Free courses to support parents and carers in York

Parents and carers in York are being reminded that there is a wide range of free courses to help support them and their children, many of which are available online.

The courses are run by both national and local providers and cover a wide range of topics from pregnancy and newborns, to teenagers or children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

A full list of the courses is available on the Raise York website – www.raiseyork.co.uk/families/parents – and parents and carers can search by topic or by their child’s age.

The website also has details of local support groups for parents and carers. Parents and carers come together to share their experiences and help each other.

These support groups offer a safe place to talk about new challenges and celebrate success; a chance to learn new tips and to meet people who understand what you’re going through.

Cllr Bob Webb, the council’s Executive Member for Children and Young People, said: “We know that raising children can be tough for anyone and parents may welcome a bit of low-stakes, low-pressure support at times, as well as an opportunity to build a supportive community of friends.

“This offer provides a wide range of courses depending on your needs, so if you’d like to connect with other parents and carers, you can do so by joining a group course, but you can also pick courses that you do in your own time. This really is an offer to families to pick from to help create something that works well for them.”

Parents and carers of new babies can also access information about services and support available locally in a dedicated booklet – Supporting you parenting journey in York – which is available to all parents via their midwife and/or when they register their child’s birth. The booklet is also available online at www.raiseyork.co.uk/babies-young-children