10 May 2021 Calling all parents in Blackburn with Darwen! Take part in the exciting Parent Champions ‘Kind to Teeth’ Project
What is this project about?
The Kind to Teeth Parent Champions Project is funded by the Big Lottery and aims to use a well-tested peer-to-peer method to share important information around oral health and hydration in the early years. This project will harness the reach of volunteer parents to share key messages around healthy drink options for positive oral health outcomes in the early years. The project is being developed in two areas in the North West, Knowsley and Blackburn with Darwen and is a pilot, which means we are testing the approach before rolling it out more widely across the country.
Food Active will be delivering the training for the project. Food Active is a small charity based in the North West of England which works to help make the areas we live in more healthy places for family to live in. We work closely with councils across the region, including Blackburn with Darwen, to do this.
What is ‘Kind to Teeth?’
Kind to Teeth is a campaign from Food Active launched in 2018 to help provide information to parents, health professionals and support workers to promote healthier drink choices for children aged 0-5 years old. We launched the campaign to mark National Smile Month in May 2018, the campaign involves lots of useful information, advice and tips presented in an appealing and attractive way. The campaign has been delivered in Knowsley, and you may have seen some of our pop-up banners and leaflets in children’s centres, GPs and dentist practices across the borough.
What do you need from me?
- Firstly, parents will take part in a two-half day training course at a local children’s centre in Blackburn or Darwen. Each training will include about 10 parents. Here you will learn lots of useful information on promoting good oral health in the early years through choosing healthy drink options; as well as the role of a Parent Champion. The training will be delivered in a Covid-19 secure way, with health and safety procedures in place at all times. The training will be held from 10-2 including a lunch break – lunch and refreshments will also be provided.
- You will then be provided with lots of useful materials and supporting information to take home – including a Parent Champions manual, Parent Champions badge and beakers, leaflets and more.
- Over a 4-week period, you will need to start spreading some of these important messages and resources with other parents of children aged 0-5 in the local community. This may include friends, family or co-workers.
- You will then be asked to complete a short feedback survey to tell us about your experiences.
- We will have a Parent Champions WhatsApp group where you can connect with other Parent Champions taking part in the project; share ideas, any challenges and any successes.
What’s in it for me?
- You will be gifted Love2Shop vouchers for taking part; which are accepted by over 90 different high street and online brands!
- There are also a number of benefits to you in terms of learning and skills development, including;
- A route to employment, or a chance to try something new, which may lead to a career change.
- An opportunity to gain new skills and knowledge through training.
- A way of getting to know and support their local community.
- A way to gain confidence and self-esteem.
- A chance to socialise and meet new people.
- An opportunity to give something back to an organisation or community that has had a positive impact on a person or their family’s life.
- A way of supporting the development of their children.
Training outline
Day 1: Theory – An introduction to Kind to Teeth and Role of the Parent Champion
Day 1 of the training will involve emphasising some of the key messages and resources from the Kind to Teeth campaign, including the current state of children’s oral health, a focus on sugar sweetened drinks and top tips for healthy hydration in the early years. The session will also cover what services are currently available in the area that parents can access if they want to refer any parents to additional support for their children’s oral health.
10am-2pm
Day 2: Practice – What makes a good Parent Champion?
Day 2 of the training will compose of a reflection on the last session’s learning and a brief quiz to find out whether the information from Day 1 has been absorbed. The session will then go on to discuss ‘what makes a good parent champion?’, how to facilitate an effective conversation and a series of practice scenarios. Data collection will take place at the training to feedback on the content and delivery.
10am-2pm
There are two training dates available for 2022.
Tuesday 17th May and Wednesday 18th May 2022
OR
Tuesday 24th May and Wednesday 25th May 2022
I’m interested. What do I need to do next?
If you are interested in taking part in this exciting project, please contact Halima on 01254 269284
