Parenting isn’t easy even when your child is well and happy, and sometimes all we need is a little advice and guidance to get us back on track when things are tricky.
Parents who find reliable, positive self-care approaches feel better able to support their children. Additionally, they do so with creativity and resilience. Parents that attend our advanced parenting skills groups report to have stronger relationships with their children after attending a group. Therefore, parenting support groups are a form of self-care that promotes both parents’ and children and young people’s mental health.
All our advanced parenting groups are evidenced based meaning they employ tried and true methods based on research that demonstrate positive outcomes and are most likely the most reliable way to approach parenting. All our groups are free to attend and run by trained facilitators, most be can accessed either face to face, online or a hybrid of the two.
Parents can self refer to the following groups by calling the Children’s Front Door on 01275 888 808
Professionals can request a place on behalf of a family by completing a Request for Support Form and return to childrens.frontdoor@n-somerset.gov.uk
The Incredible Years Pre-school
The Incredible Years Basic Programme suitable for parents of children 3-6 years
Suitable for parents of children with ADHD.
This 14-week programme helps parents to understand and manage their child’s behaviour. The programme aims to help parents to increase use of positive strategies to enhance children’s positive behaviours (play, praise, rewards) and to increase confidence in selectively using strategies to reduce unwanted behaviours (limit setting, ignoring, timeout). The programme emphasises the importance of parents’ sharing their experiences and encourages them to look at the benefits and challenges of each strategy to help children to learn new behaviours.
The Incredible Years School Age
Incredible Years School Age Programme suitable for parents of children 6 – 11 years
Suitable for parents of children with ADHD.
This 14-week programme is guided by cognitive social learning theory, child development and relationship building principles. Using video vignettes, observational and experiential learning and reflective methods, the programme supports parents to identify the most effective parenting strategies, strengthens parent-child interactions and attachment, and fostering parents’ ability to promote children’s social, emotional, and academic development.
Incredible Years Autism and Speech Delay
For parents with Children 2-7years
The Incredible Years Autism and Speech Delay Programme supports parents and carers to understand their child’s development and how they can best support them.
The 14-week programme focuses on developing language and social skills and promoting children’s emotional and self-regulation, so helping them to develop positive relationships with others. Parents will discover different ways to support positive behaviour and manage challenging behaviour. Parents also share they benefit from having the opportunity to meet other parents who have children of a similar age.
Parents Plus Parenting When Separated (PWS)
For parents of children 0-17years
Suitable for parents of children with Special Educational Needs
This 6-week programme is for families going through separation, and who might be experiencing increased isolation and conflict.
With the Parenting When Separated Programme, parents are supported to personally cope, and to co-parent effectively, to ensure their children cope and thrive.
This programme is practical, solution-focused and draws on parent’s strengths. It is suitable for parents who are preparing for, going through, or have gone through a separation or divorce.
Parents are supported to:
- Solve co-parenting problems in a positive way which focuses on the needs of their children.
- Create practical arrangements for children that minimise stress and conflict.
- Improve communication with their children and with their children’s other parent.
- Cope with the emotional impact of separation and learn stress management techniques.
- Help their children cope emotionally with the separation.
- Deal with the challenges of lone parenting or being a ‘live away’.
Parent Plus Adolescent Programme (PPAP)
For parents of children 11-18 years
Suitable for parents of neurodiverse children
The teenage years can be a challenging time for many families. By helping parents develop warm relationships with their teenagers you can reduce conflict and support their teenagers to grow up as well-adjusted and happy adults.
This 8-week programme is practical, solution-focused and draws on parents’ strengths, and supports to:
- Manage and resolve conflict
- Build self-esteem and confidence
- Create warm connected relationships
- Positively discipline their adolescent
- Negotiate rules and boundaries
- Solve problems together
- Communicate positively and effectively
- Reduce their own stress as parents
Parent Plus Special Needs (PPSN) Group
For parents of children 11-25 years
Suitable for parents whose child has an intellectual disability.
Parents of children with additional needs or a disability can face significant challenges, especially during the adolescent years.
This 8-week programme is practical, solution-focused and draws on parents’ strengths. Suitable for parents who are raising an older child or adolescent with a mild, moderate, or severe intellectual disability, and who may also have an additional diagnosis, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or a physical disability.
As a parent / Carer, learn how to:
- Personally cope and manage stress
- Deal with the challenges of adolescence
- Support the needs of your other children
- Manage challenging behaviour
Support your child to:
- Learn social skills and build friendships
- Deal with puberty and sexuality
- Gain confidence and self-esteem
- Be more independent
Working Things Out Programme
For young people 11-17 years
An 8-week programme run alongside Parents Plus adolescent’s course.
Teenagers are vulnerable to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and poor self-esteem. With this practical CBT programme, young people are equipped with the right skills to cope positively and to overcome mental health problems.
We cover topics such as
- Dealing with anger and conflict
- Understand the key to solving problems.
- Developing helpful thinking strategies.
- Managing feeling down.
- Improve relationships with friends and family.
- Reducing stress.
DART (Domestic Abuse Recovering Together)
Suitable for women with children 7-14 years
DART is a 10-week group for mothers and their school children aged 7-14 who have experienced domestic abuse.
DART aims to help children recover from the adverse effects of domestic abuse by working with the mother and child together to strengthen their relationship and help both talk about and recover from the impact of domestic abuse.
Ideally mums will have already attended a recovery programme such as the ‘Freedom programme’.
Mums can only partake with one child at a time.
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The below groups are accessible by professional referral only.
For further information or referral criteria please email parenting.groups@n-somerset.gov.uk
Mellow Mums - We offer online and face to face.
For Mums with children 0-5 years
Mellow Mums is a 14-week intensive programme for mothers of babies and pre-school children to attend together. Being a parent can be a very difficult job, Sometimes parents may not have had anyone to role model positive parenting for them, they may have had a child removed previously, been in care themselves or be a young parent feeling anxious about being a new mum but by sharing good ideas and tips, all of us can develop our parenting skills, and become more confident about managing day to day life with our children. We want to support you to uncover your own solutions and make friends along the way. If you would like to attend a Mellow group a professional you know such as Support Worker, GP, or school team can complete a referral on your behalf.
Mellow Dads - We offer online and face to face.
For Dad’s with children 0-5 years
Mellow Dads is a 14-week intensive programme for fathers of babies and pre-school children to attend together. Being a parent can be a very difficult job, Sometimes parents may not have had anyone to role model positive parenting for them, they may have had a child removed previously, been in care themselves or be a young parent feeling anxious about being a new dad but by sharing good ideas and tips, all of us can develop our parenting skills, and become more confident about managing day to day life with our children. We want to support you to uncover your own solutions and make friends along the way. If you would like to attend a Mellow group a professional you know such as Support Worker, GP, or school team can complete a referral on your behalf.
Non-Violent Resistance (NVR)
For Parents of children 9-18 years.
Suitable for children who are neurodiverse.
Non-violent resistance - (NVR) is a 12 - week intensive programme, which supports parents to addresses or ‘resists’ aggressive, destructive, risk-taking, and other harmful behaviours in children and adolescents. The young person will be using controlling behaviour towards the parent/carer which can take the form of physical violence, emotional abuse, or non-accidental damage in the home.
There is strong emerging evidence that NVR supports parents who have neurodivergent children who may be displaying violent/aggressive/angry behaviours that can benefit from the techniques they will learn in NVR.
If you would like to attend an NVR group a professional you know such as Support Worker, GP, or school team can complete a referral on your behalf.