Free parenting programmes

Buckinghamshire’s Family Support Service runs 3 parenting programmes based on your child’s age. From toddlers to teens they give you advice, support and confidence to meet your child’s needs and reduces anxiety, stress and arguments at home.

Our programmes are:

• Little Talkers (for parents of 18 months to 3-year-olds)
• The Nurturing Programme (for parents of 3 to 11s)
• Talking Teens (for parents of 11 to 18s)

They're all free and some are tailored to cover special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), cultural considerations, and family circumstances.

We also run drop-in sessions for parents and their children. These sessions are a great way to meet others and have a chat with our friendly team.

If you’re interested in a parenting programme but anxious about registering, come along to a drop-in and we’ll talk you through them.

Here's how our parenting programmes will help you.

Little Talkers is aimed at parents that would like to develop their child's talking and language skills.

If you are concerned there is a delay in your child's speech, you can get advice directly from the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) service.

Parent and carer advice for early years children

We offer 30-minute online or telephone sessions with one of our therapists. These are for parents and carers only, please do not include your child in this session. To request a session contact us on:

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01296 838000 (Option 4)

In the subject of your email please use 'SALT parent/carer early years advice session'.

Little Talkers is a 5 to 6 week programme delivered by the Family Support Service. It offers support if you're concerned about your toddler's talking and understanding of language but their social skills appear to be developing well.

The fun and relaxed sessions are designed by the Buckinghamshire Speech and Language Therapy service and they run at Family Centres.

Little Talkers at a glance

• runs for 5 to 6 weeks by Early Years Support Workers
• held during the day in local family centres
• parents attend with children between 18-months to 3 years

The Nurturing Programme is our 10-week ‘cognitive-relational programme’ giving you new listening and communicating skills to use with your 3 to 11-year-old.

It also helps you understand behaviours and improve the emotional health of adults and children in the family and strengthen relationships.

We also deliver a specific Nurturing programme for families of children with SEND.

The Nurturing Programme at a glance

• runs for 10-weeks
• parents attend without children
• childminder can be provided for under 5s
• tailored program for parents of children with SEND

Talking Teens is our 5-week programme exploring the relationships with your teens including communication, negotiating, decision-making and strategies to reduce conflict. It helps you understand your teenager’s feelings and behaviour and gives you strategies to improve your relationship.

The programme looks at your family's and young person’s circumstances to give you practical support. The programme is also suitable if your teenager has SEND.

Talking Teens at a glance

• 5-week course
• parents attend without children
• daytime and evening courses for working parents
• suitable if your teenager has SEND

Throughout the year we run extra virtual versions of our Talking Teens programme for people who couldn’t attend in person. This could be because of:

• childcare arrangements
• transport issues
• health or anxiety reasons
• separated parents want to join a programme separately

We know parents often get much more from attending parenting programmes in person, but to make sure no one misses out, we offer virtual sessions too – not to replace face to face groups, but to make sure parents who can't attend for a variety of reasons, can benefit from these valuable programmes.

Search for other parenting support and courses

Local schools, churches, teachers and groups also run parenting support programmes in Buckinghamshire. You'll also find online courses by the likes of Netmums and Family Links.

The Parenting Together Support Programme can help you if you feel that stress and conflict in your relationship is affecting your family.

The programme offers parents support to suit their circumstances to address conflict within their relationship, as well as strengthening parenting skills to bring up their children. Support takes the form of one-to-one or group sessions.

This programme is funded and managed by the Department of Work and Pensions and is coordinated by Hertfordshire County Council on behalf of Buckinghamshire Council and other participating local authorities.

To get involved in the Parenting Together Support Programme speak to your family worker or keyworker.

Online parenting courses from Triple P, Netmums and Family Lives. Many are free and some a chargeable.