Parenting: the hardest job in the world! We all want what’s best for our children, but we don’t always know what that is or how to make it happen. You are not alone; we are here to help!
We provide courses for all stages of the parenting journey to help you learn about your child’s development, give you practical tools, and support you to build a strong relationship with your child.
Scroll down to find out which courses are available now or coming soon!
Parents can think they’ve messed up their relationship with their child and there’s no hope, but by the end of the [FMY] course they look and sound more confident. They say, ‘I can do this now, I’ve got the tools, I know I can make this work’. [The FMY courses] are something I really, really believe in – they make such a difference to a family and to a child’s future.
Upcoming Courses
We run our courses half-termly. To find out more about our other courses, see the dropdown menu above. If you don’t see the course that you are looking for below, please do send us an email.
Time Out For Parents – The Primary Years
5 Online Sessions
Starts Wednesday 25th February | 7.15 – 9.15pm | Online Via Zoom
If your child is aged between 4-11 this is the course for you. The primary years are an exciting time for children, as they discover more about who they are and learn new skills. In this course, we will help you to support your child’s emotional wellbeing and help them learn to make good choices during these years of change; through understanding their temperament, meeting their needs and communicating well.
Left To Their Own Devices Short Course
2 FREE workshops
Starts Thursday 12th & 19th March 2026 | 7 – 9pm | The Gateway Centre, Front St, Acomb, York YO24 3BZ
Our role as parents and carers is to help keep our children safe and healthy. This includes keeping them safe in the digital world!
These video and discussion based workshops address the parenting challenges and concerns around children and young peoples’ use of screentime, gaming and social media. It will provide a chance to chat, share ideas and pick up practical tips to help us guide our children safely through the digital world. The workshops explore topics such as the challenges of gaming; online risks and safety; and how to set boundaries. It will help equip you to support your child more confidently in a world where they are ‘digital natives’ and we are ‘digital visitors’.
Handling Anger in the Family
2 Saturday morning workshops
NEW FORMAT – Same great content!
Saturday 21st & 28th March 2026 | 9.30am – 12.30pm |Cornerstone, Millfield Lane, York YO10 3AP
(Please attend both sessions)
Anger can be a real taboo issue in parenting conversations. We want to change this at Family Matters York! Anger is a natural emotion, but a lot of us don’t know where it comes from or what to do with it – and this can have a real, negative impact on family life.
This course seeks to help parents understand their own anger, give tools to help their children understand theirs too, and offer some strategies to support parents & their children to handle anger in a positive way.
Time Out For Parents – Children with ADHD
6 Sessions (Free childcare available)
Starts Wednesday 15th April 2026 | 12.45 – 2.45pm |Yearsley Grove Primary School, Yearsley Grove, Huntington, York YO31 9BX
(In partnership with York Family Learning)
If you’re a parent/carer of a child with an ADHD diagnosis, or who presents with ADHD behaviours, you’ll know the unique challenges that this can create in family life. This course provides a safe space to meet with people in similar situations and to share ideas and strategies to help support you and your child. It covers topics such as understanding how the ADHD brain works, sensory processing difficulties, managing ADHD behaviours (particularly attention deficit, hyperactivity and impulsivity), boosting your child’s self-esteem and coping with feelings and the reality of the impacts of your child’s needs on you and your whole family.
Other courses & events
These are the other courses & events that we will be running soon. Click on each one to find out more & register your interest.
Parenting in the Early years
Parenting in the Primary years
Parenting in the Teenage years
Handling Anger in the Family
Parenting children
with Additional Needs
Time Out for Dads
Left to their Own Devices
Parenting Event
A Mind of their Own
Parenting Event & Short Course
What to expect from a parenting course
Most of our courses run for 4-5 weeks and you’ll meet at the same time and place each week with a group of parents.
Each session will be hosted by two trained facilitators, who will be ready to greet you as you arrive and available to answer questions throughout the course.
The sessions comprise a mix of evidence-based content delivered by the facilitators with group discussions and activities. You will be encouraged to contribute to the sessions, but only as much as you feel comfortable.