Parents

Family Links has teamed up with Netmums to offer three short online courses. To find out more click on

The Nurturing Programme

The Nurturing Programme is a 10 week course which helps improve relationships and emotional well-being within families.

It builds on the skills parents already have and suggests lots of ways to improve family life and manage the behaviour of children.

View our course book The Parenting Puzzle

View our DVD clip on Time Out, Behaviour and Discipline

Our Top Tips for parents

What Parents Say...

Lisa had a difficult upbringing, reflected in the way she was bringing up her own children. This is what she said after completing the Nurturing Programme.

"I feel different, I feel I am a good Mum, but I also feel I’m a good person and I like who I am now."

Fozia found out about the course through her local mosque. She said:

"I have done many courses before and after this parenting course, but I must say these were the 10 lessons in which I enjoyed and learned the most about my life."

Foster parent Michael felt panicky and frightened about doing the course. At the end of Week 1, he was already enjoying and finding it useful. At the end he wrote:

"I’ve learnt to be realistic about what we expect of foster children who have had a hard time... I’m sad it is the end. This is a perfect programme for children and parents."

Find out more about Lisa, Fozia, Michael and the experiences of other parents

The Nurturing Programme helps to improve parents' confidence. It suggests ways of maintaining effective positive discipline while gaining more understanding of your own and your child's emotional needs.

Among many different skills, parents attending the 10 week course learn to:

• recognise the value of consistency and set clear boundaries
• maintain positive discipline
• respect their own and their children's emotional needs
• become a more confident, understanding parent
• value and nurture themselves as parents and carers

Who is the Parent Nurturing Programme for?

Anyone who cares for children, whether parents, grandparents or guardians. It helps families from all social backgrounds whatever their level of need - it's equally effective for parents who are already confident and as an intervention.

Groups run in many different settings - for example in schools, as evening classes, for company employees, in residential care homes and in prisons. Groups meet weekly for 10 weeks with 2 Parent Group Leader facilitators and usually with a maximum of 10 parents. Please note that all our Parent Group Leaders facilitators are fully trained and supervised.

Find a parent group

Find out about what parent groups are running in your area.

• Contact your local Co-ordinator to discover if there is a parent group running locally.


• Contact your local health visitor or GP.


• Call your local Family Information Service and ask for details.

Tell Us What You Think About the Nurturing Programme

Have you taken part in a Family Links' parent group? We would love to hear how it helped you.

Please email and let us know what you think of the Nurturing Programme .