BC Council for Families

January 27 2010

Over the past few months, we've received a number of calls and emails from Nobody's Perfect facilitators and program managers right across the province. And whether you're in Powell River or Princeton, the challenges some programs are facing are pretty similar. You've been telling us about well-established programs that are threatened by shortfalls in funding, about agencies that are no longer able to support Nobody's Perfect programs, despite growing needs in the communities you serve.

At the BC Council for Families we are working to communicate to government funders and policy-makers the effectiveness, strong history and community demand for the Nobody's Perfect Parenting program. We're advocating strongly for the Nobody's Perfect Parenting Program in British Columbia, with the provincial government and with regional health authorities. Because we know, as you do, that Nobody's Perfect makes a real difference in the lives of parents and children.

Results of the recent National Evaluation of Nobody's Perfect programs support our efforts. Over three years, the BC Council for Families partnered with the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs in an extensive study of parents who enrolled in Nobody's Perfect programs. Researchers from the University of Alberta measured the parenting skills and knowledge of 218 parents from across Canada before taking part in the program, after completion, and in a six month follow-up, then compared those results to parents who did not participate in Nobody's Perfect.

The study revealed that parents who participated in Nobody's Perfect made fundamental changes in the way they disciplined their children, increasing their use of positive discipline techniques and reducing the frequency of negative or punitive discipline practices. The use of positive discipline, which includes techniques such as using problem situations as teachable moments, explaining why a child's actions are not acceptable, and giving children clear choices, is proven to lead to improved child outcomes.

Says Glenn Hope, Executive Director of the BC Council for Families, "Knowing that Nobody's Perfect has such profound impacts on thousands of families and children each year in our province speaks volumes about the power of prevention, and the need to prioritize prevention work - particularly in times of fiscal restraint. We'll continue to work with governments and funders to ensure that this valuable, made-in-Canada parenting education and support program remains in our communities."

Let us know about Nobody's Perfect in your community:

• What funding sources are you accessing to provide the program?
• Has your program funding been reduced or eliminated?
• Has demand for the program increased?
• Are there sufficient numbers of trained facilitators in your area?

Send us an email at rubyb@bccf.ca. Your feedback will help to support Nobody's Perfect programs, and the parents and children who benefit from them, all across BC.