WELLBEING
“They do so much more than they think they do. All the small things, the chats, the advice, the encouragement and the way they treat everyone differently makes them so special.’’
Semhar
The wellbeing of the parents who come to the Parent House is at the heart of all that we do. We start with an informal meeting, a discussion about what the parent is looking for and what we could offer in terms of courses, one-to-one support, mentoring and so on.
Parents visit us with wide ranging needs and issues: concerns about their physical or mental health, social and financial problems, family worries and so on. We discuss with them ways of resolving some of their issues. We may suggest a course, one-to-one support or a mentor. Where we cannot provide what is needed at the Parent House we signpost parents to other organisations who will help them.
Wellbeing is one strand of of our offering, the others being Learning and Opportunity. They all overlap and complement each other. The Parent House work may focus on one or all of these depending on the individual needs of each parent. What they will always have is ongoing support.
Staff at the parent House listen to understand and always follow our safeguarding procedures. Follow the links for safeguarding policies for children and adults
The story below is fictional but based on various conversations we have had with parents. It is used to illustrate how by focussing on this parent’s Wellbeing she was able to move forward to consider Learning and potential Opportunity.
Kaya
Kaya was clearly very nervous and anxious, twisting the watch round on her wrist as we talked. With a cup of tea in her hand she began to relax a little. She told us that she was feeling very down and wanted to speak to someone. Her two young children were at school. She was struggling to make ends meet and sometimes she did not have enough food for them all to eat properly, so she would go without. Her husband was working but was out a lot and sometimes he was angry with her. Occasionally he lashed out at her. She said she felt very lonely and believed she was ‘useless’, a ‘failure’.
First of all we were able to offer her regular one-to-one support. This led to a place on a course on how to manage a household budget. She made friends on the course and became more confident. She began to manage her finances better. She started to think about a part-time job. Encouraged to take small steps by the Parent House, she is now looking for a volunteer placement and eventually hopes to get work as a shop assistant. Her relationship with her husband has improved a little. Staff will continue to support Kaya as long as she needs as she is still vulnerable.
“For me, the Parent House is a space I can just focus on myself.”
Yavonne