Current Hertfordshire SEND courses
Our SEND courses are designed for parents living with children with special educational needs and disabilities, autism, ADHD and all neuro-diverse conditions, including those awaiting assessment or diagnosis. The courses are designed to give parents tools, skills and knowledge which make a lasting positive impact and change to family life.
Over the past 17 years, 95 per cent of our parent attendees would highly recommend our services to other parents.
All courses are delivered by founders Francine and Lesley, who have over 25 years of personal and professional experience of SEND. Attendee group sizes are limited to ensure an interactive, personal approach is maintained.
Complete guide to parenting children with SEND
This free 10-week course is for those parenting children aged two to 11 with all Special Education Needs living in Hertfordshire.
Facilitated by founders, Lesley and Francine, the course aims to help parents:
- Gain a greater understanding and answer the question, ‘Why does my child do that?’
- Learn a range of strategies and solutions, to better manage behaviours that challenge
- Understand sensory issues which affect behaviours
- Gain more understanding of anger triggers and strategies to reduce angry meltdowns
- Learn how to support siblings living with a sister/brother with additional needs or challenging behaviours
- Learn communication techniques to reduce emotional traffic jams and improve children’s emotional regulation
- Meet other parents living in families similar to theirs and share experiences
- Learn techniques to manage stress, conflict and so much more….
When 2025:
Tuesday mornings 9.30-11.30 ONLINE VIA ZOOM 9 session course – Full
January 7th 14th 21st 28th, February 4th 11th 25th, March 4th 11th
Tuesday evenings 6.30-8.30 ONLINE VIA ZOOM 10 session course – 1 space left book now!
January 7th 14th 21st 28th, February 4th 11th 25th, March 4th 11th
Parents need to live in Hertfordshire, have a diagnosed or awaiting assessment of needs child aged 2-11, and able to attend all sessions
MORE COURSES COMING After Easter 2025
ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Feedback from parents December 2024
Francine and Lesley are so professional and experienced and I felt so safe in their hands. It has taken a long time for me to find this group and life changing, and feel a better calmer happier parent
I looked forward to each session and always took away simple things that have made our house and family so much happier and calmer. I get my child now and understand her more. I also feel much more confident when speaking to the school about my daughter’s needs and we are now working together on an EHCP
I was so nervous when I first started but soon felt safe enough to talk honestly to everyone. Francine and Lesley are just amazing and have so much personal and practical experience and learned so much about the world of SEND. Finally the jigsaw pieces have fallen into place and I feel more confident more empowered and having such a positive effect on my family.
Email bookings@famliesinfocus.co.uk for further details on either of these courses
Handling anger of primary aged children with ADHD and/or Autism
A free six-week course for parents with primary aged children with ADHD and/or Autism, living in Hertfordshire.
This CANparent quality mark course for parents of primary aged children provides practical and proven techniques to reduce angry meltdowns in your family.
This very popular, effective and award winning anger management course helps parents to:
- Gain understanding of Autism and ADHD and how behaviours can be effected
- Attain awareness of a child’s sensory world and the affect on behaviour
- Understand how anger and other emotions live in your family
- Increase your understanding of triggers that cause angry outbursts
- Learn healthy anger management strategies for children and parents to reduce angry outbursts
- Discover creative ways to support children to ‘let go’ of anger safely
- Gain effective empathic communication techniques to reduce angry outbursts
- Meet and share experiences with other parents
When? Online via Zoom
Wednesday mornings 9.30-11.30am ONLINE VIA ZOOM 6 sessions – Bookings open January 6th 2025
February 26th March 5th 12th 19th 26th April 2nd
Monday mornings 9.30-11.30am ONLINE VIA ZOOM 6 session course – Bookings open January 6th 2025
February 24th March 3rd 10th 17th 24th 31st
Wednesday evenings 6.30-8.30pm ONLINE VIA ZOOM 6 Session course Bookings open January 6th 2025
February 26th March 5th 12th 19th 26th April 2nd
Parent reviews December 2024
“I now feel more connected to my children. They were both so angry and I didn’t understand why especially after school. I totally get masking and why they were doing this now and no longer feel a it’s all my fault. I have learned to understand things from their point of view, am more patient & have built back that close connection and we are both so much happier now.”
“Enlightening and invaluable course I will continue to use every single part of it every day, great to gain knowledge and share experiences with other parents living in families like ours”
“I just wanted to say a personal thank you to both of you for the 6-week course. As a teacher, I am reminded that we can always improve, and I am lucky to go on a lot of training at work. Your course complimented and exceeded the training I have had. I often use the analogy of a toolbox of approaches, and you have helped replenish mine with new strategies and skills for both home life with three neuro-diverse children and at school with an ever-changing multitude of challenges.
“I enjoyed the way you work together to bring the course. It presented as professional, slick, well-paced, inclusive, and knowledgeable. The recaps were good at reminding us of skills learned, and giving us the confidence to learn new topics. Both your knowledge and experiences brought solace, confidence, and real life to the examples you gave, and the scenarios that we then worked through each week to help embed were relevant and realistic to me as a parent.”
More courses coming in February 2025
Email bookings@familiesinfocus.co.uk for further details on any of these dates
