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About Early Support training

For many families, the birth of a child with a special educational need or a disability is a life-changing experience. Parents will have a lot of questions and needs but may not know where to ask for help - or what to ask for.

They may be faced with practical difficulties, or may have to make major decisions about their child which they may not feel able to make. Early Support training gives families the knowledge they need to manage in their new situation and make informed decisions.

The training was developed with help from practitioners, parents, carers and experts in early childhood. Parents, grandparents, other family members and carers can attend all the sessions.

Training can be delivered in different places, in a wide range of formats and in a flexible number of sessions. If you are interested in finding out more about training, ask a professional involved in your child's care, or contact your local training provider.

• Early Support training - Department for Education website Opens new window

Early Support training providers

Approved Early Support training providers have broad experience of training. They are either parents or local practitioners, or work for a voluntary organisation. They can provide information about access to training and tell you about childcare and other support arrangements.

• Training providers - Department for Education website Opens new window

Parents' workshops

Parents' workshops are a series of four interactive workshops aimed at parents, carers and their families. They introduce the Early Support materials and explain how the materials can be used to help families work in partnership with professionals. This gives parents and carers a better understanding of national and local services. It can make them feel more confident about making decisions about their child.

The workshops provide a chance to meet other parents and carers in similar situations. It is also a 'safe' opportunity for parents to have a break while their child is cared for.

• Parent workshops - Department for Education website Opens new window

Developmental Journals workshops

There are four different one-day workshops for parents, carers and practitioners working with young disabled children and their families. The workshops help everyone understand the Early Support Development Journals, and how to use them to monitor and celebrate a child's development and learning.

The Developmental Journal workshops are:

• Developmental Journal for babies and young children with special or additional needs
• Developmental Journal for babies and young children with Down syndrome
• Developmental Journal for babies and young children with visual impairment
• Monitoring protocol for deaf babies and children

• Developmental Journals workshops - Department for Education website Opens new window

Working in Partnership through Early Support training course

This training course helps you to work more effectively with the practitioners supporting you and your family. It will help you to find your way through the multi-agency maze and build your confidence in dealing with a wide range of service providers. There are two training courses available: accredited and non-accredited.

The accredited course aims to help practitioners and parents to work effectively together. The course has three parts:

• introducing partnership working
• looking at the Early Support approach, including key working
• improving integrated working through Early Support

Each part is supported by a day of training, distance learning and assessed activities.

The non-accredited course is similar in aims and content, but it is shorter, less in-depth and it has no distance learning or assessment.

• Working in Partnership through Early Support - Department for Education website Opens new window

Further training

Some families welcome more in-depth training. Early Support offers two further courses.

'Using the Service Audit Tool' is for anyone who wants to use the Service Audit Tool to evaluate, plan and improve multi-agency delivery of services for disabled children – practitioners, managers, families and others.

'Supporting Children with Additional Needs and Disabilities' helps practitioners and families to work with the Early Years Foundation Stage materials in an Early Support context.

• Using the Service Audit Tool course - Department for Education website Opens new window

• Supporting Children with Additional Needs course - Department for Education website Opens new window

Useful contacts

• Organisations and charities for carers