Parents’ Experiences of Accessing Support for Adversities that Impact Their Parenting: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Evidence

Adversities during childhood such as experiences of neglect, parental mental illness, substance use, financial stress, unstable housing and racism/discrimination have cumulative and harmful lifelong impacts. Early identification, intervention and support for parents, families and communities experiencing adversity can enhance their capacity to provide environments where children can thrive and reach their full potential. However, parents experience many barriers to seeking support including experiences of judgement, blame and discrimination when accessing services. This systematic review of qualitative evidence aimed to explore parents’ experiences of interactions with health, welfare and educational professionals when accessing support for adversities that impact parental capacity and children’s health, development or wellbeing in the early years (0–5 years). In doing so, we specifically aimed to explore elements of professionals’ interactions that parents viewed either positively or negatively to inform future policy, practice, education and research. After the screening process, 16 studies were included in the synthesis. Key findings highlighted that although health and welfare services should be promoting parental capacity to raise thriving children, parents frequently experienced professionals who were unwilling to listen, disrespectful and restricted parents’ participation. Furthermore, parents felt the complexity of their lives was not acknowledged and felt blamed for broader socioeconomic circumstances and intergenerational patterns of marginalisation. Conversely, positive experiences came from professionals who engaged in genuine relationships that provided emotional and practical supports that empowered parents to change. These findings highlight the need for change across all levels of service delivery, inclusive of individual professionals through to the systems and policies underpinning the structure and provision of services for parents and families. Further work is needed to explore how to implement and sustain effective change across multiple sectors to inform consistent, empathetic and therapeutic approaches to supporting parents, so children can grow and thrive within their own families and communities.