Parent carer forums, local charities and national charities are currently running the programme.
Chris Morris, SEND Manager for Bedford Borough Council, commissioned his local parent carer forum to deliver the programme, “This programme has a long term impact. By investing in the parent carer, you’re investing in the whole family”.
The programme requires a pair of facilitators to run it: a Lead and an Assistant. The pair will need to attend our 7 session online training programme. 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!
*although other close family members who have been very involved in caring can be considered at the discretion of the trainers.
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.
Abi from Shropshire has trained to be a facilitator: “I have found this very beneficial, not only to be able to deliver the programme to help other parent carers, but also I have learnt a lot about myself, my coping strategies and how to prioritise myself in our very busy life!”
Once trained, facilitators are licensed by the University of Exeter to deliver the programme for their organisation. There is no ongoing licence fee. We offer full support in getting the programme up and running in a new area. There is also a termly Facilitators’ Network Meeting held online by our Lead Trainer, Bel McDonald. This gives space for facilitators to support each other and discuss best practice.
For more details about costs etc, get in touch with us.
Each course comprises 12 modules that can either be delivered in twelve 2 hour sessions, or in six 3.5 hour sessions.
Sessions normally take part during the school term, but sometimes groups have started them mid term and had a break for holidays- 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.
We recommend a maximum of 12 parents attending. Some groups find they need to recruit more than this to allow for participants not showing up.
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.
Groups wanting to run the programme fund it either from their budget, or apply for funding from their Local Authority, NHS, the Lottery, or other grant making bodies.
Please get in touch for more detailed costings.
Healthy Parent Carers is not a parenting course.
Its aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of parent carers.
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. Facilitators encourage parent carers to focus on their own needs, rather than their children’s.
