Events for Services and Commissioners

PCPS Events for Services and Commissioners 2024

Are you thinking about how parents and carers with lived experience can help others and improve your local service offer to families?

We are delighted to announce a number of CPD sessions to help you think about how best to work with your parents and carers who would like to get involved in supporting their peers.  

Whether you are a professional, service lead or a commissioner, VCSE, NHS or from a Children’s service, these sessions will help you plan and deliver a model that works for your local area.

Introduction to PCPS – This one-hour session provides a concise overview for those new to the idea of PCPS (See below for more details)

The Basics of PCPS – This three-hour session goes into more detail about whats involved and introduces you to a range of models of care delivering PCPS in CYPMHS and Eating Disorders services across all settings (See below for more details)

Full PCPS Training Course – This is a full PCPS training course for parents and carers, with training sessions for their supervisors and service leads (See below for more details)

Harnessing the power of parent carer peer support

Parent carer peer support (PCPS) workers with lived experience of supporting a child or young person with a mental health problem have a lot to offer. In particular, they can offer a safe, non-judgmental space for other parents and carers to learn from each other. 

They can rapidly help boost capacity in the system, building on partnership work with voluntary sector organisations and encouraging mutual aid.  

These interventions have been widely welcomed: a recent evaluation using standardised and validated measures as well as qualitative interviews, concluded that over 90% of those who responded would recommend a parent carer peer support service if a friend needed similar help. More than 80% agreed that a parent carer peer support service knew how to help with their problems or was working with them to help with their problems. 

This new emerging workforce needs encouragement, support and understanding. To help you find out more, and how parent carer peer support could help your local families and services, we’re offering three different sessions this summer and autumn. You are welcome to put your name down for any combination of them.

Full Parent Carer Peer Support Course

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

You may already know this is something you to provide locally. Please complete the expression of interest form below and we will be in touch. Telling us now helps us to plan enough places to meet demand, and it doesn’t commit you to anything. Please complete the expression of interest form below. 

Service and Commissioners 

Register your interest

Option 1: Introduction to parent carer peer support

A one-hour continuing professional development (CPD) introductory information session led by lived experience parent carer peer support workers and professionals.    

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 do parent carer peer support workers link in with their local mental health support systems?
• What are the benefits and challenges for services?
• What to think about when getting your service ready for parent carer peer support.
• What should I do if I want to find out more?   

Book your place on one of our Introduction to PCPS sessions

Thursday 15 August 12:00 - 13:00  Book your place

Wednesday 11 September 16:00 - 17:00  Book your place 

Option 2: The basics of Parent Carer Peer Support

A three-hour session led by lived experience parent carer peer support (PCPS) workers and professionals to give you a more in-depth idea of what is involved.      

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

Topics will include:     

• Case studies from other services.
• Positives and challenges - beginnings and endings
• How do we keep it safe for the families we support, our PCPS workers and our service?     
• How do we meet the needs of our communities? Providing inclusive support whether across a range of cultures, to dads, where a child has a particular need eg eating disorders, neurodiversity. 
• How to get started:  
  • Linking with existing support in your area.  
  • Starting up a service.  
  • Working with the voluntary sector.  
  • Working with other statutory services.    
• What should I do if I want to find out more?  

Book your place on one of our Basics of PCPS courses

Wednesday 18 September 09:30 - 12:30  Book your place

Have you ever wondered if you could use your life experience to help other families?   

Find out more at our PCPS Information sessions and training courses for parents and carers.    

Learn more