DI&W Community Summary Notes: Reimagining Support for Working Parents

On September 10^th, CRF hosted an online discussion for its Diversity, Inclusivity & Wellbeing (DI&W) community on the topic of Reimagining Support for Working Parents. The session featured Charlotte Speak, a parental support consultant and coach, who shared why this issue matters now, introduced a future-ready toolkit for organisations and suggested practical ways that individuals can start making changes. These notes summarise the presentation and the following discussion.

Why This Conversation Now
What employees need from work has changed. Whilst many of the themes below are long-standing, they are currently high on national and business agendas:

• Shifting demographics and the rise of the multi-generational workforce – e.g. changing family structures, evolving carer roles and more employees acting as carers for older generations.
• Policy changes – the volume and pace of change means organisations must be more responsive and facilitate conversations concerning external demands and life outside work.
• A broader view of ‘parental support’ – whilst support was previously centred on maternity coaching/return-to-work assimilation, there is now increasing recognition that needs are wider and more individual.

The Commercial Case

• Charlotte emphasised that there are clear business benefits to supporting parents at work and that it is legitimate to make the commercial case as well as the moral one. For example, companies with diverse management teams have 19% higher revenue due to innovation and diverse teams are 87% better at making decisions. For further information, refer to the attached follow-up document.  
• When making the commercial case, it is important to also draw on the individual experiences of your organisation. For example, which metrics are the highest priority for your organisation? Where are your biggest pain points?

Supercharging Current Support Models
The below points can be applied as a lens to your current organisational practices:

• Parenting is intersectional. Consider actions you are already taking from an intersectional lens. For example, review language in policies/communications to ensure they acknowledge that there is more than one route to parenthood.
• Inclusive policy experience. Language matters – but so does the day-to-day reality. Consider what your policy experience looks like and whether it works in practice. E.g. does a flexible working policy favour working mothers over working fathers?
• Line manager engagement. Line managers shape individual experience and should be at the forefront of action. Focus on training which feels empowering  (different sizes in dashes) rather than punitive – and recognise that parental support isn’t only an issue for HR to fix.
• Flexible working. What does your current offer look like? Who is accessing it? Is it framed as a parent/caregiver-only issue, when in reality the issue is broader? Think of parental support as the whole environment, not a single programme.
• Managing the imbalance. Organisations and parents are trying to balance showing up at work with who they want to be at home. There’s no single “right” weighting.

What Does Your Future Ready Toolkit Look Like?

• Pivotal role of line managers. Acknowledging the crucial role of line managers is one of the quickest ways to ensure parental support doesn’t sit solely with HR. Success is often about the quality of conversations, not just administering policy.
• Feedback loops. Use multiple formats to avoid hearing the same voices: surveys, 1-to-1s, listening groups, pulse surveys etc.
• Blended formats. Offer multiple ways to engage with everything you do. If returner support is a priority, what different ways can people access it?
• Storytelling. A powerful, low-cost tool. Map your typical year and identify opportunities for storytelling.
• Personalisation. Whilst a clear baseline is important, it is also important to tailor your offering to individual lived experience and avoid assumptions (e.g. not all parents have partners or grandparents for childcare). Consider what distinctive experience will attract and retain talent.
• Avoid performative action. Awareness weeks and training are useful only alongside a supportive culture. Acknowledge key days/weeks but also ask “so what?” and ensure year-round access to support.

Q: Where should organisations start in supporting line managers?
A: Accept that not every line manager will reach the same stage; everyone’s start/end point will differ. Many managers are worried about “saying the wrong thing” .Therefore, provide targeted help where it’s needed (e.g. how to start a conversation when someone is experiencing a loss), focus on making their job easier and reassure management that it’s OK for things to be difficult.

Q: What are your views on parents’ groups and ERGs in organisations?
A: They are incredibly important. Be clear about their role, check in regularly and ensure they don’t become just an events team. Also, highlight the value they add and give them a seat at the table.

Q: How do you practically support a team who feel they are continually dealing with parental and maternity leavers? How can this be normalised for those who feel greatly impacted?
A: Look at practicality and process: is the admin easy for line managers? What can be simplified? How is news shared and recognised? Do you celebrate the skills and strengths that becoming a parent can bring to the workplace? How is that valued in your organisation?

What Comes Next?

• Consider the commitment you are taking away from this session: What are you already doing? What filters can you apply? Looking ahead, what are the bigger-ticket items you can focus on?
• On an organisational level, focus on the “too small to fail” step. Prioritise smaller steps rather than massive transformations straight away.
• Top tips to consider:
  • Always involve parents and line managers in parental support.
  • Measuring impact isn’t solely about numbers – share stories as well.
  • Combine quick wins with longer-term change and strategy.

Resources
CRF. 2025. Creating an Inclusive Culture.
CRF. 2025. Webinar: Creating an Inclusive Culture.
Power of the Parent. Podcast: Parent and Career Support Networks.
Power of the Parent. Employee Resource Hub.