Over the ten years of The Balance Collective, I’ve had many opportunities to speak at employers and industry Parent and Carer Groups. To share a range of topics around careers, balance, confidence and returning to work. Sometimes, there isn’t a Parent & Carer Group as such, but the power of bringing a group of parents together in a workshop shows how essential that community is. To share, to mentor, to signpost. Today, I want to remind you why every employer needs a Parent & Carer Group.
It’s not just my anecdotal experience that highlights the need; research also confirms it. Working Families show that 75% of mothers and 90% of fathers in the UK are employed, 50% of families have both parents working full-time, which drops to 40% when there are three or more children. With that in mind, only 30% of mothers have a flexible working agreement, whilst it drops to 20% for fathers. Within your organisation, many parents are juggling multiple responsibilities and facing pressure.
The recent survey from Investing In Women supports my experience with clients around the pressure parents feel. They asked those who had recently returned to work, or were due to return, about what they had faced. The majority reported:
- Parenting carer guilt (55.3%)
- Flexible work challenges (52.4%)
- Difficulty with work-life boundaries (58%)
Now, it won’t surprise you how strongly I advocate for return-to-work coaching. It should also come as no surprise that I strongly advise this to be part of an overall strategy of support and connection for parents and carers in your organisation, at any stage of their journey.
Let me share a familiar story with you; maybe you recognise it yourself? Since 2023, C’s child has been unable to attend or stay in school consistently. From mornings of complete shutdown, calls from the SENCO team to come and collect her and reduced timetables, there isn’t a week that feels predictable. It’s meant multiple meetings with a whole range of professionals, evenings researching neuroaffirming support, teenage mental health and deepening her understanding of what her child is going through.
It’s tough on everyone.
But despite all this, she tells me, she feels lucky.
She has a flexible role; she works in a sector where she feels comfortable being open about what is happening.
She has a great relationship with the school; they are all working together to help their child.
She has a great support network, which enables her to focus on her own wellbeing, as well as that of her child.
However, there are moments when she worries.
Some of that worry is about her career; how sustainable is this?
I’m telling you this (with her full permission), is that she isn’t alone.
There are parents within your business, as well as business owners who are juggling all of this behind the scenes. They aren’t sharing with you the stress and worry about their children.
You won’t know, because they are showing up every day. They are performing. They are engaged and working hard.
However, they aren’t feeling that way. They are worried about the future of their kids, while also concerned that their financial security will be compromised.
How can we create workplaces where parents and carers don’t have to carry this weight silently?
One part of that answer is Parent & Carer Groups.
Parent and Carer groups are among the unsung heroes of supporting your staff; when done correctly, they have been shown to “increase parenting self-efficacy and empowerment, reduce isolation, improve access to services,..” especially when they are tailored to individual needs. Some of these groups may be external, but there is a place for internal support networks to be created; it may be more accessible than you think!
So, you’ve decided, it’s time for a Parent & Carer Group to be created. Here are the key elements you need to consider:
What is the mission?
Like any project, you want to understand the purpose. What is needed? Whilst throughout this blog I’ve talked about Parent & Carer groups, people aren’t a monolith, so it would make sense to understand the needs of the parents and carers in your organisation. Don’t forget inclusivity: consider age groups of children, single parents, parent-carers, fathers, LGBTQ+ parents and those that care for others, for example.
Provide the resources.
Nothing happens without resources, so be sure to consider this. Who will be heading this up? The best staff groups are led by those who want and need it, so call out for people who want to be involved.
In my experience, Parent & Carer Groups are usually run by volunteers, so make it worth their time! This will also be key in determining the purpose and mission of the groups, so give them the freedom to craft what they need, not what you think they should do!
With this in mind, ensure you give them the time to do so; build the groups into policy and enable job roles to be flexed for the organisation and the running of the groups.
Ideally, make sure there is a budget. This is particularly relevant if the meetings are in-person, for refreshments, and potentially for hiring space. Obviously, if it’s run online, there are different needs. Over time, the groups will want to bring in external experts, who deserve to be paid. So, consider where this will come from!
Who will be the Senior Sponsorship?
This is relevant in all-sized organisations, but especially in a larger company. Who will be the voice of the strategy to make sure that the appropriate managers and departments get on board? Having an HR related champion can help align it with the well-being strategy of the organisation.
What to do if you think you don’t need it?
Think again! If you are a small organisation, you may assume you don’t have the numbers. I encourage you to check this assumption with your team. If that is the case, then you still can consider supporting an industry or sector-wide group. Would you enable people on your team to get involved, or consider sponsoring them?
So, what is your next step? If you already have a Parent & Group, how can you support it further? If you are looking to start your first one, who do you need to speak to?
If you want to learn more about support for parents and carers, check out these links!
Resources and Advice to Support Parental Wellbeing
Award Winning Best Practice from Working Families
From Contact (for families with disabilities) – Starting a local parent support group
From Young Minds – How to start a local parent support group
The best FREE return to work resources
If you would like to speak about my 1:1 coaching and career wellbeing workshops, book in a call here.
Clara Wilcox is a straight talking, practical and experienced coach helping clients navigate the tricky waters of returning to work, career changes and professional development. The Balance Collective is a social enterprise focused on improving the lives of parents, by working together to build inner confidence and promote a healthy work/life balance.
