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Meet the team Peter loves cooking, going to the gym, kayaking and walking his dog Lyra! Peter Leonard Chief Executive Contact Peter Sally loves travelling, fruit and nut chocolate and her Jack Russell Fern. Sally Alden Director of Funding & External Relations Contact Sally Rowen loves music, football and is a keen cyclist. Rowen Smith Director of Training ​ Contact Rowen Pip enjoys paddleboarding, meals out and walks on Dartmoor. Pip Collyer Director of Operations ​ Contact Pip Rebecca loves gardening, growing vegetables, and collecting house plants (especially orchids!). She started working at The Centre for Emotional Health in 2016. Rebecca Carrott Management Accountant Contact Rebecca Thomas is a very keen cook, and enjoys reading (especially history and fantasy), rural hill walking, painting, and playing strategy board games. Thomas Carrott Training Operations Lead ​ Contact Thomas Luce loves live music (preferably at festivals!), good food, football, dog walking and her family & friends. Luce Carter Programme Implementation Lead ​ Contact Luce Alison loves building relationships with people in & out of the office. A self-confessed coffee snob, cat lover & proud mum of 2 grown-up boys, her happy place is the great outdoors. Alison Duffy Head of Business Development ​ Contact Alison Kitty enjoys trying different cuisines & travelling. Care taker of the office plants. Has a penchant for all things cats and fashion. Kitty Fong Digital Systems Manager ​ Contact Kitty Helen enjoys having friends over for themed dinner parties, playing games and having kitchen discos with her family. Helen Gamble Training Lead ​ Contact Helen Donna started at The Centre for Emotional Health in November 2003 in a broom cupboard for a stock room! 21 years later and Donna now has a small warehouse. Donna Gardner Warehouse Manager & Training Supplies Coordinator Contact Donna Lyndsay loves Jane Austen, reading food menus, wearing bright colours and Christmas. She also adores her rescue dog and travelling to remote Scottish islands with her husband and 2 children. Lyndsay Harrison Regional Trainer Contact Lyndsay Rosie loves all things Italian, especially pasta and ice cream and is always looking forward to visits to Venice and Birmingham to admire the canals. Rosie Hatton Regional Trainer Contact Rosie I am an animal lover, who enjoys walking, has a passion for travelling, new experiences and Food!! Maxine Hertlein Head of Finance ​ Contact Maxine Loves singing along to the musicals, countryside walks, learning about local history and is researching her family tree. Loves words games and enjoys the company of her husband and four grown up children. Penny Jenner Purchase Ledger Administrator Contact Penny Alan loves travelling (especially on a shoestring), music, and being the proud dad of his young son Alan Kennedy Online Training and Systems Administrator Contact Alan Robin loves building and riding bikes, and running one (and only one) marathon each year. Robin Lerner Strategic Head of Impact and Research Contact Robin Hannah loves spending time outdoors and exploring new places - whether it’s abroad or close to home. She also enjoys baking, reading, theatre trips & dancing! Hannah Partis Partner Engagement Coordinator Contact Hannah Sylwia has been working for The Centre for Emotional Health for nearly 6 years. Sylwia enjoys walking, listening to music and watching Netflix. Sylwia Siadala Training & Events Administrator ​ Contact Sylwia Can be found listening to music, going to gigs, practicing calligraphy, spending time with friends and family and being a proud mum to her daughter. Amy Swapp Resources Coordinator ​ Contact Amy Mary loves sharing food around the table with family & friends, swimming in a warm sea, & music of almost all kinds. Mary Taylor Head of Parent Programmes Contact Mary Verity began working for The Centre for Emotional Health in 2017 and thoroughly enjoys working with such a fantastic team! Verity has a keen interest in sports and fitness and loves live music and theatre. Verity Watson Office Manager ​ Contact Verity Currently on secondment from the Civil Service Fast Stream, passionate about international relations and languages. In his spare time he loves to follow Tottenham Hotspur and stay active with the gym, running and swimming. Tom Yates Systems Review Coordinator (Charity Next Secondee ) Contact Tom Our Trainers We have a team of around 30 trainers based throughout the UK, who deliver our training. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds with many specialist areas of expertise.

We provide high quality training courses and resources for professionals working with families, parents and carers including foster carers and adoptive parents in a variety of settings. Our approach is relational and empowering and highlights the link between behaviour and feelings in the context of relationships. Our programmes develop self-awareness, empathy and self-regulation, supporting people to build and maintain positive relationships. Read our Commissioner Guide Information for Family Hubs We are proud to have worked alongside Demos to produce the paper Strong Foundations: Why everyone needs good Emotional Health – and how to achieve it. Read the executive summary Read the report & their recommendations Find out what Emotional Health is News and blog posts Podcast series: Emotionally Speaking Importance of Emotional Health in the workplace Emotional Health and Me View all news Mental Health & Wellbeing Awards Finalist Badges NCVO logo CPDMember-logo white space Fair Education Alliance Living Wage Employer 1/1

Training Calendar These face-to-face and online training courses are open to all and you can book one or several places here. New dates are added every few months, so please re-visit for the latest availability. For training just for your team, please get in touch . Read our Commissioner Guide For those who haven't completed Parent Group Leader training Parent Group Leader (PGL) training course to deliver the 10 week Nurturing Programme Parent groups need to be delivered by 2 trained Parent Group Leaders, with each PGL trained in the specific programme being delivered. Please read the notes on training courses delivered online before booking. Specialist Training for Parent Group Leaders Parent groups must be delivered by 2 trained Parent Group Leaders, with each PGL trained in the specific programme being delivered. Please read the notes on training courses delivered online before booking. Online training Things to note about our online training Our interactive training is delivered via Zoom (please get in touch if this presents a problem). It is important that participants use their own laptop and do not share with a colleague. A joining link and password will be emailed in advance. To join the training, a reliable internet connection and a device with camera, microphone and speakers is required. Please join promptly – the training will be locked after 10 minutes for security reasons. We ask that cameras are left on to enhance the training experience. Technical support is available on the day. Using Zoom: For the best experience, we recommend using a laptop or PC and that the Zoom desktop app is used. Alternatively, Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge browsers can be used. If using a work device, please check in advance with your IT team that participants have the appropriate permissions with the settings & software needed to join a Zoom meeting. Participants may be asked to enter a full name when joining if they do not have a Zoom account. Got a question? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page . Training for Education Settings We have a range of courses that we facilitate in Education settings (see overviews) . Please get in touch with the Education team if you would like to discuss the options, education@emotionalhealth.org.uk Training for Workplaces If you are interested in an Emotional Health at Work workshop for your team or your organisation, please get in touch .

Accessibility statement Our commitment to website accessibility We are committed to making our websit e as accessible as possible. We want everyone to be able to use it, no matter what their impairments are and what devices they use. Web accessibility best practice guidelines have been taken into consideration in the creation of this site, including WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 . Adapting the website to your needs To give you a better experience of our website you can change the settings on your computer to suit your individual needs. For example, you might change the website’s colours, the document background, increase the text size, or use a screen reader to have the site spoken aloud. If you need help to customise your experience either using features already on your computer or by installing extra assistive technologies, visit: AbilityNet's My Computer, My way The Web Accessibility Initiative’s Better Web Browsing: Tips for Customising your Computer Known problems with our website’s accessibility We know that there are some accessibility problems, and we are aiming to fix them as soon as we can. Some websites we link to may not have been tested for their accessibility. Some of our PDF or other download documents may not work correctly with screen readers. Some of our videos do not have audio-description/subtitles. Some of our images may not have appropriate alt text descriptions. Some of our web pages may not be marked up correctly so may not work correctly with screen readers. Contact us if you have problems using this website and we will be happy to help you. All constructive feedback about the accessibility or usability of our website is welcome and we promise to consider it carefully. ​ (Updated in April 2023)

Resources for parents Step by step guides Giving praise effectively 9 easy steps to give praise effectively Steps for empathy 10 easy steps to show and develop your empathy Time to calm down 10 steps for giving time to calm down Choices and consequences 7 steps for giving choices and consequences Active ignoring 8 steps for active ignoring unwanted behaviour Problem solving 7 steps for problem solving Negotiating 8 steps for negotiating and agree on a compromise Practice sheets Family Links Practice Sheets Time to calm down; family rules; problem solving and more Kindness Charts What they are and how you can use them in your family Kindness Chart Templates Download your own chart to print and use! Blank Jigsaw Puzzle Download a blank puzzle to fill out. Tips and resources Parenting top tips Giving praise, creating boundaries, time to calm down and more Diversity, privilege and prejudice Helping our children learn about these topics Time to play! Fun and free or cheap activities to play with your children at home Internet Safety 6 tips for keeping children and young people safe in the digital world YouTube playlist (English) Tips to improve family life from The Parenting Puzzle DVD YouTube playlist (Urdu) Tips to improve family life from The Parenting Puzzle DVD The Parenting Puzzle Book The best-selling guide to parenting Talking about Dependable Relationships Talking about Dependable Relationships A guide for parents of KS3/KS4 pupils that helps them have supportive conversations Talking about Relationships & Values A resource created to help parents inform their child’s learning about relationships Recommended organisations and resources Child Bereavement UK A resource to help bereaved children and families to understand and manage grief BBC Tiny Happy People Resources to help you develop your child's communication skills WHO: Physical activity Guidance on physical activity, sedentary behaviours and sleep for children under 5 Dadvengers A platform to support fathers in their parenthood journey Internet Safety A list of internet safety websites Recommended books Books to read with children More recommended books Books for children about feelings, emotions and diversity Was this helpful? If our resources have supported you to get the best from your family life, especially during these challenging times, please do let us know. We love to hear from parents and as a charity, it helps us to know that we are on the right track as well as demonstrate the impact that our programmes have on families. Email us

Education Zone Our vision is for every child and adult to be able to realise their individual potential, enjoy positive relationships and live healthy and fulfilled lives. Schools play a vital role in preparing children and young people for healthy, dependable relationships throughout their lives. Evidence shows that by prioritising relationships in every area of school life, schools can improve many things - including mental health, staff retention, parent engagement, behaviour and academic performance. This page has resources to support School Leaders and educationalists to help young people to achieve the healthy dependable relationships they need to thrive. School Leadership Principles of Excellence in Relationships Education The Principles are an essential tool for school leaders to improve the wellbeing of the school community by putting relationships at the heart of everything they do and can support the compulsory Relationship Sex and Health Education curriculum. Reflective Practice Aid The Thriving pupils, thriving school community resource has been developed to support school leaders to apply The Principles of Excellence in Relationships Education within their school communities. Nurturing Programme Approach Evaluation Summary This evaluation focuses specifically on the work that Family Links has been doing with schools in the Oxford area where it has been delivering its Nurturing Programme Approach, a whole school approach to emotional health. Teacher Resources Browse our online shop As well as the free downloadable resources in this section we also have a range of resources to support emotional health in education settings: from childcare to secondary and beyond, in our shop. Commitment: What Does it Mean? Quality assured by the PSHE Association and developed with chart-topping rapper Nick Brewer this Key Stage 3 resource gives young people the opportunity to consider commitment and its importance to healthy dependable relationships. Commitment & Families Produced with award-winning educational resource TrueTube, this free resource aimed at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 learners centres on the real-life experiences of four diverse and inclusive families filmed in their homes and communities. Relationships & Values Developed with RSHE consultant Catherine Kirk, these two Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 lessons encourage young people to explore their own and others values around relationships and become agents for change in order to challenge unhelpful messages and representation of relationships in the media. Mental and Emotional Health in Schools This free CPD certified online course helps school staff recognise and respond to signs of poor mental health and support their own and other's emotional health, increasing mental wellbeing in schools. Parent Guides Talking about Dependable Relationships A resource for parents of KS3 and KS4 pupils that helps them have supportive and productive conversations with their children about relationships, including how to support their child’s learning in school. Talking about Relationships & Values A resource created to help parents inform their child’s learning about relationships and values and how they can support teaching in school. Was this helpful? If our resources have supported you to help young people to achieve the healthy dependable relationships they need to thrive. We'd love to hear from you and as a charity, it helps us to know that we are on the right track as well as demonstrate the impact that our programmes have on school life. Email us

At Home “What we like most about using the Nurturing Programme approach with families is that it takes such a relational approach. It’s a joy for our workers to use and the parents get so much out of it right from week one.” Diane Gray–Stephenson, Senior Parenting Practitioner Early Help Parenting Team, Manchester City Council We offer training courses in parenting programmes and approaches that allow practitioners to work professionally, confidently, effectively and safely with parents and children to improve their family relationships and emotional health. ​ We provide programmes suitable for parents of children from 0 -19 years, underpinned by the Nurturing Programme and developing an understanding of behaviour in the context of relationships. At Home | At School | At Work All Ages Parent Group Leader training (10-week Nurturing Programme for Parents) This 4-day training course equips practitioners with everything needed to deliver the 10-week Nurturing Programme for parents. It focuses on facilitation skills as well as the content of the programme and includes a manual that gives clear and detailed step-by-step guidance for each session. ​ ​ ​ Find out more Antenatal Welcome to the World This 2 or 4-day training course provides practitioners with the skills, knowledge and resources needed to deliver the 8-week Welcome to the World programme for parents. The focus is on the emotional health of the parents and baby, and the relationships between them; and emphasises the importance of supportive, positive facilitation from the practitioner. ​ Find out more Teenagers ​ Talking Teens This 1 or 2-day training course is for practitioners who wish to offer the 4-week Talking Teens programme for parents of teenagers. The groups focus on relationships within the family, communication, negotiating, decision-making and strategies to reduce conflict. ​ ​ ​ Find out more Early Years Parenting Puzzle Workshops This 1-day training course is for practitioners who have already trained as Parent Group Leaders and wish to offer a shorter intervention for parents of children under 5. The course provides the knowledge, skill and resources to deliver the four 2-hour workshops. ​ ​ ​ Find out more Early Years | Primary Playful Parenting Workshops This 1-day training course is for practitioners who have already trained as Parent Group Leaders or Welcome to the World Group Leaders. The course provides the knowledge, skills and resources to deliver two 2-hour workshops to parents. ​ ​ ​ ​ Find out more Early Years | Primary Playful Parenting CPD This 1-day CPD course is suitable for all practitioners and highlights the importance of play and of building attachment through play. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Find out more All Ages Keeping Your Child in Mind This 1 or 2-day training course is for practitioners who wish to offer the 4-week Keeping Your Child in Mind programme for parents/carers. ​The groups focus on relationships within the family and in particular the influence of parental relationships on children, including when there might be conflict and tension. ​ ​ Find out more All Ages Refresher Days This 1-day CPD course is for practitioners who have completed their training to deliver Parent Groups. It provides the opportunity to revisit the fundamental principles of the programme and enhance their parent support skills. Relevant updates and national initiatives will be included. ​ ​ ​ Find out more All Ages ​ Working One to One with Parents This 2-day training course promotes a consistent approach to developing family relationships and positive behaviour management strategies. It prepares staff to work effectively with parents using The Nurturing Programme on a one-to-one basis. ​ ​ ​ Find out more All Ages Working with Families with Multiple Challenges (Previously known as Working with Families with Complex Needs.) This 1-day training course is for practitioners who have already completed the PGL training or the Working One to One with Parents training. It equips staff to work effectively with families who are experiencing particular challenges and to support them in developing and maintaining a consistent and positive approach. Find out more All Ages ​ Parenting, Culture and Religion This 1-day training is for practitioners working directly with families. It enables them to build successful relationships within a diverse community. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Find out more Teenagers Understanding Teenagers This 1-day CPD course is for those working with parents of teenagers and/ or teenagers themselves. It provides an opportunity to understand teenage brain development and the adolescent developmental process. ​ ​ ​ ​ Find out more Primary | Teenagers Stress and the Brain in Children and Teenagers This half-day interactive session is for teachers, family support practitioners, youth workers and others who are interested in understanding more about what children and young people need from adults to help them manage stress. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Find out more All Ages Working with Muslim Families This 1-day training will equip practitioners to work effectively with Muslim families. Based on the well-established Parenting Puzzle and Islamic Values programme, the course specifically considers how positive parenting strategies relate to Islamic values and religious teaching. ​ ​ ​ Find out more All Ages Supervision Training This half day, experiential course is for professionals who supervise trained Parent Group Leaders who deliver the Nurturing Programme to parents and carers. It is ideal for those who are new to supervision as well as those who would welcome extra ideas and structure to enhance what they are already doing. ​ Find out more All Ages Other Specialist Programmes The Nurturing Programme for Parents in Prison. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Find out more All Ages Parent Group Leader training with Islamic Values This specialist 5-day training course equips practitioners to deliver 10-week Nurturing Programme parent groups to all parents in the community. It increases the programme's relevance and meaning for the Muslim community by relating the content to Islamic Values. ​ ​ Find out more

Patrons We support Family Links because it is a charity that addresses one of the biggest issues right at source: if you can get family life to work positively so many other things fall into place. Alexander & Hannah Armstrong Alexander is originally from Rothbury, Northumberland. He attended Cambridge University where he joined the Footlights and went on to form a comedy double act with Ben Miller. In addition to The Armstrong & Miller Show, Alexander is a regular host on Have I Got News For You and also presents Pointless on BBC1. Since 2004 he has been married to Hannah who is full-time mother to their four boys. ​ Dr Stephen J Bavolek (1947 - 2023) Dr Bavolek was a recognised leader in the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect and of parenting education and has been promoting non-violent parenting practices since 1983. He was the creator of the Nurturing Parenting Program upon which our Nurturing Programme is based. ​ Sally Hogg Sally is the Senior Policy Fellow in the Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL) at the University of Cambridge. Previously, Sally was Deputy CEO at the Parent-Infant Foundation. ​ Sally has had a varied career in charities, national & local governments, leading teams to develop and implement interventions for families in the early years, and campaigning successfully to drive policy change. ​ The Countess of Inchcape Director of the Glenapp Estate Company and a Trustee of the Inchcape Foundation. She teaches a deep relaxation technique called Help Yourself which is a synthesis of other techniques she has learnt. A mother and grandmother and involved in the activities of Family Links since its inception. ​ Annette Mountford, MBE Annette introduced the Nurturing Programme to the UK in 1992 and was Chief Executive until March 2015. In 1997 she founded Family Links in order to reach children in schools as well as parents in the community. Her experiences in health visiting, education and parenthood were her core assets. ​ Professor Richard Pring, PhL, BA, PhD Retired after 14 years as Director of the Department of Educational Studies at Oxford University. He has since been Lead Director of the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training and continues to work with his Aga Khan University in Karachi. He is also President of Socialist Education Association and National Association of Pastoral Care, and a member of the executive committee at Philosophy of Education Society of GB. We used to have generations of child-rearing wisdom embodied in grandparents and village elders, available in the home or just down the road. Families are so scattered now that that sort of help isn’t so easy to come by. That’s why Family Links is so important. Sir Philip Pullman, CBE Best known as a writer whose books appeal to both adults and children. He spent many years as a middle-school teacher, writing plays for school performances and inspiring pupils to be creative themselves. He is a patron and active supporter of the Pegasus Youth Theatre in Oxford, The Story Museum in Oxford and the pressure group Save Kids TV. (Photo courtesy of Chris Boland ) We used to have generations of child-rearing wisdom embodied in grandparents and village elders, available in the home or just down the road. Families are so scattered now that that sort of help isn’t so easy to come by. That’s why Family Links is so important. James Sainsbury James is chair of trustees of the Resurgence Trust, which publishes “Resurgence and Ecologist” magazine. He is also President of Home-Start UK and a trustee of the Tedworth, Headley and Staples trusts, the Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund and the Voices Foundation and a patron of Best Beginnings.

At Home | At School | At Work Stress and the Brain in Children and Teenagers Primary | Teenagers This half-day interactive session is for teachers, family support practitioners, youth workers and others who are interested in understanding more about what children and young people need from adults to help them manage stress. The session covers: ​ Stress and brain development Types of stress The development of the stress response before birth and in early childhood The impact of adversity, trauma and threat The importance of relationships How adults can support children and young people to manage stress ​ The session includes presentation and opportunities for group discussion. ​ Testimonials “Informative and helpful. Will definitely help us to support parents to understand their teenagers development.” ​ “Understanding the brain and it's different functions will help my practise.” ​ “Very helpful for practitioners to understand how to support teens, children and their parents using scientific and evidenced based information.” Book Individual Places Check our training calendar for online training availability. Book now Training Options​​ Online in groups of up to 20 people.

At Home | At School | At Work Emotional Health in the Workplace presentation Presentation Benefits​ An initial presentation on emotional health in the workplace to: Learn more about emotional health and why it matters for your organisation The importance of psychological safety for effective teamwork The role of daily habits of relating in the workplace ​This 1-hour presentation can be for a larger group of employees or a more interactive presentation for a smaller group of leaders or managers. ​ Who is it for Any workplace large or small Leadership/ Management teams Whole teams HR managers Occupational health staff Mental health first aiders Wellbeing support workers or leads Anyone with an interest in supporting emotional health in the workplace Book Presentation Contact us to discuss or find out more. 01865 401800 work@ emotionalhealth .org.uk

At Home | At School | At Work Programme Overview Parenting Puzzle Workshop This is an overview of the 4-session programme that professionals who attend our one-day training course will deliver to parents. Programme Summary ​ The course consists of four two-hour workshops for groups of parents of children under 5 years old and is usually delivered in children’s centres, schools or early years settings. ​ Programme Content ​ Workshop 1 Understanding your children’s behaviour Listening and how babies and children communicate Praise and encouragement Workshop 2 Praise and guidance Power of play and positive moments Workshop 3 Boundaries and parenting styles Understanding and managing behaviour Looking after ourselves Workshop 4 Dealing with stress and conflict Developing the Family Toolkit ​ Outcomes For Parents & Children ​ The aims of the programme are to: ​ introduce the Four Constructs (Building Blocks) for positive, constructive relationships and calm, confident parenting develop parents’ understanding of empathy develop parents’ understanding of the importance of listening and communication explore the power of praise and positive interaction increase parents’ understanding of the power of play promote positive approaches to discipline and boundary setting develop an understanding of the importance of nurture of self and others in family relationships Parents feel more confident and have greater understanding of their children’s feelings and needs and how their children communicate these. They have an increased repertoire of parenting strategies to support their child’s development and school readiness. ​ Resources For Parents ​ The Parenting Puzzle book ​ The Parenting Puzzle booklets (available in 8 languages) ​ Impact & Evidence Click link for evidence to support the effectiveness of the Parenting Puzzle Workshop . ​ Return to course page

At Home | At School | At Work Working One to One with Parents All Ages This 2-day training course promotes a consistent approach to developing family relationships and positive behaviour management strategies. It prepares staff to work effectively with parents using The Nurturing Programme on a one-to-one basis. The training can be delivered online (open training only) or face to face. This training is aimed at people who are either new to the Nurturing Programme or who have not delivered it for a while and need a refresher on the content, especially with a view to delivering it on a one-to-one basis. Learning Outcomes ​ On completion of the training, practitioners will be able to: understand the Four Constructs of the Nurturing Programme and how to build emotional health and positive relationships between parents and children demonstrate how to improve parents’ self-esteem, confidence and skills to encourage positive behaviour in children use a problem-solving approach to work with parents develop trust and build relationships to work in partnership with parents develop consistency of practice in team and multi-agency work ​ Course Overview & Cost ​ Click link to download the Working One to One with Parents training course overview. This training course has been mapped against the National Occupational Standards for Work with Parents. ​ Resources Included in training cost: Working One to One With Parents booklet The Parenting Puzzle book ​ Testimonials ​ “This has been one of the best trainings I have ever been on. Really well facilitated, using simple, fun techniques with lots of passion. So valuable to hear and think about strategies in relation to real family situations, which are often far more complex and nuanced than any case study dares to be. I have learnt so much and will definitely take tips away for when I deliver training and when I work 1:1. The Working 1:1 with Parents should be available to everyone who works with children/ parents.” Book Team Training Contact our At Home team to discuss or find out more. ​ 01865 401800 training@ emotionalhealth .org.uk Book Individual Places Check our training calendar for online and face-to-face training availability. Book now Training Options ​ ​ Face-to-face for groups of up to 16 people. Online individual places available on open training. Other training available To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.