1. What made you decide to run a course for families in your church?

I live in a multicultural area and on a recent course the group comprised of 11 parents from 8 different countries! So interesting conversations arose concerning cultural practices. The course covered a variety of learning styles.
I have always found that the hardest part is getting a group of parents willing to commit to attend a course and finding a mutually convenient day and time. Once people attend, they usually value the “Time Out” and complete the course. I often tease group members that they only attend for the cake, but it is small acts of care that communicate powerfully.

 

 1. What made you decide to run a course for families in your church?

As a charity (Restore Collective) we work with families from disadvantaged backgrounds in our local community, running family events and, when necessary, signposting or offering one-to-one family support. We have observed that families need more opportunities to feel enabled and equipped, and parenting was a key area we saw this in; where we could support more. If we could offer a programme at an intervention stage it could potentially stop issues getting to crisis level but also bring new healthy dynamics to family life. Partnering with Kids Matter was a strategic step for us to build on the foundations we had.  We also saw the Kids Matter programme as a tool to build authentic community. To date, we have partnered with St Peter’s Church in Mancetter (one of the top two deprived wards in the whole of Warwickshire); the church has a desire to reach out to more families on the estate/school and has welcomed the Kids Matter programme. The church now has deeper family connections in the community as a result of this. 

2. Why this one?

The Kids Matter programme did not feel overly complex for the kind of families we are working with. It felt relational and informal; the parenting tools and behaviour suggested by the programme are simple and achievable, and can have profound impact on family life and a child’s well-being. Some parenting programmes are too complicated to be helpful for families facing disadvantages.  I also like the fact that community and relationships with families continue after the programme has run, and guests are encouraged to continue meeting as well.  Mums, dads and carers are not then back to parenting in isolation; they have an ongoing support network. 

3. What were the costs involved?

• Training on zoom £180 for four days.
• Partnership fee £52 a month – covers a Support Coach and all the Kids Matter resources needed for a programme. 
• Basic running costs for a programme: refreshments and stationary resources i.e., folders, post-its, pens etc.

4. How did it go?  What were the highlights?

Parents did not feel alone. Parents found community. Parents felt safe. Parents helped and supported each other. New friendships formed. Guests were signposted to other support, which helped see positive change (in addition to that inspired by Kids Matter). Families developed better routines. Mums learned to respond differently to children's behaviour and saw positive, improved change. Parents saw strategies included in the Kids Matter programme work as they applied them at home.  Parents expressed an intent to spend more time together as a family and responded well to the Love Languages session. Parents felt more confident in their parenting and finished the programme with raised aspirations.  Parents evaluated their life/roles and realised the importance of loving themselves; taking time to invest in who they are as individuals, not just parents. Kids Matter gave parents permission be honest and space to reflect. Now, there is more holistic support in place for families who’ve done the programme – provided by Restore Collective, school and church, ongoingly. Eighty-five per cent of parents completed the course. 

5. What would you say to anyone looking at this course and wondering whether it might work in their community?

Go for it!  Kids Matter's Parenting Programme is a great tool, which is designed to encourage community confidence and competency, and ticks lots of boxes for meeting the needs of families facing disadvantages; it's a great way to get to know families and be more informed as how best to support them.

To find out more about Kids Matter, visit www.kidsmatter.org.uk

 

 

 1. What made you decide to run a course for families in your church?

I’d been the Children’s Worker for a number of years, and we’ve previously run other parenting courses but they were more about how to parent well ‘generally’, and not so focussed on faith in the home. In October 2020 my role changed slightly to Growing Faith Pastor including how we can have a closer link between church and home life, and as part of that I wanted to see how we could support parents more in bringing faith into everyday life, and this was a brilliant opportunity.

2. Why this one?

The Parenting For Faith course focuses on how parents/godparents/team are in the best position to bring up their children in a life of faith. The course isn’t a set programme of ten steps to make your child a Christian, but identifies five key tools we can use in different situations to bring faith into normal everyday conversations. We were also in lockdown, and the Parenting For Faith course was easily adaptable to being held on zoom as it’s mainly video based with opportunities for discussion in groups which we did in breakout rooms!

3. What were the costs involved?

Running the course is free, which is very generous! We sent out packs to everyone who signed up which included sweets and a book, but that was something we wanted to do to bless those on the course.

4. How did it go?  What were the highlights?

Everyone really enjoyed it and found it extremely helpful. Parents saw they weren’t alone in dealing with tricky questions, or feeling like they didn’t talk about God enough at home. The highlight was connecting participants with people in a similar situation (parents, grandparents, godparents etc) and them being able to work through how they would use the key tools. A lot of people said they found the discussion time really valuable and wanted it to be longer.

5. What would you say to anyone looking at this course and wondering whether it might work in their community?

I would absolutely recommend they run the course – and it can work for any group of people! From a couple of parents getting together, to a large group from across a church congregation all in different situations, it’s really easy to adapt. It’s very straightforward as the host as it’s all done on the video for you and participant handbooks are provided so they can make notes and follow along with it. The Parenting For Faith team are super helpful at answering questions, and the website has a wealth of resources to help you with answering specific questions/situations children may have.

To find out more about Parenting for Faith, visit www.parentingforfaith.org