Media

Media Trust

Media Trust provides charities and voluntary organisations with the skills they need to raise awareness of their cause and improve their communications. They bring together media professionals with charities and voluntary organisations that want to improve the way they communicate. If you want support from them they have the following sections:
• Training and events
• Free professional support - eg looking over a press release or getting your website ranking higher online, to mentoring disadvantaged young people on media projects.
• Tell your story with a film
• Free resources
If you want to give support they have sections for:
• Volunteer your skills
• Become a corporate member
• Partner with us
• Donate to Media Trust
Visit the website to find out more:
http://www.mediatrust.org/

Community Newswire

Community Newswire, is a free-to-use Community Newswire service that helps charities, communities and citizen journalists get their stories into the national and regional media.Charities and community groups can upload their press releases and news stories, which are then picked up by journalists from the Press Association news agency, rewritten, facts checked and distributed to newsrooms nationwide. You will also find a useful section with advice on writing press releases.
http://www.mediatrust.org/get-support/community-newswire-1/

Parents and Families

Volunteers supporting families

Family Lives has put together a new resource for organisations and volunteers that work in family support. 'Unlocking Parent Power - Volunteers supporting families'. is designed to recognise and celebrate the work of volunteers in family support as well as help organisations and professionals work with volunteers in a well-managed and supportive way. There are case studies, volunteer management good practice, ways of motivating and celebrating volunteers etc.
http://familylives.org.uk/instructions-not-included/unlocking-parent-power

Early Years

The Family and Parenting Institute has launched a new Department of Children, Schools and Families funded website to support those working with families with young children. They aim to engage parents in providing the best start to their children's learning with advice for parents, information for practitioners working with parents and information for organisations that wanting to set up a service for parents on early home learning. Visit the website to find out more:
http://www.earlyhomelearning.org.uk/

Families

Strong and stable families are the foundation of a strong and stable society and, are key to ensuring children develop into healthy, happy and successful adults. This section of the DfE website contains family policy and information about services to support families. Information on the parenting classes trial for parents of children aged 0-5 has been updated. There is the latest news on family policy and information about services to support families.
http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/families

C4EO Families, Parents and Carers Knowledge Reviews

C4EO have published three new Families, Parents and Carers Knowledge Reviews to help those working in this field. These focus on

  • what works in improving the safety, health and wellbeing of children through improving the physical and mental health of mothers, fathers and carers.
  • what works in improving children's outcomes by supporting parental and carer couple relationships and reducing conflict within families, and
  • the impact of parenting and family support strategies on children and young people's outcomes.

C4EO's Knowledge Reviews are based on a rapid review of the research literature, analysis of key data, validated examples of excellent local practice and the views of both service and agencies users and providers. They summarise the best available evidence that will help services to improve service delivery and, ultimately, outcomes for children, young people and their families.  The three new reviews are now available in the publications section and you can download them from: http://www.c4eo.org.uk/themes/families/default.aspx?themeid=4&accesstypeid=1&tab=publications&dm_i=7SL,EC6G,2G7RX0,156ZG,1 
You can also download from the C4EO website 116 local practice examples 44 are fully validated with another 72 judged as promising practice.
http://www.c4eo.org.uk/themes/general/localpracticeexamples.aspx?themeid=10&dm_i=7SL,EC6G,2G7RX0,156ZG,1