BEING a working parent and a police officer can be challenging but there is help and support available, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
Last month Emma Cheney, a Firearms Chief Inspector with South Yorkshire Police, spoke out about the \u201cmum guilt\u201d she sometimes felt while juggling her demanding job with being the parent of three young children.<\/p>\n
And South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said there was a discrepancy between districts in how supportive they were of officers\u2019 work-life balance.<\/p>\n
Steve said: \u201cI know Emma well and I can relate to this. I\u2019m the husband of a serving officer. When my wife and I were on opposite shifts we used to hand the kids over at the police station gates. We used to do that for years, and I know a lot of officers who do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t ideal, swapping over at the gates with the kids in the back of the car. But we\u2019re very lucky. We had understanding management and they looked after us. Not everybody has that. For some people, certainly detectives who do really long hours, it can be a real challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor mums and dads out there, we know it can be a real struggle. Sometimes we find that districts are really supportive of parents in terms of flexible working, but sometimes, sadly, they can be lacking. That can just be a bit of ignorance to the rules and regulations rather than it being intentional.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anyone has any concerns around flexible working, you can speak to our Federation\u2019s Equality Lead. That\u2019s what we\u2019re here for, we\u2019re not just here for the discipline side of things. So if any officer finds themselves struggling in terms of their parenting responsibilities and working times, they need to come to us and we can look at supporting and exploring all options that they\u2019ve got with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something that I think culturally we need to change. The police service is probably better than some other organisations, but we could always do better.\u201d<\/p>\n