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!
Watch the video for a real life example of the positive and long-lasting impacts we can make on family life.
Courses we offer
We run our courses half-termly. To find out more about our courses, see the 'Parenting' dropdown menu above. If you have any questions about our support for parents, please do send us an email.
Parenting in the early years
For any parent or carer with a child aged 0-4 years, this course will help you build a strong and positive connection with your child, providing a great foundation for the years ahead.
Parenting in the primary years
If your child is aged 4-11 years this is the course for you. It will build your parenting skills, boost your confidence, and help to strengthen your relationship with your child.
Parenting in the teenage years
For any parent or carer of pre-teens and teenagers (aged 9-16 years), this course will help you to understand more about the changes through these turbulent years and how you can provide positive support.
Parenting children with additional needs
This range of courses is aimed at parents or carers of children aged 5-16 years with additional needs*. Our courses offer time to share and discover strategies to support your family life. Specific courses for Autism and ADHD are available.
*No diagnosis necessary.
Handling Anger in the Family
Anger is a strong emotion and a challenge for every family. Available to parents or carers of children of any age, this course will help you understand anger better and discover ways to manage it more positively and calmly.
A Mind of Their Own
We equip you to support your child's emotional wellbeing by sharing ways to build your child's confidence and resilience, and to manage their anxiety. This course is for parents/carers of children aged 7-16 years.
Left To Their Own Devices
This course provides support and strategies to help you positively manage your child's screen time and digital device use. Suitable for parents or carers of children aged 7-16 years.
Time Out for Dads
This course is run for dads by dads. For any dad, stepdad or paternal carer with a child aged 3-16 years, this course provides space to talk and share ideas to strengthen your relationship with your child.
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.
Parents can think they’ve messed up their relationship with their child and there’s no hope, but by the end of the Family Matters York 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 courses are something I really, really believe in – they make such a difference to a family and to a child’s future.