Parenting courses
Parents often feel overwhelmed by the demands
of parenthood and welcome the opportunity to meet with other
parents, discuss common parenting issues and build on skills they
already have. The Parenting Support Team support
agencie
s throughout the borough.
The Parenting Support Team offer a number
of courses which aim to:
- Enhance the quality of family
relationships
- Offer parents an opportunity to meet and
discuss common parenting issues
- Value skills that parents have and support to
develop further skills
- Increase parents' confidence and raise self
esteem for parents and children
- Help parents create positive frameworks for
family relationships
- Increase parents' awareness of stages of
child development and the effects on behaviour presented
- Encourage parents to find assertive
discipline techniques without the use of physical punishment
- Help parents develop effective communication
techniques
- Support parents in finding appropriate
methods of coping with stress
- Promote the importance of identifying and
recognising positive behaviour.
What do the courses involve?
The courses run for 6 or 12 weeks, one
session per week, and each session lasts for two hours. See
below for current timetables.
The sessions are delivered in a relaxed and
friendly atmosphere using a person centred approach. The sessions
are structured in a way that allows parents to build on their
knowledge and skills from week to week. There is no reading or
writing involved and sessions are mainly discussion based.
Parents are given an extensive range of
handouts and booklets to keep for their own reference.
Who delivers the courses?
The courses are delivered by a range of professionals from
education, early years, health, social services and the voluntary
sector. All the course facilitators have undertaken additional
training on working with parents, delivering parenting courses and
the evaluation process.
This inter-agency approach not only ensures
the course is high quality, but also that parents are offered up to
date consistent information and are introduced to a wider range of
professionals in a relaxed informal atmosphere. These professionals
create a wider support network for families.
Courses for parents
Current courses available:
Survival Skills for Families
This 12 week course has some exciting ideas
about how to manage children's behaviour and their changing
developmental needs. It gives ideas for play and how play can be
used to develop positive relationships and confidence. Parents are
supported and encouraged to recognise positive behaviour and how
through praising these behaviours we can get the behaviour we want
to see more of. This course is based on material written by Dr
Caroline Webster Stratton and has been extremely successful in
America in reducing anti-social behaviour and conduct
disorder.
Tell it like it is
Tell it like it is is an 8 week course that encourages
confidence and empowers parents to be able to speak with their
children about sex, relationships and growing up.
How much do the courses cost?
All the parenting courses are FREE OF CHARGE
and where possible free childcare is provided. Free
refreshments are also provided.
The feedback from parents who have
attended the parenting courses has been very positive.
Some of the comments on “How has the course helped you?” were:
- "Talking openly in a group learning how to be calm and dealing
with difficult situations"
- "I found it to be very helpful not only for handling my child,
but my own feelings too"
- "I would recommend this course to anyone who has children"
- "Seeing the techniques discussed were working".
How to book
Parents can book a place by ringing 0845 226
5533 or by talking to their Health Visitor or childcare
setting.