Trouble paying bills and increased financial worries can take a heavy toll on families. Everyday hardships of making ends meet and juggling rising costs can often lead to increased tension in the home and negatively impact the emotional wellbeing of children.
Families struggling in the current financial crisis or who have found themselves in debt, are being offered a free course to help them deal with stress and conflict at home and gain advice on dealing with the impact of debt on relationships.
The course – https://www.oneplusone.org.uk/parents is being offered by Cambridgeshire County Council and will benefit anyone worried about finances and the effect on their families.
The hour-long course offers parents practical advice to learn new coping strategies, feel empowered and maintain a peaceful home for their children – irrespective of any worries.
The charity Action for Children reported that 47% of children surveyed from low-income backgrounds, worry about their family’s finances.
“Research shows children who see and/or hear prolonged conflict between their parents are at risk of emotional and behavioural damage, and the resulting poor concentration, depression and worry about the state of their parents' relationship can lead to lower achievement at school,” said the relationship counselling charity Tavistock Relationships.
Tension in the home isn’t only caused by concerns around finances. There are four interactive courses to help parents improve their relationship:
- Me, You and Baby Too – designed to help new and expectant parents cope with the changes that could happen in their relationship when they become parents and learn how to cope with stress and conflict constructively.
- Arguing Better – designed to raise awareness of the impact parental conflict can have on children and help parents develop better ways of managing stress and arguments together.
- Getting it Right for Children – designed to support separated parents, helping them to avoid the harmful situation of their children getting caught up in the middle of their conflict.
- Debt – the impact of debt on relationships and support around what to do when you or your partner are having concerns around money.
There’s been some fantastic feedback from parents who have benefited from the course: “I found the course really helpful - one of the best things I have done for my family. The course creates a different mindset where you are seeing the couple relationship from the viewpoint of the children. I got a lot out of it, I recommend the course 100% to other parents.”
Councillor Bryony Goodliffe, Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Children and Young People’s Committee said: “We know many families are going through extremely difficult times, with a more challenging winter fast approaching. We want to help parents by giving them the tools to make good co-parenting teams for their children, so they are better equipped to withstand stressful times. These online courses are designed to help reduce parental conflict, give parents the tools they need to reduce tension and ultimately improvement of their children’s wellbeing. It is an essential resource to support families across Cambridgeshire.”
Details of the course can be found here: https://www.oneplusone.org.uk/parents
