Celebrating Family Funded Parenting Project 2015-2017

Parenting Facilitator Training

Could this be for your parish/school?

BACKGROUND

In January 2016 The Celebrating Family Project of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference made funds available to this diocese to continue to develop our service to parents. Building on our experiences in the first funded Parenting Support Project we are trainingvolunteers (parents, parishioners, catechists, school support staff and governors) to run Family Caring Trust parenting courses in homes, schools and parishes.

Because parents are those ‘first responsible for the

education of their children’

CCC 2229

Resources used: Family Caring Trust parenting programmes (see )

Dates and Venues: by arrangement (contact us)

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Participants in this training should be parents or other suitable members of yourschool/parish/organisation who are able and willing:

•to work supportively in a Catholic context

•to respect and affirm parents as the primary leaders and decision makers in their own families

•to organise and facilitate FCT parenting courses locally on a voluntary basis

•to help parents develop their skills and their own local peer support

•to grow and maintain their own facilitator support networks and ongoing professional development

•to maintain communication with the local diocesan parenting coordinator

And who are:

•Approachable, welcoming and respectful

•Understanding and supportive of Catholic and other parents

It is strongly recommended that two people are sponsored, eg by their parish priest or head teacher, to train and work together

Sponsors are responsible for ensuring that participants:

• Satisfy the above

• Have correct safeguarding clearance

• Are allowed study time and time to run parenting courses (if in paid employment)

• Are given practical support (like photocopying and venue)

• Have a named contact on site (e.g. school or parish rooms where the parenting course will be run

From our album

Parenting reunion, St Peter’s Belle Isle, July 2016

Parents and trainers Holy Rosary and St Anne’s, Leeds

Dads attending one of our courses in Leeds

What is Initial Training? Initial Training (IT) is a short basic course introducing the Family Caring Trust (FCT), its programmes and the skills needed by Parenting Facilitatorsto run them in small community groups. What follows is an outline of how IT will work.

What is expected of participants?

•Attendance at 6 short (2 hour) training sessions

•Attendance at 1 x 1 hourIntro session; 1 x 1 hour tutorial and 1 x 2 hour planning session

•Work positively within local contexts, creating and maintaining supportive local relationships

•Organise and deliver a 6 - 8 week FCT parenting course (with1 session observed)

•Keep a learning log/journal (in any approved media) and provide evidence of delivery and impact at the end of running the first parenting course

The training schedule

Part 1 – Attendance

1. Attend Initial Training: 6 weekly training sessions of 2 hours each

2. One introductory session + 1 tutorial +1 planning session

3. Keep own learning log/journal

Part 2 – Delivery

4. Deliver a 6 or 8 session FCT parenting course, one session of which is observed

7. Keep own planning and learning log/journal

8. Provide feedback and evidence to the project worker and manager for reports to funding bodies (which need data on the impact of this project for future funding considerations)

What will participants get?Every volunteer Parenting Facilitator will get:

  1. Certificate of Attendance at FCT Initial Training (Authorising Institution: Family Caring Trust)
  2. Certificate of Completion of IT (following a satisfactory observed session)
  3. Registration as parenting facilitators with the Family Caring Trust.
  4. Invitation to join FAMILIAS, the National Association for Catholic Diocesan Marriage and Family Life Ministry Coordinators, as associates or friends.
  5. Ongoing support of the diocesan Parenting Coordinator and local parenting networks including opportunities for further professional development

Top Tips (What we have learned):

Head Teacher

'Talk to parents and really take the time to get to know them; they are really interesting and have lots of experiences and skillsto offer. We really VALUE them!'

Governor

‘Be aware of your role in the school and could it be a conflict of interest if you are facilitating a programme then have to become involved in a complaint/situation as a governor with one of the parents.’

Parent

'Don't be afraid if you do not normally take a leading role. You will gain the skills and confidence and thoroughly enjoy this rewardingexperience along the way.'

And this is what we heard from mums, dads and grandparents who attended the courses

run by our trained parenting facilitators:

Newly trained parenting facilitators in Keighley/Skipton deanery October 2016

Interested? Want to know how it might work in your parish/school/deanery?

The project is being managed by Fr Tim Swinglehurst, Episcopal Vicar for Education, and Breda Theakston, Diocesan Parenting Coordinator, supported by a Task Force. All questions to Breda (details below) in the first instance please.

PARENTING PROJECT, DIOCESAN PASTORAL CENTREHINSLEY HALL, 62 HEADINGLEY LANE, LEEDS LS6 2BX

Tel: 0113 261 8050 (Tuesdays); Mobile: 07761715101; Email: ; Website: 23/02/17