Khulisa recently showcased our trauma-informed parent/carer initiative as winners of the Innovation and Intrapreneurship Award.
We took part in the Fair Education Alliance (FEA) showcase, where Khulisa and 8 other winners shared our ideas for innovation to help tackle the root causes of education inequality. We have been working with the FEA over the past year to design and refine our idea, and were then given the opportunity to celebrate this work alongside a group of experts and key individuals in the education sector.
Our initiative is a trauma-informed parent/carer programme, where we support their wellbeing and develop their capacity to emotionally help their children.
What we’ve learnt so far:
- We have learnt that schools are increasingly hearing from parents struggling to support their children's wellbeing.
- We interviewed teachers exploring their views of parent/carers' challenges, needs, characteristics and motivations - they expressed that there was a lack of support, and a fear of being stigmatised if they ask for support.
- We interviewed parents/carers at MCA - several themes emerged from this, including social isolation, shame and concerns about their children’s mental health.
What’s next:
- We will be running an exploratory pilot with parents later in the year.
- We will run a focus group to consider the programme content.
- The parenting wellbeing programme will be a part of Khulisa's 'Whole School Approach', which aims to create trauma-informed environments for young people, with key adults in their lives who are able to respond sensitively to their needs.
We’re honoured to have been able to take part in this process with the FEA, and look forward to expanding our parent/carers offer. In the meantime, if you’re a parent or carer who would like support with looking after the emotional wellbeing of your child, you can access our free resources here: