Family Practitioner Training: Parent-Child Attachment Play (Register your interest) - Date TBC

Course Outline:

Parent-Child Attachment Play (PCAP) was developed by big toes little toes Director, Debi Maskell-Graham and is delivered in partnership with Clear Sky Children’s Charity. This course offers family practitioners an innovative and empowering early help attachment programme for parents with children aged 3-15+.

• This 2 day CPD accredited training weekend is suitable for practitioners working closely with parents/carers and children/teens, such as play therapists, social workers, teaching and support staff, charity workers, family outreach workers and nursery staff

• Training takes place at Clear Sky headquarters – overlooking Wittenham Clumps in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside

• Practitioners can deliver this 1:1, in groups or through a home-visiting model

• Cost £220 (includes a copy of the course author’s accompanying book entitled “Parent-Child Attachment Play: Using Reflective Functioning to empower parents and carers as change agents in their own families”

Course Aims:

• To empower practitioners with a strong grounding in the latest attachment theory and research including what we now know about how attachment security is operationalised within the parent-child relationship

• To equip professionals with the knowledge, confidence, resources and practical skills to deliver PCAP to as many families as possible

• To provide delegates with access to online printable resources to support and enhance delivery

• To share pre- and post-programme outcome measures

• To reward participants with a PCAP Practitioner Certification and 12 CPD points

Parents and carers are often concerned about their children’s behaviour and that by adopting a playful attachment approach they will somehow lose control over their family life. In fact, the opposite is true. When the parent-child relationship is working, helpful child behaviour generally follows and family life becomes more manageable. This 10 step programme is based on the latest attachment research which shows that supporting the parent-child attachment relationship sets the scene for the best outcomes for children right into adulthood.

PCAP training provides practitioners with the tools to work with parents and carers and share three main skills through interactive workshop sessions based on;

1. Play (and the creation of a shoebox or bag of toys/activities designed around the preferences of the child)

2. Containment (managing time, environment, emotions and helping children to make helpful choices)

3. Head, Heart and Hands (an attachment tool based on evidence-based Reflective Functioning)

Once parents and carers feel confident in the skills they begin a short weekly “You and Me” play or activity time at home with their child. This creates a short “ring-fenced” opportunity to practice the skills and enjoy a new way of being with their child. Once the skills are well-established, the parent or carer is helped to transfer them to problematic areas of home life. Throughout the process, they are supported by a PCAP practitioner. The 10 step process usually takes around 10-12 hours of practitioner input, although some families may require more support.

© big toes little toes, 2016

About the Course Author

Debi Maskell-Graham has over 30 years' experience of working with families and children. She is passionate about empowering parents and carers with new attachment knowledge and evidence-based skills to help strengthen the parent-child relationship from within.

As a Play Therapist, Researcher, Trainer and Consultant she is known for her ability to translate the very latest in empirical attachment research into accessible, effective and playful practice. She has published widely including policy and governmental reports. Her book "Parent-Child Attachment Play: Using Reflective Functioning to empower parents and carers as change agents in their own families" is included in the price of this course.

FAQs

How does PCAP differ from Heart-to-Heart training?

Both PCAP and Heart-to-Heart are based on attachment theory and take a child-led approach. However, PCAP focuses on supporting the development of play skills with the parent / carer providing them with the skills to deliver play sessions to strengthen attachment at home. Heart-to-Heart gives practitioners the skills and knowledge to work with parents AND their children in a group setting. These courses offer very different but complementary methods to strengthen the parent-child relationship.

Which age group is PCAP targeted at?

PCAP is aimed at children and teens aged 3-15+ and is easily adapted for a range of contexts and additional needs including ASD.

What have previous attendees said about the course?

Feedback on the course has been overwhelmingly positive! We continuously record and update our course feedback, so for the very latest please visit our website, click on the correct training course and refer to the Evidence of Success section. Here are a few examples of feedback received from previous course delegates:

"Passionate teaching, amazing location, lots of learning and excited to put into action!" - Play Therapist

"I had to go outside during the break to skip, run and shout as I was so full of excitement for future ideas!" - Social Worker

"Excellent, well-organised and inspirational!" - Counsellor

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?

This event is for childcare professionals aged 18 years or over. The training is aimed at practitioners working closely with parents and children with a relevant first qualification such as Play Therapists, social workers, teaching staff, charity workers, family outreach workers, nursery staff, health staff, children's centre staff - and others.

Is there parking available at the training venue?

The training venue has plenty of parking available.

Do I need to bring anything to the event?

A notepad and pen is all you need. Please also make sure you are dressed in comfortable clothes as many training activities will take place on the floor!

Will lunch be provided?

All refreshments and a light sandwich lunch will be provided. Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements or food allergies upon registration.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

If you have any further questions regarding the event please contact us: info@clear-sky.org.uk or call 01865 362789.

What is the refund policy?

• More than 3 weeks before course starts - 100% refund

• 1 - 3 weeks before course starts - 50% refund

• Cancellations less than one week before course start - no refund

Is there accommodation available?

Accommodation is not included. To follow is a list of popular hotels nearby (please note, we have not visited these hotels ourselves so would always recommend you check reviews before booking):

• White Hart Hotel, 26 High Street, Dorchester-on-Thames OX10 7HN

• The George Hotel, High Street, Dorchester-on-Thames OX10 7HH

• Holiday Inn Express, Kassam Stadium, Grenoble Road, Oxford OX4 4XP

• Premier Inn, Oxford Business Park, Cowley, Oxford OX4 2JT

For further information on this course or Clear Sky's other services please visit www.clear-sky.org.uk.