We have been lucky enough to support organisations and groups working with refugee and migrant-background families. These programmes are 10-week courses consisting of group seminars on parenting and child development.
The programmes run over 8 to 10 weeks and can include one-one coaching sessions with individual families where further support is required. Seminars are interactive, discussion-based with practical examples, role-plays and other activities to aid learning. The programme is designed to be tailored to fit the needs of your community and can be carried out with or without an interpreter, depending on parents’ level of English language.
- 8 – 10 seminars – seminars are 2 hours (without interpretation) or 3 hours (with an interpreter).
- One-one coaching sessions are conducted at families’ homes for 1 hour, each family receives two sessions per course.
- A field trip to a local nature play school, where we explore the benefits of nature for children’s learning and development and support parents to be comfortable with risky play and the outdoors.
- Take home learning resources for parents and play activities for children, translated into their first language.
- Ongoing support that helps make play easy and accessible for all families is provided at the conclusion of the parenting programme through a subscription to Let’s Play, an at-home child-led play initiative.
We have been privileged to work alongside Red Cross, Ministry of Education, Phillipstown Kidsfirst Kindergarten and the Department of Internal Affairs with these programmes.
You have made me feel like a better mother. I recognise all the good things I can do. (Chinese parent graduate)
The sessions on discipline had a big impact on me. It has helped me manage my child's behaviour - before I wouldn't know what to do. I didn't know there were ways to change, I thought it was just the way some children are. Now I feel like I have options and it has made me feel much calmer. (Eritrean parent graduate)
Coming from a refugee camp where it was stressful, it is hard to parent properly. It is not a good situation for kids, and you feel that every day...It is hard to focus on parenting. Coming here it is a relief to think about these things, but then we do not know some ways to parent... this course has been helpful in providing this knowledge. (Eritrean parent graduate)