Family Foundations

Family Foundations is a multi-agency parenting programme for families struggling with the behaviour of their children at home or at school. This is a structured programme for mums, dads, main carers and their child.

The first few sessions for the adults focus on building the foundation for a successful parent-child relationship. Later sessions look at how to cope with behaviour and also ways of communicating effectively with children and adults.

The children’s group or Dinosaur School is centred on three main characters: Dina, Wally and Molly who are puppets. The children empathise with the characters given to the puppets and develop their social and emotional competences in a safe secure environment whilst also dealing with more specific areas of problem solving, anger management and self- control strategies.

Applications for the programme are taken from agencies that are working with the families. Currently the programme runs twice a year at each side of the city.

The main criteria for applications are:

• Families are willing and able to attend 15 weeks of the programme.
• They are willing to participate and contribute to group work.
• Children are aged between 5 and 8 years.

A practitioner from the programme will visit the family after the application has been received to discuss the programme in more detail.

For further details of the programme contact Carole Thompson the Family Foundations Programme Co-ordinator E-mail: carole.thompson@york.gov.uk or contact Family Learning and Skills for Life on York 613161.