Wokingham

A year after it was launched Wokingham Borough Council’s My Family Matters course has been hailed a success by the people who count – those it has helped.

My Family Matters was a ‘life-changing’ pilot project designed to help families to help themselves in the Wokingham borough. It was organised by Wokingham Borough Council’s cultural services lifelong learning team. Maureen Murzell, the family learning coordinator, and Anne Taplin, children’s services’ home school liaison officer, developed the course to help families who were identified by some of the Wokingham borough’s primary schools as needing some additional support. These families were invited to join a series of evening and morning sessions (ten per school term) that were devoted to developing parents’ skills to help them support their families.

Topics covered included general Wokingham issues such as healthy eating or more specific problems such as helping a child who is being bullied, during which those taking part saw a video in which famous people talked about their experiences at the hands of bullies. In addition the group also discussed strategies already in use and new ones to try. During the healthy eating session those taking part were not simply lectured at, but were taught to make healthy snacks.

Now, a year on, the pilot scheme has secured permanent funding and has been hailed as a success by those who took part. One of its main success stories has been Linda Williams, 43, from Shinfield, who has been with My Family Matters since it was launched at Easter 2006.

Ms Williams, who lives with her son Ross, eight, was not working before starting the scheme, having lost self-confidence despite having once had a busy office job. She is now working part-time as a support assistant looking after two children with disabilities at Shinfield Infant and Nursery School and is hoping to start full time work.

Ms Williams said: “When I first went to My Family Matters I was really nervous but that changed as soon as I got in the room and met Maureen. The sessions are fun, relaxed and enjoyable and the most important thing is how much it has boosted my confidence. I could not have worked before and now I am working with two children with disabilities and it is wonderful. I was isolated before starting the scheme and it has been great to meet different people, both those on the scheme and those running the session. I would say I am not the same person as before I started My Family Matters, the change has been that dramatic.”

Ms Williams’ success on the Wokingham scheme led her to lead one of the sessions herself – demonstrating and teaching her artistic hobby of Christmas card making to the other parents and she was awarded with the Wokingham Borough Council’s Learner Challenge Award in May 2006. She has also been nominated for a National Institute of Adult Continuing Education achievement award.

One of the key successes for My Wokingham Family Matters has been to keep parents coming back week after week, which has been achieved by keeping the sessions informal and fun and by the personal commitment of the organisers. Mrs Taplin calls all families involved the evening before the sessions to make sure they are coming and she picks up those who have not got their own transport. People taking part are given a certificate for each session they attend and receive a supermarket voucher for regular attendance.

Mrs Murzell said: “Part of the process has been to nurture relationships with the people involved. Friendships have formed within the group and they are starting to support each other. It has been a tremendous success and the feedback from people taking part has been very positive. We have had some great successes and the scheme is getting some important messages across to families who might otherwise be difficult to reach.”
More text:

Wokingham Borough Council devised the My Family Matters course to meet identified needs and funding was secured for it from the Learning and Skills Council, which also approved the course. The borough council carefully monitors the outcomes to ensure that objectives are met.

Wokingham Borough Council