I have got a child 5-11 years old

“How do you know you’re getting things right?”

When your child is 5-11 years old you will start to find new experiences and challenges. This section will give you information to support you and your family through this stage of life. If at any time you feel you can't find what you are looking for please use our 'ask anything' page.

Parenting courses, groups and services

Meeting with other parents gives you the chance to share experiences and ideas, learn new skills, get advice and information and most importantly you will feel better equipped to cope.

Some of the main courses and groups for this age range are:

• The Parenting Puzzle - also known as The Family Links Parent Nurturing Programme. Do you feel you need to gain more self confidence, learn how to nurture yourself and your children, whilst developing strategies to manage children's behaviour and improve relationships? Put the pieces together on The Parenting Puzzle.
• Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities - A community based programme to help parents and carers develop strategies for dealing with difficult situations with their children, build good relationships, share their values and manage anger and conflict in the home.
• Time out for... Family Matters York run a number of parenting programmes including; time out... for toddlers, for parents, for dads, for special needs and from anger
• Speakeasy - Does the thought of talking to your children about sex and relationships worry or confuse you? Speakeasy is a new course designed just for mums, dads and carers in York.
• Dinosaur School - Dinosaur is a parenting programme for families struggling with the behaviour of their children at home or at school.
• Quidz in - A 6-week course which gives parents the knowledge they need to talk with their children about money.

Parenting websites, helplines and text services

• Family Information Direct is a set of national websites, helplines and services for parents or carers. They deal with a wide range of topics and there will be one that is right for you!
• In York there are many different services that are available to support families. Take a look at our service directory to find a service that can meet your need.

Top Tips!

• Children don't come with a handbook! The Family Information Service have asked parents and carers for their 'top tips' to pass onto others. These tips won't work for every different type of family but you may find something that you can use.

Disability or additional needs?

• ASCEND (Autism Spectrum Condition Enhancing and Nuturing Development) - ASCEND is an 11 week programme run for parents of children who have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum.
• We have developed a set of information pages with parents and carers of disabled children. They contain information about what services are available locally and how to access them.
• CANDI stands for Children AND Inclusion. It is a parent-led forum for parents or carers of children with disabilities or additional needs.

Separating or Lone parent?

• The Centre For Separated Families provide advice, information and support for separated families in the York area. Services include individual telephone and email support, benefits advice, one-to-one counselling, referral for private grants and family holidays, parenting advice and training.

• Child maintenance is regular, reliable financial support that helps towards a child’s everyday living costs. The parent who doesn’t have main day-to-day care of the child pays child maintenance to the parent or person (such as a grandparent or guardian) who does, but it can be about more than just money. Child Maintenance Options have more information.