Tag Archives: Strabane

Sink or Swim Programme- Southern Trust

Duration: Every Wednesday for 6 weeks beginning on the 23rd of February 2022 for 1.5 hours from 10.00am – 11.30am

This programme provides parents with a greater awareness of mental health issues and deals sensitively with the issues faced by children when a parent is emotionally unwell.  For parents it can be difficult to explain to their children what is happening and for the child it is difficult to make sense of their parent’s attitude and behaviour. 

It offers practical tips and factual information to meet the child’s needs and reduce their anxiety when their parent is experiencing a mental health issue.

Online via Zoom

To register call us on freephone 0808 8010 722!

Odyssey Parenting Your Teen Strabane

Sound familiar? We can help!

The FREE Odyssey, Parenting Your Teen Programme will be running in Strabane from Thursday 1st October 2020!

Duration: 8 week programme – every Thursday from the 1st October for an hour and a half each evening
Aim: To improve the parent/adolescent relationship

The teenage years can be notoriously challenging but this programme can help you navigate your way through the reality of parenting teenagers.

The programme covers a range of topics and promotes the Authoritative Parenting style, which has been proven to be most effective. Odyssey, Parenting Your Teen is an evidence based programme and has been found to improve outcomes for parents, children and the whole family. 

The programme will be delivered online and these sessions will be available to parents living in the Strabane area. 

Odyssey Parenting Your Teen Topics

Call us now on 0808 8010 722 to register.

Freephone number currently available Monday – Thursday 9:30 am – 3:30 pm and Friday 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. 

This programme is being delivered free to parents thanks to funding from the Public Health Agency.

Parenting NI Celebrate 40th Anniversary in Strabane

John Crowe, Co-ordinator of the Professional Chef Diploma and Hospitality Lecturer at North West Regional College presents the 40th birthday cake created by students of the college to Cahir Murray and Muriel Bailey of Parenting NI.

Local parenting support charity celebrate special anniversary marking 40 years of supporting parents in Northern Ireland.

Forty years ago Parenting NI (formerly Parents Advice Centre) was established by a group of dedicated volunteers to support parents in Northern Ireland. The charity has continued to grow over the years, delivering a range of high quality services which have been specifically developed and tailored to meet the needs of parents.

Parenting NI continue to advocate for parents and the need for more support for families in order to ensure the best outcomes for children. The charity say that given the number of challenges many families are facing throughout Northern Ireland there is a continued demand for support services for parents.

Muriel Bailey, Director for Family Support Services, said

Research Parenting NI carried out last year found that 82% of survey participants said they do not feel parents get enough support. Parents’ answers indicated that they felt that society was not very supportive of those in a parenting role; so during our 40th year celebrations, and upcoming Parenting Week, we want to highlight the important role parents play in their children’s lives and celebrating the wonderful job parents do on a daily basis. Parenting isn’t always easy, and all too often we can focus on the times when things ‘go wrong’ so we want to focus on the positives and celebrate parenting.

We were delighted to hold a celebration event in The Parlor with Strabane Community Project on Friday 11th October with parents in the area. We are incredibly grateful to North West Regional College, who got their students involved in baking a birthday cake for us to enjoy with parents at the event.”

John Crowe, Co-ordinator of the Professional Chef’s Diploma at North West Regional College, said:

“Our Level 3 Hospitality students were honoured to be given the opportunity to create this cake and I have been extremely impressed with the hard work they have put in, to not only design the cake but also in creating it to such a high standard.

“The college is delighted to support Parenting NI as they mark this major milestone in their history.”

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr Michaela Boyle praised the work of Parenting NI in providing support and advice to parents. “As a parent myself I know how challenging it can be. I’m glad that this event offered parents the opportunity to not only find out about support services that are available, but also provided a chance to meet up with other parents, share experiences and celebrate all that is good about being a parent,” she said.

You can find out more information about Parenting NI and the services they offer at www.parentingni.org or call the Support Line for free on 0808 8010 722.

Families Together Sink or Swim Programme Strabane

FREE 6 Week Programme Supporting Mental Well-Being of Parents & Carers

Duration: Every Thursday for 6 weeks

Do you sometimes struggle with parenting? Are some days better than others? Many parents feel exactly the same way!

Sink or Swim explores the realities of parenting, while sharing tips & tools on how to look after your own mental health. 

All parents & carers welcome. Refreshments will be provided.

To register call us on freephone 0808 8010 722.

Families Together Sink or Swim Programme

FREE 6 Week Programme Supporting Mental Well-Being of Parents & Carers

Duration: Every Tuesday for 6 weeks

Do you sometimes struggle with parenting? Are some days better than others? Many parents feel exactly the same way!

Sink or Swim explores the realities of parenting, while sharing tips & tools on how to look after your own mental health. 

All parents & carers from Sion Mills & Strabane welcome. Refreshments will be provided.

To register call us on freephone 0808 8010 722. 

Strabane Parenting Apart Programme

The Families Together Project will be running the 6 week Parenting Apart programme, starting on Monday 23rd April.

Starts: Monday 23rd April
Time: 10 am – 12 noon
Duration: Every Monday for 6 weeks
Location: New Strabane Community Project Building, Barrack Street

The Parenting Apart programme is aimed at parents who have separated, are separating, divorced or thinking of divorce.

The programme will provide practical advice and guidance about what children need to know, and what parents can do to meet their children’s need. Although parents are immersed in their own difficulties, this programme can help parents focus on the child’s needs with the aim of minimising the impact of the separation.

The programme explores:

  • Emotional impact
  • Parenting roles
  • Changes in relationships
  • Legalities
  • Financial impact
  • Moving on

To register to attend contact Clare on 078 2539 2136 or complete the online expression of interest.

Strabane Walking on Eggshells

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Non Violent Resistance Programme

Due to funding stipulations for this programme is only available to women at this time. Men interested in this programme can contact our Helpline on 0808 8010 722 to be placed on a waiting list and contacted when the next suitable programme becomes available.

Duration: Every Thursday for 8 weeks
Aim: To provide parents with the skills to achieve a calmer and violent free home

Child to parent violence is an abuse of power through which the child or adolescent attempts to coerce, control or dominate others in the family.

The Parents Walking on Eggshells Programme uses the principles of Non Violent Resistance to help parents experiencing child to parent violence overcome their sense of helplessness, develop a support network, stop destructive behaviours inside the home and improve relationships between family members.

  • Overcome sense of helplessness
  • Develop a support network
  • Stop destructive behaviours
  • Improve family relationships

This programme is particularly suited to parents of children aged 8-16 years old.

All parents and carers need to complete an initial telephone assessment to ensure the programme is suitable for their family circumstances. Call 0808 8010 722 to complete and register. If you would prefer you can complete the Expression of Interest form at the bottom of the page and we will get in touch with you. Please note that sometimes this can take a few days.

Odyssey, Parenting Your Teen Strabane

Odyssey Strabane Sept 16 online useDuration: Every Thursday for 2 hours
Aim: To improve the parent/adolescent relationship

FREE for parents/carers to attend

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Leave me alone.”

“You’re a melter!” 

These phrases are often all too familiar for parents of teenagers. The teenage years can be notoriously challenging but Parenting NI and the Odyssey, Parenting Your Teen Programme can help you navigate your way through the reality of parenting teenagers.

Topics covered on the Odyssey, Parenting Your Teen Programme:

  • Teen Development
  • Self-Esteem
  • Setting boundaries
  • Rules and consequences
  • Dealing with conflict
  • Problem solving

The programme promotes the Authoritative Parenting style, which has been proven to be most effective.

The programme has been found to improve outcomes for parents, their teenagers and the family as a whole.

Call us now on 0808 8010 722 to register.

 

New Service Families Together in Local Schools

Pupils in Antrim and Strabane are celebrating the initial phase of an innovative new project being completed in their schools, which aims to improve outcomes for children and relationships in families.

The Families Together Project is a partnership between Parenting NI and New Life Counselling. The project has been awarded five years funding under the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Out Supporting Families Programme.

The Families Together project has been designed to help support and improve family lives by strengthening family cohesion by encouraging more open and effective communication between parents and their children. The project includes a number of programmes for parents and children which will provide them with a better understanding of each other’s needs and the skills to manage family relationship difficulties a different way in the future.

Pip Jaffa, CEO at Parenting NI said: “We are delighted to have received funding from the Big Lottery Fund to enable us to deliver the Families Together project with our partners New Life Counselling.” This project will work towards improving outcomes for children in these areas as well as encourage families to actively get involved in the school life.

“The project gives us an opportunity to work alongside the schools in providing additional support to local families. Programmes for parents are available in schools in Antrim and Strabane which will help them with issues such as managing stress, building resilience and confidence in their parenting skills and managing situations like separation and communication breakdown. We also hope that parents will become more involved in school life with informal events and activities throughout the academic year.”

Karen Collins, CEO at New Life Counselling said: “New Life Counselling is delighted to be working with Parenting NI in the delivery of this Lottery funded project. From our experience in working with schools we know how much the support provided will be welcomed. We aim to support young children and parents to develop emotional resilience skills and improve their emotional wellbeing.”

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Thomas Hogg commented, “Families Together is a fantastic project that provides an important and much needed service to families who want to improve relationships with their loved ones.  I am delighted to see this support available at three of our local primary schools in Antrim and trust that this will be a beneficial service to those who need it most.”

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Elisha McCallion says she is delighted Big Lottery funding has been secured to provide Families Together Project services in Strabane. “I am fully supportive of any initiative that  gives help, assistance and advice to families and that works to bring families closer together and help them develop better relationships. As a mother of three young boys myself I know how important it is to engage regularly with children and to listen to their views, their worries and their thoughts on all issues so that we can build on our relationship and learn to communicate better. This is a fantastic programme that offers something for both parents and children that will hopefully enhance and enrich the lives of families across the Strabane area.”

Throughout the week pupils from Ballycraigy Primary School, Parkhall Primary School, Six Mile Integrated Primary School, Sion Mills Primary School, St Catherine’s Primary School and St Mary’s Primary have enjoyed fun activities to mark the projects first year in their school.

It is hoped that as the project develops it will be possible to open it out to more schools to further benefit families in each area.

For media enquiries contact:
Emma Lyttle
Communications Officer at Parenting NI
T: 028 9031 0891
E: emmal@parentingni.org