Work With Parents Training

Work With Parents Training Course 

Do you work with parents and families and want specialised training to support this?

Are you a manager or supervisor and want your staff to be trained to meet the National Occupational Standards for Working with Parents?

Sharing Parenting can work with you to enable you and/or your staff to gain the Work with Parents (WWP) Award.

Award for ‘Work with Parents’ 

The Work With Parents qualification is the training standard for parenting professionals working with parents. 

These research and evidence based modules have been designed to acknowledge and validate the practice of professionals working with families.

These modules are part of the Qualifications and Credit Framework and can be used as a springboard to other qualifications as well as being the training for the Parenting Sector.

Please note some experience of working with parents is essential and acceptance is subject to entry requirements.

There will also be a requirement for learners to research and study in addition to the study days. This work will be supported by the course lecturer as part of the programme.

Who Is This Training For?

• Family Workers
• Parent School Advisors
• Health Professionals
• Social Workers and
• anyone supporting parents and families in a professional role.

Programme Outline

Session 1- Evidence-based Practice

• Intro to Sharing Parenting, the course and each other
• Course map – learning journey, home task and expectations
• Learning styles
• Self-directed learning
• Developing a toolkit
• Parenting in the local community
• Linking evidence-based practice to your work

Session 2 – Values & Principles Underpinning Work with Parents

• Values and Beliefs
• Self image / unconditional positive regard
• Complex lives – the challenges parents face and their impact on parenting
• Maslow
• Reflective practice

Session 3 – The Helping Process

• Partnership Working with Parents
• The Helping Process
• The person-centred approach
• Determining rapport
• Graded care profile
• Equality and Diversity
• Anti-discriminatory practice
• Social role
• Listening skills

Session 4 – Theoretical Models

• Attachment theory
• Social learning theory
• Human ecological model
• Parenting styles

Session 5 – Barriers to Engagement

• Positive Communication: the power of language and its impact on behaviour
• Barriers to support
• Empathy

Session 6 – The First Meeting

• The first meeting
• Data protection / confidentiality
• Ground rules and boundaries
• Recording Information
• Setting Limits
• The Drama Triangle: role awareness
• Professional Boundaries
• Safeguarding
• Raising Concern

Session 7 – Supporting parents to meet their children’s needs

• Cycle of change
• Coaching questions and skills
• Goal setting

Session 8- Setting Limits

• Lone working
• Difficult conversations
• De-escalation
• Assertive communication
• Reviewing Progress and Signposting (toolkit)
• How to end a professional relationship with a parent

Session 9 – Bringing it all together

• Presentations
• Feedback        

         Session 10- Course reflection

• Review of all sessions
• Your learning journey
• Sharing of resources for your Toolkit
• Evaluation
• What’s Next?

The course involves 10 1/2 days (or 5 full days) training (in person or online) and additional study hours between sessions to develop a portfolio of evidence which will be assessed throughout the process.

We would expect your work place manager to support your study. 

The Benefits of the WWP to your Organisation or Team:

• Essential knowledge and skills required to work effectively with parents in a parent support role in a wide range of settings

Working With Parents 

This research and evidence based accredited course has been designed to acknowledge and validate the professional practice for people who are working with families; it also offers opportunities to improve and inform work with parents whilst gaining new skills.

The course links theory to professional practice for work with parents individually and in groups. 

The Standards can be used to:

• Recognise previously acquired competences
• Identify knowledge and skills gaps
• Benchmark practice against the standards
• Ensure training is relevant to job roles
• Facilitate self assessment
• Help to develop and retain a more effective workforce
• Improve recruitment
• Enable staff to achieve

The Aims Of The Course:

• Provide opportunities to develop essential skills and knowledge to support the professional practice of people working with parents and families in either a paid or voluntary capacity
• Link theory to skills and knowledge to understand the developmental needs of parents and children
• To understand the relationships between parents and children and for professionals to develop skills to help parents to make effective changes in their family lives

This Course Has Been Developed To Improve Skills And Standards For:

• Parenting group leaders/facilitators
• Family support workers
• Any practitioner/volunteer who is involved in the lives of families

Principles & Values Underpinning Work with Parents:

• Work with Parents should be non-judgmental and anti- discriminatory
• Professionals should seek to empower parents by building on and valuing parents strengths and experiences
• Parent’s deserve to be supported and offered parenting education
• Gender, cultural diversity and different needs must be respected
• Anyone working with parents should have specific training that is fit for purpose
• Good practice requires reflection and continual professional development

This Course will run on 5 separate days (or 5 full days) online or in person.

Full attendance on each day is required if possible, this must include the Micro Teach, and participants will need to keep a reflective journal of their learning, there will be assignments an opportunities for assessment .

This course is assessed throughout.

Continuous Professional Development

Sharing Parenting also offer Continuous Professional Development.

Please see our CPD page.

Mentoring, Supervision and Support

We recommend on going supervision for professionals as good practice and we can provide this for individuals or groups.

Please contact us if you would like Sharing Parenting to support you in your professional role with Mentoring, Supervision and Support.

You may also be interested to read feedback from professionals with have worked with and supported on our Professionals Comments page.

Please see What’s Coming Up for professionals or contact us if you would like more information about any of the above or to let us know you are interested in working with us.