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)

There are several visiting professionals from health, education and independent organisations who join us to deliver specialist sessions on a range of topics such as sensory processing difficulties, resilience, behaviour and anger management, continence, sleep, diet/eating, therapeutic interventions and mental health. A key strength of our programme and approach is the multi-agency collaboration, with ongoing support by trained, experienced Parent Mentors.

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 are able to access the Programme at no cost due to funding from North-East Essex’s Clinical Commissioning Group.  For those outside of North-East Essex 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 – NEXT PLACES APRIL 2024
Saint John’s Church, Saint John’s Close, Colchester, CO4 0HP
Wednesday 17th April to Wednesday 10th July 2024 – 9:30am – 11:30am
(no group Wednesday 29th May 2024)

Thursday 18th April to Thursday 11th July 2024 – 12:30pm – 2:30pm
(no group Thursday 30th May 2024)

Clacton-on-Sea – NEXT PLACES APRIL 2024
Whitehall Academy, Melbourne Road, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 3SP
Wednesday 17th April to Wednesday 10th July 2024 – 9:30am – 11:30am
(no group Wednesday 29th May 2024)

Harwich-on-Sea – NEXT PLACES APRIL 2024
Home-Start Harwich, St. Nicholas’ Hall, Stour Road, Bathside, Harwich, CO12 3HS
Monday 15th April to Monday 8th July 2024 – 12:30pm – 2:30pm
(no group Monday 27th May 2024)

COST:
Free for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located inside North-East Essex.
£35 for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located outside of North-East Essex.

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 April 2024 are:

Monday 22nd April to Monday 8th July 2024 – 6:30pm – 8:00pm
(no group Monday 6th or Monday 27th May 2024)

Wednesday 24th April to Wednesday 3rd July 2024 – 6:30pm – 8:00pm
(no group Wednesday 29th May 2024)

COST:
Free for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located inside North-East Essex.
£30 for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located outside of North-East Essex.

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.
£25 for parents/carers whose GP surgeries are located outside of North-East Essex.

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We have free monthly drop in sessions, a specialist weekly programme and additional workshops to guide, advise and support you for as long as you need us.