June 2012, Professor Cathy Nutbrown)
>  'The Early Years: Foundations for life, health and learning' (March 2011, Dame Clare Tickell, Chair of the EYFS Review)
Government-commissioned Independent review into the impact of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) on children's learning and development, and early years practitioners.

> Learning to learn framework - early years education and learning - Northern Ireland

>  National Quality Framework for Early Childhood education - Siolta (birth to six years) - Republic of Ireland
>  Curriculum framework for early childhood - Aistear - Republic of Ireland
 

Review of Children and Young People's Mental Health provision:
>  'Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper' - and the government's response to the consultation and next steps (July 2018, Department for Health and Social Care, and Department for Education)
>  Peeple's response to the mental health provision green paper consultation (March 2018, Peeple)
>  'Are we listening? Review of children and young people's mental health services' (March 2018, Care and Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and social care in England)

>  'Social mobility policies between 1997 and 2017: time for change' report (June 2017, Social Mobility Commission)

> 'Early Intervention - Briefing Paper' (June 2017, for House of Commons library)
"Early intervention is a public policy approach which encourages preventative intervention in the lives of children or their parents, to prevent problems developing later in life. Interventions can either be targeted at children deemed to be at higher risk of disadvantage, or can be universal in scope. As well as the political and social benefits of preventing poor outcomes in later life, such as mental health problems, low educational attainment and crime, advocates of early intervention also cite economic benefits to the approach. This is based on the argument that preventative policies cost less to implement than reactive policies. Due to the rapid pace of physical and social development in children’s early years, early intervention is a policy approach often targeted at very young children. This briefing paper looks at early intervention in terms of policies targeted at children from conception to age five."

> Childcare Act 2016 (March 2016, UK Parliament)
"An Act to make provision about free childcare for young children of working parents and about the publication of information about childcare and related matters by local authorities in England."

> 'Sure Start Children's Centres: guidance for local authorities' (April 2013, Department for Education)
> 'Best Practice for a Sure Start:The Way Forward for Children’s Centres' - (July 2013, Report from the All Party Parliamentary Sure Start Group)

> Building a brighter future: Early Years and Childcare Plan: Wales (2013, Welsh Government)

> 'Review of Child Protection: a child-centred system' (May 2011, Professor Eileen Munro, Dept for Education-appointed review)

> 'Early Intervention: The next steps' (Jan 2011, Government-appointed Early Intervention Review Team/ Graham Allen MP)

> 'The Foundation Years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults' (Dec 2010, Government-appointed Review on poverty and life chances/ Frank Field MP)

> 'Fair society, healthy lives: strategic review of health inequalities in England post-2010' (Jan 2010, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Dept for Health-appointed independent review). 'The Marmot review 10 years on' is due to be published Feb 2020.

> 'Opportunity for all: Tackling poverty and social exclusion' (Sept 1999, Dept for Social Security)

Peep programmes can only be delivered by practitioners* who have attended the relevant training course: Peep Learning Together Programme Training, Peep Progression Pathway Training or Peep Antenatal Programme Training.

[ * By 'practitioner' we mean anyone who works with or supports families, whether in a paid or voluntary capacity. See below re charging for Peep.]

We ask all training delegates (i.e. Peep practitioners) to sign an agreement that they will only share the programme with families involved in the programme and/or with practitioners who have completed the current Peep Training (i.e. since Feb 2015), and that they will not train other practitioners.

This helps us to protect and maintain the quality and integrity of the Peep programmes and delivery, by ensuring that everyone using the programme/s:

• is trained to the same standard
• uses the programme materials appropriately in their delivery
• includes all of the necessary elements that make the programme effective.

who can train practitioners to use peep programmes?

Peep practitioner training can only be delivered by Peep Trainers who have been inducted and approved by Peeple - we don't have a cascade model, there are 3 ways of being trained: 

• by Peep trainers who are employed or work freelance for Peeple, 
• by Peep trainers who are part of a local Peep Training and Support Agreement. This is when local authorities or large organisations in the UK or Republic of Ireland want to train a large number of practitioners or to continue training them over time, so they can use Peep strategically. They may then benefit from having their own Peep trainers, who are inducted and supported by Peeple. The Agreement is renewed annually. Please contact us to discuss this further: training@peeple.org.uk.
• by Peep trainers who are part of Peeple's licence agreement with Playgroup Victoria to deliver Peep Training in Australia.

can practitioners charge families to attend peep sessions?

Peeple is a charity, and we prefer Peep Learning Together sessions to be free to families. We don’t want any families to be excluded because of cost, but we know that free, universal provision for families has had many cuts over the years.

We are sometimes asked if Peep-trained practitioners can charge families to attend, on a not-for-profit basis. We ask that you look for other sources of funding first. We understand though that you may need to put together a sensitive, voluntary charging plan, which would enable those unable to pay to still access sessions.

We have also had a few enquiries from practitioners who want to offer Peep Learning Together sessions to families on a self-employed basis (i.e. charging families). We do not currently have a licensing model (which would be in keeping with our charitable aims, ensure quality and fulfil legal requirements) but will be exploring that. For now, we recommend that you contact local organisations, to see if they will either fund you to deliver Peep sessions for them on a sessional basis (i.e. paid per session) or on a voluntary basis. This could be via your local authority (e.g. children's or family centres, libraries, schools or early years settings, etc) or a local charity (e.g. HomeStart). If this isn't possible and you'd like to informally pilot charging for sessions, then do please contact us, and we can discuss maintaining quality, being inclusive for families on lower incomes, support needs and feedback, etc.

Please let us know if you’d like us to update you on any changes in the future, and do get in touch with any questions.

Email  support@peeple.org.uk  or  tel 01865 397970