Parenting Support
Parenting sometimes involves more work than pleasure. Although very rewarding, you are responsible for your children until they become adults. As most parents agree, taking care of a child and his or her many, many needs can often be physically and emotionally exhausting. Sometimes a bit of extra support is welcome.
On this page you will find access to parenting programme information, and a range of links to websites and organisations that can help you with the daily challenges of just being a parent.
Early Years Alliance deliver a range of Therapeutic Parenting Programmes support parents to meet their child’s needs and improve behaviour. Our range of group and 1:1 sessions support parents to build a more positive relationship with their child and help them to understand their behaviour. We work with parents who are concerned their child may have ADHD, or behaviours that make places and spaces unsafe to be in, or cause serious harm to themselves and others for children with:
- serious, high risk or distressing behaviours
- conduct disorders
- oppositional defiance disorder
- and where ADHD is suspected or diagnosed
These programmes include:
- Incredible Years (IY) is a 12-week group programme for parents of children aged 4-11 years delivered both online and in person. IY is delivered face-to-face termly over 12 weeks, often within a school setting to be targeted at the young people who the school identify as needing support. Spaces are offered to families outside of the school cohort as well. IY works with one or both parents to enable positive outcomes for the child/young person.
- Therapeutic Parenting Support (TPP) is a 6-week group programme for parents of children aged 4-11 years supporting parents to build a more positive relationship with their child.
- Personalised Individual Parent Training (PIPT) is an intensive 6-week 1-1 programme for parents of children aged 4-8 years. This programme works with the child/young person as well as one or both parents. It is designed to use the IY strategies to promote a positive relationship between the child/young person and the parent by reducing the oppositional/emotional dysregulation behaviour and increasing pro-social behaviour and compliance.
- Guided Self-Help (GSH) is a 6-week 1-1in-depth support working with one or both parents and works on themed extracts from IY to fit the individual needs of the child/young person.
- We are also currently developing ASD programme modules which will be available in 2025.
- Systemic Family Practice support will also be available in 2025.
Parents and professionals: For further information on our programmes, or to enquire about our upcoming courses please email Lewisham.Secure@eyalliance.org.uk
Professional refer using this downloadable referral form: please complete fully and email to Lewisham.Secure@eyalliance.org.uk
Blogs and Videos
Read our blog posts from our Parenting Therapists
OTHER PARENTING PROGRAMMES IN LEWISHAM
A range of other parenting programmes are available in Lewisham, such as Triple P, Triple P for Babies, EPEC and NVR.
For details of these and other parenting programmes running in Lewisham see the Family Hubs website.
FAMILY LEARNING
Early Years Alliance offer parents various free online sessions and courses — all delivered by professional early years experts — to help you support your child’s development.
We are currently offering our courses for free, thanks to support from the Department for Education:
Family Connect online sessions — Family Connects are one-off online events that provide an opportunity to connect with other parents and carers via Zoom and learn about topics relevant to families and children aged 0-5. The sessions are a chance to share ideas in how to support children’s early education and each other.
Confident communicators to tiny talkers — These three-week programmes take place on a rolling monthly basis. The programme offers a personal approach to family learning and will help you better understand how children like to learn. By taking part in a variety of fun activities together, the sessions will help improve communication between you and your child. Plus, you’ll have the chance to learn in small groups and meet and connect with other families online.
Being Together, My Baby and Me — A free online virtual three-week programme especially designed for families with babies. This online programme combines advice on baby’s learning and development with post-natal support for new parents.
Bumps to Babies: supporting learning through pregnancy and beyond — A one-hour session where we will discuss why the first 1001 days from conception to 2 years are so important and share ideas about how you can start to support your babies learning during pregnancy.
For further information, visit our Family Corner website: https://www.familycorner.co.uk/
FAMILY TIME TIPS
Early Years Alliance Family Time Tips offer fun, practical tips and advice to promote children’s learning and development. Activities have been chosen to ensure they positively support your child as they learn through play. Simply browse the different categories for ideas for fun with your family!
https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/family-time-tips-free-childrens-activities-try
CHOOSING CHILDCARE
Information on different types of childcare, what to look for and how to find it in Lewisham:
https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/children-and-families-information-service/childcare
https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/how-choose-right-childcare-and-early-education
USEFUL LINKS:
Early Years Alliance is one of the partners supporting BBC TINY HAPPY PEOPLE, a free online resource supporting parents to develop the language and communication skills of their children aged 0-4. They promote a simple message: talk with children as early as possible, they also have a range of information on parenting topics and child development.
Other useful links to help with the daily challenges of being a parent:
For information on keeping your child safe and healthy, and on safety in the home:
- Visit the Child Accident Prevention Trust website https://capt.org.uk/
- Visit the Family Hubs website Child Safety page : add link to the child safety page on the Family Hubs website
There are a range of helpful articles and advice to help with the challenges of being a parent and keeping children safe and well on the NSPCC website: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/
Health Visitors are registered nurses or midwives with a specialist qualification in public health. They work with families who have children between the ages of 0 and five. For details about how your health visitor can support you , and a wide range of useful articles and information go to https://myhv.lgt.nhs.uk/
Visit the excellent Families Under Pressure Website and watch some short videos about keeping positive and limiting conflict.
Mindful Mums offers award-winning, free wellbeing groups that help pregnant women and new parents look after their mental and emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and their baby’s first year. For more information: https://selmind.org.uk/mindful-mums/
For families with children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), visit our SEND Page.
If you need support with your wellbeing, visit our WELLBEING PAGE.
Help for single parents: https://www.gingerbread.org.uk/
Parenting and mental health: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/parenting-and-mental-health/
