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The Havering Empowering Parents Empowering Communities (EPEC) Hub

The Havering Empowering Parents Empowering Communities (EPEC) Hub offers accredited courses for parents and carers. Designed by the NHS Centre for Parents and Children, the hub offers high-quality content; which is supervised by the local EPEC Hub Co-ordinator and quality assured by a National EPEC Consultant.

Unlike other parenting courses, the EPEC Hub trains local parents to deliver the courses themselves creating a peer-to-peer environment. The courses currently delivered by the EPEC Hub include:

  • Parent Group Leader Training
  • Living with Teenagers (for parents of young people aged 11-16 years)
  • Being a Parent course (for parents of children aged 2-11 years).

Click on the tabs below to find out more information about the courses and support available.

EPEC Being a Parent

What is the EPEC Being a Parent Course?

The Empowering Parents Empowering Communities (EPEC) Being a Parent course aims to improve child development and outcomes, parenting, family resilience, and family relationships. The Being a Parent course creates a trusting group ethos, where parents are encouraged and supported to explore: 

• Positive behaviour management and discipline strategies.

• Managing parent and family stress.

• Understanding and managing children’s feelings.

• Parent listening, communication, play, and interaction skills.

• Attachment and parent-child relationships.

• Parenting roles, expectations and culture. 

Why is it different?

The Being a Parent Course runs over 8 weeks and is completely free. A limited number of on-site crèche places are available to parents and carers who have no other childcare options. Local parents, who have completed the accredited Parent Group Leader Volunteer training, co-deliver the Being a Parent course. They receive ongoing support and supervision from the EPEC Hub and their experiences, backgrounds, skills, and qualities make each session inviting and engaging. 

On successful completion of the course you will also receive a Level 2 accredited AQA certificate in Early Years Learning and Development (Parenting: ages 2-11 years).

Who is the course for?

The Being a Parent Course is aimed at parents in Havering who have one or more children between the ages of 2 to 11 years. The course content relates well to children being ready to learn at school and is recognised by pre-schools, nurseries, early years settings, children’s centres and schools in the London Borough of Havering.

Before the Being a Parent Course begins there is a coffee session where you can learn more about what is involved and meet the other parents that are interested in joining.

Where and when is it?

During the Coronavirus pandemic face-to-face sessions are suspended, however the hub is still accepting referrals. Online groups are being considered for the Autumn 2020 term.


How can I sign up?
 

Please provide your name, phone number and email address to be added to the waiting list for this course 

Contact: EPEC Hub Co-ordinator.

Email: EPEC@havering.gov.uk

EPEC Living with Teenagers

What is the EPEC Living with Teenagers Course

The Empowering Parents Empowering Communities (EPEC) 8 week Living with Teenagers course aims to provide low cost, accessible and effective community-based parenting support for parents of adolescents aged 11-16 years. It creates a trusting group ethos, where parents are encouraged and supported to explore strategies to: 

  • Improve young people’s social, emotional and behavioural development
  • Improve young people’s well being
  • Reduce adolescent and family difficulties
  • Improve parent confidence
  • Improve parenting skills and satisfaction
  • Improve social and community connectedness 

Why is it different?

The Living with Teenagers course is completely free to Havering parents. Local parents, who have completed the accredited Parent Group Leader Volunteer training, co-deliver the Living with Teenagers course. They receive ongoing support and supervision from the EPEC Hub and their experiences, backgrounds, skills, and qualities make each session inviting and engaging.

On successful completion of the course you will also receive a Level 2 accredited AQA certificate in Parenting and Adolescent Development.

Who is the course for?

The Living with Teenagers Course is aimed towards parents in Havering who have one or more children between the ages of 11- 16 years. The course content includes: managing risk; family meetings; exploring what it is like to be a teenager today; parental wellbeing; listening and communication styles; expressing and acknowledging feelings; privilege removal; and household rules and discipline. This evidence-based course is recognised nationwide and is written by the Centre for Parent and Child Support in South London and Maudsley Hospital, which is funded by the NHS.

Where and when is it?

During the Coronavirus pandemic face-to-face sessions are suspended, however the hub is still accepting referrals. Online groups are being considered for the Autumn 2020 term.


How can I sign up?
 

Please provide your name, phone number and email address to be added to the waiting list for this course 

Contact: EPEC Hub Co-ordinator.

Email: EPEC@havering.gov.uk

EPEC Online

The NHS Centre for Parent and Child Support (CPCS) and the Havering EPEC Hub offer online support for parents.

NHS CPCS YouTube Channel

The Being a Parent course has been adapted to feature in 16 short videos; each video has a summary paragraph and there are related resources to download. The EPEC Baby and Us programme can also be accessed on the CPCS YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxjePVqgl9HUpGqd81wDmvg

Havering EPEC Facebook Page

The Havering EPEC Hub has an official Facebook page which is increasingly followed by many parents. It provides the information for parents including parenting strategies and local service updates.

The Havering EPEC Hub Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/HaveringEPEC


The Centre for Parent and Child Support CPCS  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Centre-for-Parent-and-Child-Support-CPCS-100276281421476/

NHS CPCS Social Media

The aim of this page is to regularly feed ‘nuggets’ of EPEC strategies/ information to parents. The National EPEC Team’s aim is ‘to reach as many parents in the UK as possible with positive, trusted, straightforward and realistic EPEC advice and support, particularly for families who may have even more stress at the moment.’ Information will be provided on these platforms:

  1. The Centre for Parent and Child Support CPCS Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Centre-for-Parent-and-Child-Support-CPCS-100276281421476/  

2. 

 

2. The Centre for Parent and Child Support CPCS Instagram Page “cpcs_official”: 

https://www.instagram.com/cpcs_official/?hl=en

NHS CPCS Podcasts: COMING SOON!

Following the short YouTube videos, the National EPEC Team aim to release Podcasts, which will go into more depth about specific strategies

EPEC Parent Group Leader Training

What is the EPEC Parent Group Leader role?

The EPEC courses are co-facilitated by local parent volunteers who have completed the accredited EPEC Parent Group Leader training.  It is the diversity of Parent Group Leaders’ qualities, skills, backgrounds, experiences, and status as parents that is critical to engaging other parents and affecting change by:

• Building trusting relationships so that parents feel encouraged, optimistic and well informed about EPEC, particularly those with higher levels of need.

• Shaping EPEC’s manualised course content and methods to reflect the individual and collective needs of parents and their children

• Helping parents to develop individual plans and goals for themselves, their children and family.

AQA Accreditation

On successful completion of the course and co-facilitation you will receive a Level 3 accredited AQA certificate in Group Leadership Skills and Facilitation.

Parent Group Leaders’ Thoughts

Hear from some of our Havering Parent Group Leaders and find out what they think of the Havering EPEC PGL Role by watching this YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6n0ou8-AWE

Find out more

Download the Parent Group Leader Role Description and contact the EPEC Hub to discuss the role, find out about training and ask any questions.

 

Contact: EPEC Hub Co-ordinator.

Email: EPEC@havering.gov.uk

EPEC - Parent Group Leader role video

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