Family literacy is one way for parents to be involved in their children's educational development; it is also a key strand of the strategy to improve adults' skills. Viv Bird outlines policy developments and new opportunities.

The influential role of parents in developing children's language and early reading skills is widely recognised. Family literacy programmes involve working with families to develop their literacy practices and skills. Most aim to impart short-term skills, but also long-term changes in families, relating, for example, to support for children's school education, improvements of adults' basic skills, employability and attitudes to lifelong learning.

A paper by the National Literacy Trust and the University of Sheffield, published earlier this year, provides an historical perspective of family literacy development in England since the 1980s. In reviewing the theory and research evidence, it describes the climate for the current delivery of family literacy. Several issues are explored: the nature of family, the concept of literacy, how literacy inequalities in society are understood, the kinds of teaching thought to be appropriate for adults and children in programmes, and the aims of such programmes.

In the 1990s, family literacy created links between two distinctive strands of education: early childhood development and adult literacy. Early development was seen in programmes such as shared or paired reading, reading workshops and family reading groups. Increasing concerns about literacy standards led to a new approach, pioneered by the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit (ALBSU - now the Basic Skills Agency). This model, imported from the United States and now known as the 'intensive' family literacy programme (see below), consists of three components: basic skills instruction for the parents, early literacy education for young children, and joint parent-child activities. Evaluation has shown there are benefits for parents and children.

Government funding for family literacy has increased substantially in recent years, but it has often been short-term, which has made it difficult to provide sustained literacy support for parents with low confidence and skills. There have been concerns, too, that the recent shift to a post-16 funding regime, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), has meant that family literacy programmes are seen as a way of meeting basic skills targets rather than supporting the needs of children or families.

As provision has expanded, there is a need for professional development among early years and adult educators. For example, early childhood educators are not trained or experienced in working with adults and, therefore, in understanding the importance of taking into consideration adults' previous, possibly negative, learning experiences. Likewise, adult educators often need to know more about pre-school development and the school curriculum. Higher-level courses are being developed for adult basic skills teachers, but there is still no obvious professional development path for family literacy practitioners.

There is also a need for more research into basic issues; for example, there is no clear evidence that combined family literacy programmes are more beneficial than separate programmes for adults and children. Also, there is a lack of longitudinal studies to show the effect of family literacy programmes in England, apart from the ALBSU studies referred to above.

There is evidence that family literacy programmes lead to improved literacy for children, support parents in their parenting role, encourage them to improve their own literacy skills and go on to further training or employment. There seems to be potential in pilot projects that combine family literacy work with programmes that support healthy living, or help parents deal with their children's anti-social behaviour. These approaches would bring wider benefits to schools and communities, contribute to school achievement and promote community cohesion, both national priorities.

Family literacy is more likely to be successful when time is allowed to engage parents in learning, through taster courses and activities that are interesting and fun. Despite concerns about the post-16 focus, there is more LSC money for family literacy (known as FLLN courses - family literacy, language and numeracy courses), including short courses as well as the more intensive courses referred to earlier. There are new models being piloted through Skills for Families, frontline worker training for Sure Start staff through Step in to Learning, and opportunities for library involvement building on the Bookstart scheme. This is an exciting time for family literacy work, but not without challenge.

If you're interested in developing a family literacy programme find out if there is a family learning coordinator at your local education authority or contact the basic skills/Skills for Life coordinator at a local college.

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