Research reveals it take 6 adults to raise a child in the North West of England!

IT takes an average of 6 adults to raise a single child in the North West, with:- 39% Grandmothers, 35% Teachers, 34% Grandfathers, 20% Aunts and 19% Uncles all playing key roles alongside parents, according to the results of a study amongst British parents and children. Nearly a ⅕ of those surveyed believe it takes as many as 10 people to bring up a child, highlighting the extent of those involved in raising a family in modern Britain. ¾ of parents in the Region agree that the main attribute needed to raise a child is love, with this ranking higher than being related to the child or regularly looking after them. The survey, commissioned by My Nametags, a leading name label manufacturer, suggests that the proverb 'it takes a village to raise a child' rings true for families across the North West, with members of the wider family and community playing important roles in a child's upbringing. For instance, great reliance is placed on Grandmothers (40%) and after School staff (20%) for childcare whilst parents are at work. This contrasts to other Regions, such as Northern Ireland, where parents are more reliant on their friends. Parents in the Region agree that older siblings have the biggest impact on a child's personality (16%), as well as influence their bad habits (27%). Grandmothers are also critical to forming the personality of a child, with nearly a ⅕ of parents believing they have the closest rapport with their children. Additionally, Grandmothers are considered to teach them the most of anyone in the family. The influence of older siblings and Grandmothers is also felt by children themselves, with 29% agreeing they look up to their Grandmothers the most, and 16% stating they have the most fun with their older siblings. Interestingly, despite this village mentality, Teachers are often the only group outside the immediate family that parents in the North West are happy to let discipline their child (39%), with parents putting much less trust in their friends, Sports Coaches, after School staff, and nannies. According to the study, there are several reasons why parents choose to involve their wider social networks when raising children, with almost a ⅕ agreeing that it is an essential part of modern parenting. In addition to practical reasons, parents suggest that it improves children's social skills (31%) and helps them build strong relationships (25%).

Commenting on the findings, Bea Marshall, Parenting Expert and Founder of Yes Parenting, said:- "Humans are generally social creatures who thrive in communal and cooperative environments. Nowadays it is common for families to live away from their extended families and without the day to day support of their immediate neighbours. However, it is still so important for families to create a network of support as they raise their children. When other people help care for children, it provides parents with the opportunity to re-charge, work or play. Those other people also give children a secure set of relationships in which their needs for connection, safety and belonging are met. Children have an opportunity to learn from the different people around them and they receive different things from each person; 1 may be more playful, another more nurturing, for example. Each person in a child's life contributes something unique that helps them to grow into a well rounded individual, while offering crucial support to their parents."

With everyday life in Britain still affected by lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19, parents' usual reliance on the wider community has never been more apparent, with many families losing over ⅔ of their support network. Whilst many Schools, childminders, workplaces, and public spaces remain closed, parents are required to fulfil the role of:- Teacher, Sports Coach, friend, Scout Leader and everything in between.

Caroline Lamb, mother to Daisy, aged 13, is 1 of many parents who has found this a challenge. Commenting on her situation, Caroline said:- "It's amazing how you don't realise all of the influences on your child until they aren't there. For Daisy, her School plays a profound role in her life, particularly her Special Educational Needs Coordinator who acts as a mentor for her. The lockdown measures have brought a double edged sword. On one hand, Daisy is thriving with her education, being able to take part in Zoom lessons and handing in great projects, but equally, she misses her friends terribly. I think as parents we crave routine and normality. For me, I'm studying a lot at the moment so with living together and now being together all the time, things can get a little fraught, and you wish there was an escape route to go out for a bit. However, without that option at the moment we just have to make the best of it."

Alan Draper, father to daughter aged 7, and twin boys aged 4, has shared a similar experience. Commenting on this time, he said:- "Usually, childcare is a group effort in our home. I run my own business and my wife works too, so we have a part time nanny 3 days a week. For the 1st few weeks, my daughter in particular thought that this was great. She had loads of time to play with her younger brothers and didn't have to go to School, but now the novelty is wearing off and she's missing her friends. As a parent, I've certainly had moments when I've wished I could have a break. I got a call about a work emergency a couple of weeks ago and was actually chuffed to be able to leave the house for a few hours. Our way of working has completely changed, and we try to create a plan each morning, but you just have to take each day as it comes."

Commenting on the research, Lars B. Andersen, Managing Director at My Nametags, said:- "After noticing a range of family members ordering name labels for children in recent years, we were interested to discover more about the varying roles that family members and friends take on when raising a child. Although every household will have their own approach to parenting, it is interesting to see the importance of the wider community when raising children in the UK, and how each individual helps to shape a child's life. With the impact of COVID-19 continuing to affect the way families across the UK are operating, it was particularly interesting to speak to parents about how being cut off from their usual support network has affected them during this crisis. We found that, on the whole, although families have adapted the best they can, they want to get back to their normal routine, suggesting that this unusual period has only reinforced the importance of including a range of people in the upbringing of a child."

National regulators say CWP is outstanding for caring

NHS Trust CWP has maintained its Care Quality Commission (CQC) outstanding rating for caring, alongside an overall rating of Good. Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP), which was inspected between January and March 2020, remains the only Trust across Cheshire and Wirral with Outstanding for Caring overall; and the only mental and community health services trust within the North West to be Outstanding for Caring overall.

Sheena Cumiskey, CWP Chief Executive, said:- "Recent months have been particularly difficult for so many people and of course the NHS as a whole. Despite the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, I'm delighted to retain our rating of Outstanding for 'caring.' This highlights the shared values that underpin everything we do at CWP, even in the toughest of circumstances."

Out of the 5 key domains used by CQC to evaluate services (safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led), CWP's overall rating for 'safe' has risen from Requires Improvement to Good, while the Trust maintained its Good ratings for:- 'effective,' 'responsive' and 'well led' alongside the Outstanding rating for 'caring.' The Trust; which was also recognised for improved staffing and incident management; saw the rating for its child and adolescent mental health wards rise from Good to Outstanding overall, while retaining its rating of Outstanding for Learning Disability inpatient services.

Sheena continues:- "I'm also delighted we have been recognised as outstanding within child and adolescent mental health and learning disability. This is fantastic recognition for the hard work of everyone at Team CWP and I thank everyone for their unwavering dedication."

Mike Maier, CWP Chair, says:- "We are so pleased with the incredibly positive feedback and have plans in place to address identified areas for improvement. We will continue to work hard towards our aspiration of becoming overall an Outstanding Trust."

Elsewhere in the inspection report, the Trust received recognition for its person centred culture, the high level of integrity shown by senior leaders, its commitment to patient and carer involvement, its focus on quality improvement and the support available to its workforce:-

► The trust board and senior leadership team had the appropriate range of skills, knowledge and experience to perform its role. The trust board and leadership team demonstrated a high level of integrity. High priority was placed on doing the right thing for patients, staff and the organisation as a whole.

► In the majority of services we inspected, leaders were visible in the services and approachable for patients and staff. Staff felt supported by their managers and felt they could raise concerns or approach managers for support.

► The trust's strategy, vision and values underpinned a culture that was person centred. There was a strong commitment to patient and carer involvement and the trust was moving toward co-designing policy and process with patients and carers.

► The staff in all areas had adopted and embedded quality improvement initiatives and were using data to improve the quality of service.

Safety front of mind as routine testing returns at Specsavers in England

SPECSAVERS stores in England have reopen for routine testing following approval from NHS England, having operated an urgent and essential care only service throughout the COVID-19 restrictions.

Specsavers Clinical Services Director Giles Edmonds says that:- "With lockdown measures easing, we've now extended our services in line with the latest Government and NHS guidelines. This means that, for the 1st time since lockdown, customers are able to book routine eye and hearing tests."

New hygiene and personal protection measures include restrictions on the number of customers allowed in store at any 1 time, strict social distancing rules and, where possible, card instead of cash payments. In line with NHS guidance, Specsavers colleagues will use personal protective equipment (PPE) and all testing equipment and frames will be thoroughly sanitised after each use.

Specsavers has also introduced a new in store role to reassure customers who may feel apprehensive about visiting the Opticians after lockdown. The Customer Care Guide will greet customers on arrival and assist them through the new testing process, providing reassurance and answering any questions.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented challenge in the management of eye and hearing care, Throughout lockdown we remained open to offer customers essential and urgent care. However, being unable to perform routine eye tests has meant that many people could be living with serious conditions which could have been identified if we had been able to see them. Our own data on Hospital referrals shows that in England, compared with the same 10 week period over 2019, we have referred 80,000 fewer patients to a specialist or for further care. Of most concern clinically are those whose symptoms would not yet be noticeable, such as those with early glaucoma, early diabetic maculopathy or early age related macular degeneration. We would ask customers to be patient with us as we welcome them back. The guidelines designed to keep customers and colleagues safe will mean fewer people allowed in stores, and maintaining high levels of cleanliness may mean testing takes a little longer. But we want to encourage anyone who has missed their usual sight or hearing test during lockdown to book an appointment as soon as possible, so our teams can return to providing the highest levels of care throughout England. Customers unable to attend a store can still access care and support through Specsavers Remote Care video and telephone consultation services. However the dates for the reintroduction of routine eye and hearing tests within Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are yet to be confirmed. Specsavers will adhere to each country's industry and Government guidance once this is established." says Mr Edmonds.