Two-Year-Olds Pilot: Outreach methods not the way to woo families

05 February 2008

Approaching parents in the street and out shopping to encourage them to use childcare has mixed results, a new study has found.

The study, carried out by the National Centre for Social Research for the DCSF, looked at different outreach strategies used by local authorities and children's centres in a pilot scheme to encourage disadvantaged families to access free childcare for two-year-olds.

It found that a personalised one-to-one approach knocking on doors in disadvantaged areas was most successful in reaching families not in contact with services.

Writing to eligible parents first and following up with several home visits was also found to build a relationship of trust.

When outreach workers approached parents on the street, the report said, 'on occasions they faced hostility from parents about why they were being singled out, or about why they were being asked personal questions, for example about family income and benefit status'.

Outreach workers also made judgments about which families to stop based on their appearance, such as 'the less well dressed or those coming out of "budget" supermarkets being viewed as more likely to be eligible'.

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