Parents offered help to build better relationships with their children
PARENTS are being offered help to build better relationships with their children through a series of online courses.
The £4,000 initiative has been funded jointly for a year by the States of Guernsey and the Government of Jersey, and will see 15 courses covering all stages of young family life – from the antenatal period to adolescence – made available to all islanders through online learning portal InOurPlace.
It is hoped the evidence-based courses – which have been developed by NHS clinical psychologists, child psychotherapists, health professionals, and child and family practitioners – will help parents to better understand their child’s brain development at each stage of their early life, decode their behaviours, and develop effective communication techniques with them.
Family support services team manager Naomi Chandler said the courses supplemented the provision that was already available on-island through maternity services, health visiting and school nursing, and were not an indicator of rising problems among local families.
‘They acknowledge that parenting is a challenge and that different issues arise at different times depending on the age of the child, so offer information, advice and guidance based on that.’
She said that, once registered and logged on, those using InOurPlace could choose a specific course that related to them and work through a series of short modules in their own time, some of which included voiceovers and videos.
The courses are available in 108 different languages.
Mrs Chandler was optimistic that there would be a lot of interest in the initiative, adding that it could be funded beyond the initial year-long stint if user feedback was positive.
‘We are excited to be able to offer it, and we hope that people will find it useful,’ she said.
‘It will allow parents the chance to reflect on their parenting style, repair relationships with their child if needs be, and also enjoy and appreciate the entire parenting process more.’
To register, islanders are required to input the access code ‘WELCOME’ on the InOurPlace web page – as well as a Guernsey postcode – in order to gain free access.
Once registered, users will have lifetime access to the courses, even if funding stops.
The courses are being offered due a new partnership between Children & Family Community Services and NHS organisation the Solihull Approach.
n To access the portal, visit inourplace.co.uk/jersey-andguernsey.
