Parents Offered Professional Knowledge on Child Brain Development

Parents and carers are being offered insights into the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children in a pioneering programme being launched by the City of Edinburgh Council. Raising Children with Confidence is part of the city's feted Growing Confidence initiative and is based on latest evidence around the science of child brain development.

The 13-hour, six-week programme was developed in response to demand from more than 160 parents and carers who were asked whether they thought it would be a good idea. The course was devised and written in-house by educational and mental health practitioners and is being rolled out to ten primary schools across Edinburgh this term following the remarkable success of a pilot run.

Growing Confidence is a £1m, five-year project funded by the Big Lottery and is committed to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing amongst children, childcare staff, parents/carers and communities. The project's continuing professional development programme, Confident Staff, Confident Children, is also rated extremely highly by participants and has prompted a number of enquiries from interested organisations. The Growing Confidence project plan includes a commitment to make its content available to other local authorities and stakeholders.

City of Edinburgh Council news release: Parents Offered Professional Knowledge on Child Brain Development