| ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REPORT | PAGE 1 Understanding the lives of families with young children living In deprived areas in Wigan and Oldham: ethnographic research Findings | ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REPORT | PAGE 2 Page No. Contents P.3 Introduction P.7 Participant Breakdown P.8 Kinship: Wigan Findings P.11 Interview Study 1: Wigan P.13 Kinship: Oldham Findings P.17 Interview Study 2: Oldham P.19 Parenthood: Wigan P.22 Parenthood: Oldham P.25 Relationship with Services: Wigan P.33 Interview Study 3: Wigan P.35 Relationship with Services: Oldham P.38 Interview Study 4: Oldham P.41 Sense of Place: Wigan P.43 Sense of Place: Oldham P.45 Housing: Wigan P.47 Interview Study 5: Wigan P.49 Housing: Oldham P.50 Interview Study 6: Oldham P.52 Employment and Income: Wigan P.55 Employment and Income: Oldham P.56 Aspirations: Wigan P.58 Aspirations: Oldham P.59 Final Recommendations INTRO | ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REPORT | PAGE 3 Understanding the lives Context Aims To develop a clear understanding of the of families with young it is increasingly important to act lives and support needs of families with preventatively,In a climate of great in order financial to move pressure citizens young children living in deprived areas children living in from dependence to self-reliance. This in Oldham and Wigan. is particularly important in relation to deprived areas supporting families in deprived areas. Objectives This approach was outlined in To inform service re-design through of Wigan and Oldham: The Greater Manchester Strategy the City Region and Community Budget (Association of Greater Manchester Pilots,• equipping Wigan and Oldham ethnographic research Authorities, 2009) and is being taken Councils with a deeper understanding forward through the City Region spatial of families with complex needs. Findings pilots and the Community Budget Pilot. To understand how to better support these families from heavy service of the Total Place report of 2010 dependence• to independence. (AssociationThese pilots willof Greater build on Manchester the findings To understand, from the families’ Ethnographic research to better Authorities and Warrington Borough perspectives, what kind of support understand how to improve the life Council), and focus on developing would• have the greatest impact on their ‘whole area’ approaches to supporting futures and that of their children. chances of families with young children families. To identify barriers in the families’ living in deprived areas of lives to making positive changes. Wigan and Oldham Councils recognise • To identify the point at which Wigan and Oldham. that in order to adopt a preventative, interventions could be most effective. ‘whole area’ approach to supporting • To explore support systems for families in deprived areas they need to children and families that exist in understand their lives and experiences the• community, and how Wigan and more deeply. This research is designed Oldham Councils might be able to to support this preventative agenda; better work with them. by better understanding and involving the families with the greatest need, The report includes a set of we can begin to develop a strategy to high level recommendations for how implement real and sustainable change Wigan and Oldham Councils can better in their lives. support these families. INTRO | ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REPORT | PAGE 4 Approach Wigan and Oldham Councils commissioned thinkpublic to help them understand how to improve the life chances of families with young children living in deprived areas of Wigan and Oldham. To do this we developed a programme of research. This consisted of: Training thinkpublic researchers trained members of staff from Wigan and Oldham Councils to interview families with young children. Members of staff were trained in the principles of ethnographic1 research and how to accurately capture the comments and observed behaviours of families. INTRO | ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REPORT | PAGE 5 Research thinkpublic worked collaboratively with type up their notes together, capturing Wigan and Oldham Councils to produce how they felt during the interview, focus of the research. In response to quotes, alongside their reflections on thea research directions framework given by to the define project the the information they were given, and sponsors, Wigan and Oldham Councils, otherthe factors observations that might about have learning influenced or Wigan and Oldham Ethnographers experiences over the day. At the end focused in particular on the experiences of each day the team would meet and and needs of parents with children interviews with parents in a range of 1.share Ethnography their findings. is the term given to the under five. To do this, they arranged settings: ‘community-based services’2 , descriptive study of human cultures and ‘out and about’3 , and ‘at-home’ . societies based on extensive fieldwork. Ethnographic research seeks to understand Over a period of seven days in each4 issues from the subject’s point of view by area, Wigan and Oldham Ethnographers observing how they behave in a given setting applied the skills they had learned to and probing them to find out why they behave researching the experiences and needs as they do. of families with young children living in deprived areas. thinkpublic supervised council researchers to ensure the 2. Locations included Sure Start Centres, quality of the research. ‘Tumble Tots’ sessions at Leisure Centres, and Baby Clinics at Community Centres. The length and depth of interviews varied depending on the setting and 3. These took place at shopping centres, local willingness of participants, from 20 cafes and on streets; targeting families that minutes to three hours. Interviews may not be engaging with services. were conducted in pairs: one interviewer and one note-taker. Each 4. Interviews took place in the homes of pair was encouraged to record the families that had been identified by service information given to them as directly providers as being particularly relevant to the and as immediately as possible. At the project. end of each interview the pairs would INTRO | ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REPORT | PAGE 6 Analysis and of ethnography is that it is always led by the interactions researchers make Interpretation with their informants rather than After both research periods were methodological design. As such, this completed, thinkpublic researchers reportbeing pre-determined presents a range through of opinions a fixed facilitated a compilation day. This brought both teams together to set of conclusions. However, in doing so,and it experiences, acknowledges rather the complexitythan a definite of contrasting issues and themes, and to community life. captureshare findings, quotes identifyfrom the common interviews and that illustrated those themes. The method of gathering information in each area varied. More of the We have used the information and interviews in Oldham took place at insights gained from interviews with participant’s homes, organised through parents, together with our wider services, than was the case in Wigan. understanding of the issues affecting families with young children from information captured in this report. deprived areas, to assemble this report. These variations find reflection in the Interviews were conducted using an Important information “open questioning” technique, allowing interviewees to direct the conversation. about the evidence base As a result, not all topics were covered in every interview, but topics discussed of the report can be assumed to be of importance to the interviewee and their family. To provide further context and depth 89 interviews with Oldham and Wigan to the information presented in this parents,The report carers is based and grandparents.on the findings of report, it is advised that it is considered These interviews explored participants’ alongside information gathered through experiences, attitudes and aspirations complementary research techniques, in relation to a broad range of issues, including quantitative research. including: childhood; pregnancy and parenthood; employment; health and wellbeing; housing; kinship; education and learning; and aspirations. The value INTRO | ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REPORT | PAGE 7 Relationship status: Employment status: oldham wigan oldham wigan Father in Neither Living Living with employment partner in Married Father with partner partner employment Married Both partners in in employment employment Single Single mother Single mother mother not in Unrecorded employment Only mother in employment Neither Has partner Has partner but not Unrecorded Unable to work- partner in Unrecorded but not living together Both partners Unrecorded immigration status employment living together in employment Volunteers Ethnicity: oldham wigan White Bengali White British African KEY: Chinese African PURPLE - OLDHAM Unrecorded Polish Turkish GREEN - WIGAN Pakistani KINSHIP | ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REPORT | PAGE 8 | ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REPORT | PAGE 8 kinship kinship [mass noun] 1 blood relationship. 2 [count noun] a sharing of characteristics or origins. Source: Oxford University Press KINSHIP | ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REPORT | PAGE 9 1. Kinship - Wigan findings Of the 48 participants in Wigan, 45 helped pay for her and her son to go Despite having no family connections had suffered from depression for 14 were White British, one was Polish, one on a trip to Southport: “ [We] would in the area, she described how she years said: “I’ve got two children from was Ghanaian and one was Turkish. have