Events for Parents and Carers

Events for Parents and Carers

Would you like to know more about how parents and carers with lived experience can help others?   

We are delighted to announce a number of ways to get involved – whether you or someone you know might like to do it or want to set it up in your local area. 

• Introduction to PCPS – this will give you a quick one-hour overview if this is a new idea 
• The Basics of PCPS goes into more detail about what’s involved, and how you could get going 
• The full PCPS training course for parents and carers with a training session for their supervisors and for service leads

From needing support to supporting others 

Have you ever wondered if you could use your life experience to help other families?  Find out more at our information sessions and training courses.  

It can be life changing when you are supporting a child with mental health difficulties.  Everyone’s journey is different, with emotional highs and lows.  You may have good and bad experiences of asking for and getting help – and for many people this leads them to want to make sure that other families get the help they need when they need it.  

Turning your heartache and difficult life experiences into hope for others can be healing and this is at the heart of parent carer peer support. It is an opportunity to learn new skills, to contribute to the children and young people’s mental health workforce and make a difference to the lives of children, young people and families 

Starting June 2024 we are offering you two different options to find out more about parent carer peer support  - you are welcome to put your name down for both courses, all our courses free to attend. 

Introduction to Parent Carer Peer Support

A one-hour information session led by lived experience parent carer peer support workers will give you the basic information about what parent carer support workers do and help you think about whether the role might be right for you.  

We will cover: 

• What is parent carer peer support? 
• What do parent carer peer support workers do?  
• Where and how is parent carer peer support work delivered, within the voluntary sector, NHS and children’s services?  
• How can parent carer peer support workers link in with their local mental health support systems? 
• What should I do if I want to find out more?

Book your place on one of our Introduction to PCPS sessions

Monday 19 August 09:00 - 10:00 Book your place

Monday 23 September 14:00 – 15:00 Book your place

The basics of Parent Carer Peer Support

A four-hour session led by lived experience parent carer peer support workers and professionals. This looks more deeply into parent carer peer support to help you think more about whether it’s something you might like to do. The four hours can be completed in one go, or split over two days. 

Everyone who completes the four hours can request a certificate confirming participation from the Charlie Waller Trust.   

Topics will include:     

• A ‘day in the life of’ a parent carer peer support worker.   
• Positives and challenges in the role, for example how to begin supporting a family, and how to end that support when the time is right.    
• How do we keep it safe for the families we support and ourselves?   
• How do we meet the needs of our communities and provide inclusive support, which might be across a range of cultures or specifically for dads, for example, or where a child has a particular need, for example due to an eating disorder or neurodiversity.  
• How to get started:
  • Linking with existing support in your area.  
  • Starting up a service.  
  • Working in the voluntary sector. 
  • Working in the NHS or children’s services.   
  • What should I do if I want to find out more?    

Book your place on one of our sessions:

Friday 27 September 09:30 – 14:00 

This four-hour session includes an additional 30-minute break 

Book your place

Full Parent Carer Peer Support Course

Our full Parent Carer Peer Support (PCPS) training course starts in January 2025!  

If you are interested in the full course, please tell us now. It doesn’t commit you to anything but helps us ensure there are enough places to meet demand. This training is free to attend and will take place online. 

You may already know this is something you want to do or provide locally. Please register your interest and we will be in touch. 

Parents and Carers Register your interest 

Services and Commissioners Register your interest

For Services and Commissioners

Are you in a service or a commissioner wanting to improve your local offer to families and benefit your service? Find out more at our PCPS Information and CPD sessions for services and commissioners.