Stockport NHS has led the country in a new programme aimed at supporting parents and their young children. 

The Parenting Team at Stockport NHS was the first in the UK to pilot the 'Invest in Play' scheme between May and July 2023.

The scheme is a course for parents of 2-12 year olds, aimed at children including those struggling with low self-esteem, behavioural difficulties, ADHD and Autism.

Feedback from local parents and carers supported by the team has been overwhelmingly positive. 

One course user wrote: "This course has changed my life and my family's life too: and I know it will change many others."

The programme was developed by an international not-for-profit organisation, and is led by director Caroline White.

The specialist Stockport Parenting team is part of the Stockport Family Children's Services. 

Stockport NHS says the team's role is to "support parents and carers to understand the emotional and behavioural difficulties their child may be experiencing in order to improve parent-child relationships and family harmony".

The practitioners come from a variety of backgrounds in health, such as health visiting, school nursing and mental health, specialising in parent and child relationships and interventions.

Nic Firth, Chief Nurse for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Our Parenting Team do fantastic work supporting parents and carers in Stockport, and it's brilliant to see they have also been trailblazers in being the first to deliver the invest in play programme. 

"It's good to know they will be leading the way to provide an innovative new approach to providing the best in parental support." 

A further Stockport-wide launch to further promote the programme is due in early 2024.

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