“Parents are great at problem solving. I knew that, but it reinforced it. Give them a bit of space, the right tools and a bit of encouragement and watch what they’ll do!”
When did you become a Kids Matter partner? Imagine If became a Kids Matter partner in July 2023.
When did you run your first programme? We had our first taster at the beginning of September and we’re about to have our Booster session next week. We enjoyed a Christmas social too.
Tell us about the first programme you ran: We had six parents coming to most of the programme. We knew them already so inviting them to a group was easy. We sent out invites by post too; we even decorated the envelopes, so they knew they were worth opening.
One great outcome we had was when one parent tried different strategies and came back to tell us that they worked. One parent started a routine chart for all her family members. She came back the next week with almost a glow. She saw she’d had a positive impact on her family and became one of the greatest encouragers in the group.
When are you next hoping to run a programme? Summer term – we’re currently looking to get some more facilitators trained to help keep the programme running.
Tell us something you have learned from running a programme: Parents are great at problem solving. I knew that, but it reinforced it. Give them a bit of space, the right tools and a bit of encouragement and watch what they’ll do!
Tell us how your work with your Partner Lead: He’s really great. The whole environment here is very collaborative and the trustees have been really interested in how the group has been going. One of them is going to pop in at the end of the booster session to meet the parents. The parents are engaged in some of the other groups and projects here and were so disappointed the Kids Matter programme was finishing, that Imagine If have facilitated providing a room/coffee and some of the staff to keep them meeting together.