MAZE Parenting Programme
About the Programme
The MAZE Parenting Programme is a structured specialist 12-week programme (10 weeks online) for parents/carers of children and young people with any kind of additional needs (with or without a diagnosis). The Programme runs termly (January-April, April-July, September-December)
With a renewed insight into the perception of your child you will be able to:
• Understand how your child is affected by their additional needs and why they present in the way they do
• Unpick challenging behaviours and understand how to replace these with functional skills
• Explore how to improve emotional well-being and promote self-esteem
• Understand how to secure good emotional provision and how to access services for your child
• Share experiences with other parents of children with additional needs
*Please note that this Programme is for parents only and we cannot accommodate children at the weekly group
On completion of the course and the evaluation of it, parents/carers report a marked improvement in their relationship with their child, an improvement in their ability to understand their child’s needs and a calmer home life. Parents/carers rate the parenting programme very highly in meeting their needs and expectations.
The MAZE Specialist Parenting Programme has been designed to provide information to parents/carers about neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., autism, ADHD, speech and language difficulties, learning difficulties etc) in a group setting. This is to provide a balance of information delivered by experts, support from experienced Parent Mentors and a group setting to help parent/carers connect with each other to share experiences. This approach is proven to be the most helpful, as it allows time and space to think about how your child is affected by their additional needs and how to adjust family life, to ensure a calm and harmonious family where everyone’s needs are met.
We have a three-tiered approach to delivery of the Programme. Full details and access to booking forms are below.
All parents/carers whose GPs are located in North-East Essex and Suffolk are able to access the Programme at no cost due to funding from Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board and Essex Integrated Care Board. For those outside of North-East Essex or Suffolk there is a nominal fee.
In Person Groups
We recommend attending a group in person wherever this is possible. These are delivered by an experienced team over 12 weekly sessions lasting 2 hours each during term time.
If you don’t feel you are able to commit to attending, please consider choosing the video option (full details below).
Dates and locations for our in-person groups are:
Colchester
Saint John’s Church, Saint John’s Close, Colchester, CO4 0HP – NEXT PLACES JANUARY 2027
Wednesday 6th January to Wednesday 24th March 2027 – 10am – 12pm
(no group Wednesday 17th February)
Saint John’s Church Community Centre, Saint John’s Close, Colchester, CO4 0HP – NEXT PLACES JANUARY 2027
Thursday 7th January to Thursday 25th March 2027 – 9:30am – 11:30am
(no group Thursday 18th February)
Clacton-on-Sea – NEXT PLACES JANUARY 2027
Whitehall Academy, Melbourne Road, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 3SP
Wednesday 6th January to Wednesday 24th March 2027 – 10am – 12pm
(no group Wednesday 17th February)
Harwich-on-Sea – NEXT PLACES APRIL 2027
Home-Start Harwich, St. Nicholas Hall, Stour Road, Harwich, CO12 3HS
Ipswich – NEXT PLACES JANUARY 2027
St. Francis Church Hall, 192 Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich, IP2 0QQ
Tuesday 5th January to Tuesday 23rd March 2027 – 10am – 12pm
(no group Tuesday 16th February)
**NEW FOR JANUARY 2027** – Bury St. Edmunds
Venue TBC
Friday 8th January to Friday 19th March 2027 – 10am – 12pm
(no group Friday 19th February)
COST:
Free for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located inside North-East Essex and Suffolk.
£35 for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located outside of North-East Essex and Suffolk.
Online Groups
It is not always possible to attend in person, so we also offer this weekly, specialist programme via Zoom, delivered by experts, supported by Parent Mentors. This is also designed to be an interactive programme, where participants are requested to turn on cameras and engage with the group to enhance the learning experience and get the most out of each session and experiences of other parent/carers. This programme is delivered over 10 weekly sessions via Zoom lasting 1.5 hours each, during term time.
If you don’t feel you are able to commit to attending, please consider choosing the video option (full details below).
Dates for our Zoom groups beginning in January 2027 are:
Tuesday 12th January to Tuesday 23rd March 2027 – 6:30pm – 8:00pm
(no group Tuesday 16th February)
Wednesday 13th January to Wednesday 24th March 2027 – 6:30pm – 8:00pm
(no group Wednesday 17th February)
**NEW FOR JANUARY 2027**
Saturday 9th January to Saturday 20th March 2027 – 9:30am – 11am
(no group Saturday 20th February)
COST:
Free for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located inside North-East Essex and Suffolk.
£30 for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located outside of North-East Essex and Suffolk.
Video Series
For those who do not wish to interact and are purely looking to access the information, we also offer a series of 6 pre-recorded videos, which will be accessible for a limited period via the MAZE website.
COST:
Free for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located inside North-East Essex and Suffolk.
£25 for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located outside of North-East Essex and Suffolk.