Six-week Government campaign for parents and carers launches in the West Midlands
A six-week campaign by the Government aimed at providing support and advice to parents and carers has been officially launched in the West Midlands.
Pilot communications scheme ParentWise aims to build parents' and carers' awareness of some of the things their children could face growing up and when to be vigilant.
It has been set up with a handful of other organisations and aims to raise awareness of bullying, alcohol and drugs, knife crime, online safety and exploitation.
The region has been selected due to the size of its population which allows the Government to compare the results to other areas across the UK.
Safeguarding Minister Rachel Maclean said: "It is vital that parents know where to turn if they think that their child is at risk. I am pleased the West Midlands has been chosen to pilot this new resource, which I hope will be the blueprint for bringing together support and advice for parents and carers right across the country."
The results of the pilot will help the approach to support parents and carers and keep children safe, with Birmingham set to receive "targeted education support" as part of the roll-out of 10 SAFE – support, attend, fulfil, exceed – taskforces in hotspot areas to curb youth violence.
These taskforces will be led by schools, bringing headteachers together to support vulnerable young people, and avoid them becoming involved in county lines and criminal activity.
Sue Harrison, director for children’s services at Birmingham City Council, said: "We’re pleased that Birmingham has been chosen to pilot this really important campaign. We know parents and carers have concerns around understanding what their children are viewing online and where they are going. It is vital we all work together to support families and I’d encourage people to use the ParentWise website where there is a wealth of resources and advice.”
The ParentWise campaign will run until March 31 with advertising running on social media, local radio, digital audio, out of home and digital display. If successful, the Government will consider a roll out to parents and carers nationally.
