Parents of the Revolution is a group of parents and carers who meet weekly to have a coffee and chat about  issues that matter to us, from working at home, to schooling, to just general day to day life. The group offers a listening ear when times get tough and a space to reflect about how we, as a group, can be part of the solutions to tackling some of Blackpool problems. We want to upskill and grow with the changes that are being made in our town by giving access to training, co-production spaces, workshop delivery, volunteering and potentially employment opportunities. 

Parents and carers have told us that although access to digital spaces has initially been a daunting experience, as we are sure it has been for many of us, we have got used to this new way of meeting and it has made life a little bit easier. We don’t have to get everyone ready to leave the house, we don’t have to think about bus fare or travel time, we don’t even have to brush our hair or switch on a camera if we don’t want to. And for many, it has given us a sense of belonging in a time when we could have been evermore isolated and so have provided digital support to make sure than anyone and everyone can get involved.

Parents of the Revolution Take A Stand (TAS) is a group of parents and carers with a wide range of lived experience, working in co- production with professionals and other members of the community. The main aims and objectives of the group are to identify where there is a need for change in a system i.e. school, social care, CAMHS etc. and identify how we can bring about this change. We want to make Blackpool a better place to live and grow up in. We promote inclusivity throughout everything we do and we want parents and carers just like you to join us in our mission.

There are also lots of different workshops/training available free for any parents/carers. These include workshops in interview skills, note taking, first aid training and many other essential skills. 

Recently, we began to do training workshops to provide additional support to both the parent/Carer, family and their children. These training workshops have been made in partnership with Boingboing; to ensure that the training would be a positive experience for any parents and staff. These skills include; low mood, anxiety, stress and much more. There has been a big positive reaction for the workshops in particular, saying how they have helped to improve the skills they had prior to these workshops and that ‘it’s good to know there are others who are like me!’ 

We are a group of people with lived experience as carers where an Special Guardianship Order (SGO) is in place or being considered. This includes both foster carers and kinship/ connected carers. We meet on a regular basis to share knowledge and experience in a bid to help and support each other. We know that there are challenges we may face in becoming  a carer but together we can begin to tackle some of these challenges