The programme initially sparked strong interest across the three local authorities, with 93 parents expressing interest in taking part in cycle one. Various channels were used to promote the programme to parents.
This strong interest from parents indicates that they felt that the PwB offer is attractive and relevant, and non-stigmatising in its presentation. Of the 93 who expressed interest, 36 parents (38.7%) were from our target group (household income of below £25,000, receiving benefits or having an educational attainment level of A-level or under).
This success in attracting interest from a large number of parents indicates that the recruitment channels we tested (flyers, social media, practitioners in library/community/children’s centre settings) were largely effective. There were variations between the most effective recruitment channels across the three local authorities:
- In Cumberland, social media was the most effective recruitment method, with 16 participants hearing about the programme via this channel.
- In Derby, parents primarily came through practitioners in local community settings (eg, library/children's centre) (n=16).
- In Shropshire, most participants heard about PwB through flyers/posters in a local community setting eg, library/children's centre (n=9).
