Parenting isn’t easy and sometimes all we need is a little advice and guidance to get us back on track when things are tricky.
Parents who find reliable and positive approaches often feel able to support their children better. They can do so with creativity and resilience.
Our parenting support groups are a form of self-care that promotes both parents’ and children and young people’s mental health.
Parents that attend our advanced parenting groups say they have stronger relationships with their children after attending.
All our advanced parenting groups use methods based on research that demonstrate positive outcomes and are a reliable way to approach parenting.
All our groups are free to attend and run by trained facilitators. You can access most groups either face to face or online.
You can refer yourself to one of our groups by calling our children's front door team on 01275 888 808.
If you are a professional who wants to request a place for a family you are working with, you should complete the request for support form. You should email the completed form to childrens.frontdoor@n-somerset.gov.uk.
We have a variety of groups available that you can refer yourself to:
The Incredible Years basic programme is suitable for parents of children aged from three to six years.
It is suitable for parents of children with ADHD.
This 14-week programme helps parents to understand and manage their child’s behaviour.
The programme aims to help parents to:
The programme encourages parents to share their experiences to look at the benefits and challenges of each strategy to help children to learn new behaviours.
The Incredible Years school age programme is suitable for parents of children aged from six to eleven years.
It is suitable for parents of children with ADHD.
This 14-week programme is guided by cognitive social learning theory, child development and relationship building principles.
The programme uses video vignettes, observational and experiential learning and reflective methods to support parents to:
The Incredible Years autism and speech delay programme is for parents of children aged two to seven years.
The programme supports parents and carers to understand their child’s development and how they can best support them.
The 14-week programme focuses on developing language and social skills. It also promotes children’s emotional and self-regulation, to help them to develop positive relationships with others.
Parents will discover different ways to support positive behaviour and manage challenging behaviour.
Parents say they benefit from having the opportunity to meet other parents who have children of a similar age.
The Parents Plus parenting when separated programme is for parents of children aged from birth to 17 years.
It is suitable for parents of children with special educational needs.
This 6-week programme is for families going through separation, and who might be experiencing increased isolation and conflict.
Parents are supported to personally cope, and to co-parent effectively, to ensure their children cope and thrive.
This programme is practical, solution-focused and draws on parent’s strengths. It is suitable for parents who are preparing for, going through, or have gone through a separation or divorce.
Parents are supported to:
The Parent Plus adolescent programme is for parents of children aged 11 to 18 years.
It is suitable for parents of neurodiverse children.
The teenage years can be a challenging time for many families. By helping parents develop warm relationships with their teenagers you can reduce conflict and support teenagers to grow up as well-adjusted and happy adults.
This 8-week programme is practical, solution-focused and draws on parents’ strengths. It supports parents to:
The Parent Plus special needs group is for parents of children aged from 11 to 25 years.
It is suitable for parents who have a child with an intellectual disability.
Parents of children with additional needs or a disability can face significant challenges, especially during the adolescent years.
This eight-week programme is practical, solution-focused and draws on parents’ strengths.
It is suitable for parents who are raising an older child or adolescent with a mild, moderate, or severe intellectual disability, and who may also have an additional diagnosis, such as autism spectrum disorder or a physical disability.
As a parent or carer, learn how to:
You'll learn how to support your child to:
The Working Things Out programme is for young people aged from 11 to 17 years.
It is an eight-week programme run alongside the Parent Plus adolescent course.
Teenagers are vulnerable to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and poor self-esteem. With this practical CBT programme, young people are equipped with the right skills to cope positively and to overcome mental health problems.
We cover topics such as:
The Domestic Abuse Recovering Together group is suitable for women with children aged from seven to 14 years.
It is a 10-week group for mothers and their children who have experienced domestic abuse.
DART aims to help children recover from the adverse effects of domestic abuse by working with the mother and child together to strengthen their relationship. It also helps them both talk about and recover from the impact of domestic abuse.
Ideally mums will have already attended a recovery programme such as the Freedom programme.
Mums take part with one child at a time.
To attend any of the following groups, you need to be referred by a professional.
Mellow Mums is for mums with children aged from birth to five years.
We offer this group online and face-to-face.
The group is a 14-week intensive programme for mothers of babies and pre-school children to attend together.
Being a parent can be a very difficult job. Sometimes parents may:
By sharing good ideas and tips, all of us can develop our parenting skills, and become more confident about managing day to day life with our children.
We want to support you to uncover your own solutions and make friends along the way. If you would like to attend a Mellow group, a professional you know such as a support worker, GP, or school team can complete a referral on your behalf.
Mellow Dads is for dads with children aged from birth to five years.
We offer this group online and face-to-face.
The group is a 14-week intensive programme for fathers of babies and pre-school children to attend together.
Being a parent can be a very difficult job. Sometimes parents may:
By sharing good ideas and tips, all of us can develop our parenting skills, and become more confident about managing day to day life with our children.
We want to support you to uncover your own solutions and make friends along the way. If you would like to attend a Mellow group, a professional you know such as a support worker, GP, or school team can complete a referral on your behalf.
Non-violent resistance is for parents of children aged from nine to 18 years.
It is suitable for children who are neurodiverse.
Non-violent resistance is a 12-week intensive programme, which supports parents to address or resist aggressive, destructive, risk-taking, and other harmful behaviours in children and adolescents.
The young person will be using controlling behaviour towards the parent or carer which can take the form of physical violence, emotional abuse, or non-accidental damage in the home.
There is strong emerging evidence that non-violent resistance supports parents who have neurodivergent children who may be displaying violent, aggressive or angry behaviours.
If you would like to attend a non-violent resistance group, a professional you know such as a support worker, GP, or school team can complete a referral on your behalf.
The Parenting Village is a parenting support group ran by our family wellbeing parenting team.
It is free to attend and children of all ages are welcome.
This is a drop-in which is a relaxed and friendly place where parents and parenting specialists will be on hand to offer support, a listening ear and advice. You can also find out further information about the advanced parenting groups and how these might help to support you.
The Parenting Villages runs:
| Location | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Nailsea and Backwell Children’s Centre, Pound Lane, Nailsea, BS48 2NP | First Thursday of every month | 1.30pm to 3pm |
| Castle Batch Children’s Centre, Bishop Avenue, Worle, Weston-super-Mare, BS22 7PQ | First Friday of every month | 9.30am to 11am |
| Oldmixon Family Centre, Monkton Avenue, Weston-super-Mare BS24 9DA | Second Tuesday of every month | 9am to 11am |
| Clevedon Library, 37 Old Church Road, Clevedon, BS21 6NN | Third Monday of every month | 9.30am to 11am |