Some parents need extra support

Parents helping parents When children find it difficult to cope at school, parents often feel guilty, anxious, ashamed and lost, not knowing what to do. These feelings alienate them from their families and friends in a time when they need their support the most.

Possible activities PEER education is a process during which well-trained and motivated people from the community carry out informal or organized educational activities with other people with similar to theirs background, language, interests and age. These activities are done within a certain period of time and aim to develop the attitudes, knowledge and skills of parents to be responsible parents.

Key-people activities The activities of key people can be carried out in small groups or individually in various settings: schools, the street, universities, clubs, churches, workplaces, and any place where people with similar problems and interests meet. Here are some possible activities: Organized meetings with parents Training using interactive techniques, discussions, role-play and story-telling Films or theatrical performances followed by group discussions Informal conversation. During the conversation parents can be given information and help.

Support from Parents to Parents Research shows the importance of social support for these families. Social support acts as a buffer against stress and isolation. It is controversial, though, what should the support be – should it be provided by a professional, should it be peer-help or both. There are strong arguments in favour of the support provided by people who have the same problems. Stress-relief groups, making new friends and getting information about other resources that can be useful in stressful situations – they are all really beneficial. This is the basic principle underlying in world-famous programmes for parents’ support.

Why this approach? The carried out interviews with parents show that peer support is extremely useful when the help-seeking parent finds common things with the other parent. The common experience enables you to become fully aware of the situation of the other parent, accept without criticism their thoughts and actions and help them cope with the difficult situation sharing your personal experience and giving feedback.

Why this approach? Conversations, sharing and peer learning lie at the basis of such a relationship between parents. This is their unique form of support, which efficiently completes professional support. This makes them so popular and widely-used around the world. They are, as one parent puts it, “vital for me; the link with life everyone needs more or less”.

Training of the key people The parents supporting parents should be very well acquainted with the education system, the rights and responsibilities of children, teachers and parents. They should have information about the available local resources, e.g. psychologists, speech-therapists, social workers, non-governmental organizations, etc.

Training of the key people The parents supporting parents should develop skills to: inform; convey messages; persuade; listen; counsel and refer; facilitate meetings and training workshops