Parents and carers took part in a conference at the Professional Development Centre in Bethnal Green earlier this month (13th June) to share knowledge and positive experiences of bringing up children. The morning session provided mums, dads and carers with a platform to discuss challenges parents face and workshops on support for parenting and raising awareness of E-Safety. Seven year old Laura and her mother Jolanta attended Saturday’s session where they both had the chance to meet other families.
Jolanta, said: “The session was very helpful and I was very excited about attending. I learnt so much from the trainers who delivered the session and the video clips we watched showed us real life examples that I can really relate to. We all had the chance to speak to other parents and it was nice to see that we are not alone. The session answered a lot of my questions and I will definitely be enrolling onto future courses to find out more.” The Parent and Carer Council meets three times a year to discuss issues and services that may have an impact on local families. The latest event was held just 48 hours after John Biggs became mayor of Tower Hamlets, so he had not been involved in organising it in any way – or, for that matter, setting up and running the Parent and Carer Council. Nonetheless, John Biggs was fulsome in his praise for the Council and its event – which is being taken as a compliment to Mayor Rahman’s Administration.
John Biggs, said: “The Parent and Carer Council is a great way for parents and carers from across the borough to come together and talk about the challenges they face. The staff available during the sessions have a lot of experience offering advice and guidance and I am pleased last weekend’s session was a huge success.” Last weekend, 20th June, the Parental Engagement Team held another of their Dads’ Network Play Day events to help dads and male carers strengthen their relationships with their children through positive parenting.
The Team will be offering a number of drop-in advice sessions for parents during July and August. These sessions are for any parent who may be finding the school holidays long or stressful. The team will be available to offer positive parenting tips and advice on keeping children and young people safe and happy, along with lots of suggestions for things to do and places to go with the family over the long summer break.
•To find out more about the Parent and Carer Council, Dads’ Network or drop-in sessions for parents over the summer break, email or call the Family Information Service on 020-7364 6495.
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