Here is a list of frequently asked questions about the Healthy Parent Carers study. If your question is not here, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
Here is a list of frequently asked questions about the Healthy Parent Carers study. If your question is not here, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
The programme is currently being run online by local authorities, charities and parent carer forums in several parts of the UK. We are aiming to recruit more local groups to run programmes so it is widely available to parent carers across the country. If you would like to take part in a programme please get in touch.
Hear about how participants have benefitted from the programme here:
Local authorities, parent carer forums and other charities are currently running the programme. Chris Morris, SEND Manager for Bedford Borough Council, commissioned his local parent carer forum to deliver the programme. Chris comments, “This programme has a long term impact. By investing in the parent carer, you’re investing in the whole family”.
A Lead and Assistant Facilitator, who are both parent carers will need to attend our 7 session online training programme. Once they become accredited facilitators they can deliver the programme in their area.
The training is all online. Lead Facilitators attend all 7 sessions which fit into a school day. Assistant Facilitators join the training at session 4. The sessions are usually held weekly. For more details about costs etc, get in touch with us.
Participants in the programme will be asked to commit to attending:
Each programme is facilitated by a Lead and Assistant Facilitator who have attended the Healthy Parent Carer facilitator training sessions. Facilitators must be parent carers themselves. Hear facilitators’ experiences below:
Groups wanting to run the programme fund it from their own budgets.
Each organisation will need to pay for a Lead and Assistant Facilitator to attend the 7 session training programme, and then fund the delivery of the programme.
Please get in touch for more detailed costings.
Only parent carers can train to be facilitators.* We suggest that they have been parent carers for several years so have significant experience. Also that they are in a relatively stable place in their own lives, although we appreciate that the life of a parent carer is rarely totally stable! Email us for more details about what skills are needed.
*although other close family members who have been very involved in caring can be considered at the discretion of the trainers.
Each course comprises 12 modules that can either be delivered in 2 hour weekly sessions, or twice weekly sessions.
Sessions normally take part during the school term, but sometimes groups have started them mid term and had a break for holidyas- e.g. starting in November and having a Christmas break.
It’s entirely up to you how many courses you run. We just ask that you let us know when you are running them.
For courses running online we recommend a maximum of 12 parents attending.
We suggest that you make potential participants aware of the time commitment involved and the need for regular attendance. The effectiveness of the programme is based on the group bonding together to support each other. This support often continues beyond the end of the programme.
Healthy Parent Carers is not a parenting course. I
Its aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of parent carers. Developed by the University of Exeter in collaboration with parent carers, it uses a small steps approach to help parent carers make long-lasting improvements to their health and wellbeing.
Each session uses activities to engage participants and encourage discussion and mutual support. Even the most anxious parents have found it an enjoyable and beneficial experience.