Supporting Parents Programme

The Supporting Parents Programme was developed to provide support for parents and guardians of children with life-long or life-limiting health conditions.

The programme has been developed in partnership with parents, children’s hospitals, paediatricians and voluntary organisations.

The Supporting Parents Programme is a flexible and quality assured six week course facilitated by parents with support from family support workers and NHS staff, depending on the support needs of the group.  It is a ‘lay-led’ programme, and as such is delivered solely by parents of children with a long-term or life-limiting condition or disability.

The course covers a range of topics such as dealing with the emotional consequences of childhood illness and disability, working with the school system, staying well and sibling issues.

The course is designed to improve self confidence, reduce anxiety, open discussion and provide information, by providing parents of children with long-term and life-limiting health conditions and disabilities with a safe place to meet and learn from each other. The programme also helps parents to learn how to manage their own wellbeing and thereby increase their skills in dealing with the issues in raising their children.

Elements of the course include:

• Learning to use positive self-talk
• Fatigue and depression management
• Planning for the future
• Managing the emotional consequences of childhood illness
• Managing the impact of childhood conditions on family conditions
• Sibling issues
• Managing distressing situations and feelings
• Muscle relaxation and therapeutic writing

Although every family is unique, there are many common experiences shared by families in which a child has a life threatening condition. The Supporting Parents Programme is designed to work with parents to increase the skills they already have in managing these problems and to care for themselves.

“It filled a gap which support groups and organisations don’t provide which is a structured opportunity to discuss distressing thoughts and emotions and do something constructive about them.”

For more information please call the Expert Patients Programme CIC on Freephone 0800 988 5550 or contact us by email today.

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