Parent and Carer Workshops
It’s important as a parent or carer of a child with additional needs you can get the help, advice, and guidance you need to support your child and look after yourself. Across Gloucestershire there are a variety of awareness sessions and training opportunities designed to help you understand your child’s needs better and to offer you strategies and practical skills to manage, where needed. Many of the courses are run as group sessions which will enable you to meet other parents and carers experiencing similar situations, which will hopefully provide you with some peer support opportunities.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
W.E.B.S: Working to Encourage Behaviour Strategies
Outline: For parents and carers with children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) aged 3-16 years. A 12-week programme designed to support parents/carers who have a child with special educational needs and disabilities, either in a special school or have one-to-one full-time support with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in mainstream school.
Delivered by: Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust – Parenting Support Team
https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/our-teams-and-services/children-and-young-people/camhs/parent-support-team/
Referral: Please speak to your GP, school nurse or any other professional you have contact with and ask them to refer you.
Supporting Your Anxious Child
Outline: Designed for parents of children at primary school, this parent support group is based on the ‘From Timid to Tiger’ parenting approach programme. It is designed for parents/carers of children with mild/moderate anxiety disorders, including separation anxiety, social anxiety, generalised anxiety and specific phobias.
Delivered by: Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust – Parenting Support Team
https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/our-teams-and-services/children-and-young-people/camhs/parent-support-team/
Referral: Please speak to your GP, school nurse or any other professional you have contact with and ask them to refer you.
Understanding and Awareness of Learning Disabilities
Sorrow and Joy
Outline: a course made up of three group sessions to support parents to recognise chronic sorrow and how it impacts on them and their family.
Delivered by: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Learning Disabilities Team
Referral: Please speak to your GP, school nurse or any other professional you have contact with and ask them to refer you.
Working to Encourage Behaviour Strategies (WEBS)
Outline: A programme for parents of children with special educational needs/disability (SEND) aged 3-16 years. Two hours per week for 12 weeks building on your existing skills and introducing new strategies to try.
Delivered by: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Learning Disabilities Team
Referral: Please speak to your GP, school nurse or any other professional you have contact with and ask them to refer you.
SIBS
Outline: A group that provides children (age 8-12) who have a sibling with a learning disability, the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with other children in a relaxed and playful environment. The group runs three times a year.
Delivered by: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Learning Disabilities Team
Referral: Please speak to your GP, school nurse or any other professional you have contact with and ask them to refer you.
Positive Behaviour Management (PBM)
Outline: Available to families who are required to react to behaviours that pose risk to their child, themselves or others. The aim is to teach keep safe techniques to parents/carers and reduce the likelihood of unsafe restrictive practices. This course is available for internal referrals only.
Delivered by: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Learning Disabilities Team https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/our-teams-and-services/children-and-young-people/childrens-learning-disabilities-team/
Referral: Please speak to your GP, school nurse or any other professional you have contact with and ask them to refer you.
Stepping Stones Triple P
Outline: Stepping Stones Triple P has been developed for parents of children with a developmental disability. Because it’s based on Triple P’s proven parenting strategies, it gives you ways to deal with the kinds of childhood behaviour problems and issues that can make family life stressful. Stepping Stones Triple P has been evaluated with real families and has been shown to work with children with intellectual and physical disabilities who have disruptive behaviour.
Delivered by: Gloucestershire County Council Early Help Service
Referral: To book, contact Family Information Service via email at familyinfo@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Understanding and Awareness of Autism
Introduction to Autism
Outline: This is a short half day course to provide parents and carers with an understanding of autism following a diagnosis.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE FOLLOWING AN AUTISM ASSESSMENT DIAGNOSIS
Delivered by: Social Communication and Autism Assessment Service (SCAAS)
https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/our-teams-and-services/children-and-young-people/camhs/scaas/
Referral: As a parent or carer you will be offered the opportunity to attend this session following an autism diagnosis for your child aged 0-11.
All About Autism
Outline: This is a multi-agency training course opportunity offered to parents and carers following an autism diagnosis for their child aged 0-11, following on from the half-day Introduction to Autism course. The course is run over a 6 week period with the aim of providing parents and carers with information and strategies on how to support their autistic child.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE FOLLOWING AN AUTISM ASSESSMENT DIAGNOSIS
Delivered by: Social Communication and Autism Assessment Service (SCAAS)
https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/our-teams-and-services/children-and-young-people/camhs/scaas/
Referral: As a parent or carer you will be offered the opportunity to attend this session following an autism diagnosis for your child aged 0-11.
Understanding and Awareness of ADHD
Parents Plus Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children’s Programme
Outline: A course designed for parents or carers of primary school age children with either diagnosed ADHD or are currently going through the assessment process. The overall goal of this programme is to support parents bringing up a child with ADHD. We will provide a comprehensive parent and carers booklet to provide group discussion and structure.
Delivered by: Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust – Parenting Support Team
https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/our-teams-and-services/children-and-young-people/camhs/parent-support-team/
Referral: Please speak to your GP, school nurse or any other professional you have contact with and ask them to refer you.
Locality Parenting Courses
Gloucestershire County Council in partnership with Children and Families Centres also offer wider parenting courses which are not specific to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, these can be found here: https://www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk/kb5/gloucs/glosfamilies/family.page?familychannel=1_1_4