Nia Bellot, Parent Programme Officer
On the SFSC Online Team, we are always discussing emerging challenges and issues that are identified by attending our courses. We value adapting the course content to address these topics and this has resulted in two regular (and very popular) courses supporting parents of neurodivergent children and promoting online safety.
In recognising cultural and community needs and with the support of freelance facilitators or interpreters, we have offered courses delivered in community languages including Arabic, Turkish, Urdu and Dari. We are pleased to be in discussions with an organisation about the possibility of delivering to deaf parents and those with hearing impairments, using a British Sign Language interpreter. This was a result of delivering an online course presentation to a community organisation in West London, which is funded to support the deaf community.
Our team has varied and extensive experience in parenting and working with communities – experience that we are always happy to share with others. This year, we have used our skills to adapt the course content to address the uniqueness of blended families and parenting as a single or non-biological parent.
Thinking about ages and stages of children, courses that address transitioning into secondary school are offered in the summer term. This term, we are focusing on children in Year 5 and looking at the development of their ‘Thinking Stages’, which we know parents can find challenging.
Commissioning Local Authorities and Voluntary Organisations have also come to us with requests to support their individual community needs. In response, the team has delivered closed groups in Dari, Pashto, and Turkish, contributed to programmes such as the role of Fathers in Parenting, and supported Peer Support Volunteers and Parent Champions.
The SFSC Building Blocks for Success gives us the opportunity to be creative and apply Blue Sky Thinking to the online courses. The scope is endless and we look forward to providing more to address the diverse needs of parenting and parents.
