Working with parents is key to supporting young people

To ensure that the young people we work with achieve their goals, build positive relationships and go on to thrive in adulthood, working closely with parents is essential.

“There is a lot of communication and I am kept in the loop of everything that’s going on.” Parent of young person on the WLZ programme

An integral part of the WLZ Link Worker role is to build and maintain positive relationships with parents throughout the duration of the two-year programme. To strengthen this relationship from the very beginning, in September WLZ will be launching a new Primary and Secondary Parent Pack. This pack will include: a welcome letter; a leaflet about WLZ and the two-year programme; and a link to a video showing the views of young people and parents who are currently involved in the programme.

The aim of the pack is to ensure that from our initial communications with parents, they have a clear understanding of WLZ, our aims, and how a Link Worker and our partners will support their child or young person. Having the voice of the young people and parents currently involved in the programme, both on the video and in the leaflet, was vital. It is important for new parents to hear first-hand the positive impact that WLZ has on young people and their families, and that working together is an integral part of this.

“The video looks amazing and will be so helpful in September!” Link Worker

Being a part of this project has been amazing. The process of working with young people, parents and Link Workers to create such a wonderful resource highlights the importance of working together. Our Link Workers' strong relationships with parents and young people meant we were able to combine different viewpoints and insights to ensure we produced the most useful resource possible to help us all support young people to thrive. Keep your eyes peeled for the launch of the video in September!

Rebecca Farrell, Link Work Manager