The ask

Training materials can be so very dry. And finding all the various bits that make the training work can be a cumbersome exercise. When it came to their Parenting Implementation Project, an initiative to provide effective support to parents and families, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) wanted to make it easier and more interesting for local authorities to undertake training in the commissioning and delivery of parenting and family support services.

The task

Massive. Create a resource kit bringing together all the techniques, ideas, templates and case studies of the programme. And make them engaging. First, the information. We developed and produced a training manual, complete with a CD that opened on a large interactive map, enabling local authorities to proceed to the relevant information at a keystroke. Second. The engagement. We developed a ‘Risk and Resilience’ training board game, available in both hard copy and digitally, that helped players apply what they had learned to mock situations, whilst at the same time facilitating further discussion and ideas relevant to their specific local area.

The proof

Still massive. Our Parenting Implementation Project training materials have become the de facto standard across England. Well beyond the initial training stage, for it has become a much referenced ready reckoner, too.