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Parent Participation Update August 2025

Welcome from Nancy – Parent Participation Coordinator

Dear parents and carers a very warm welcome to you all! I want to thank all of the passionate parent participants who have joined the project to use their insights on the issues of child exploitation to create better interventions and outcomes for affected families.

Here are some of the upcoming events and projects for 2025. If you would like to become part of parent participation, share ideas, or express an interest in any of the following events and projects please contact Nancy, the parent participation coordinator at Ivison Trust via email to nancy.pike@ivisontrust.org.uk or mobile 07960 235638.

If you’d like to sign up to any of the upcoming events please sign up here. 

Cuppa & Catch Up

An online Ivison Trust facilitated peer connection space for parents and carers living with the aftermath of child exploitation to connect and share challenges and successes with people who understand.

  • Tuesday 9th September 6.00pm-7.00pm
  • Monday 3rd November 6.00pm-7.00pm

Men’s ‘Soldier to Shoulder’ online peer support 

‘It was a good healthy space. We covered all sorts of stuff from hard stuff to what helps us get up every morning. Men can express stuff that’s difficult and be viewed as agitated, but other men just get it and you can be yourself and say what’s upsetting you without worrying that you’re going to upset someone, because men can express trauma differently to women.’ Father attendee

If you’re a father who would find it helpful talking to other men, men’s only sessions will run on-

  • Tuesday 16thSeptember 7.00-8.00pm
  • Thursday 13th November 7.00-8.00pm

Parent Open Group

This is a space for parents to join together and share their insights about changes needed to better safeguard children and support families affected by child exploitation as well as hearing about the activities being undertaken by Ivison Trust in response to parent and carer feedback. Due to requests, we will be running the parent open groups more frequently.

Online parent open group meeting

  • Tuesday 30th September 6.00pm- 7:30pm

In person event in Birmingham (if enough people sign on to it by 20th July).

  • Saturday 11th October 10.00am- 3.00pm

Lived Experience Training

We have launched parent led training for professionals and will be having ongoing development for parents who are interested in becoming involved. If you would like to express interest or know more about what this involves, please get in touch.

Parent to parent newsletter articles

If you would like to write an article for other parents or be supported in writing an article, please get in touch by 1st December 2025.

Volunteer Befriender with Ivison Trust

If you would like to be supported in becoming a volunteer befriender, or supporting the parent forum, please get in touch.

A huge thanks, garland of flowers and confetti of hearts to the absolute legends who made the following possible in 2025

  1. The parents and their sons who have supported the parent webinars about child criminal exploitation. Following these events so many parents and young people have reached out for support.
  2. The parents who have been guest speakers in Ivison Trust’s training and continue to change minds and hearts of professionals
  3. The Lived Experience Speakers who spoke at the following events-
  • Harrow Safeguarding conference
  • Luton safeguarding event
  • National County Lines Coordination Centre events in Reading, Kent, Wakefield, Stratford, Cambridge and Hendon
  • West Midlands police
  • Durham social care conference
  • Understanding Trauma at Buckinghamshire safeguarding event
  • Hartlepool Educational Inclusion Conference
  • Middlesborough Educational Inclusion Conference
  1. The parents who have shared their experiences and poetry in the parent newsletter.
  2. The parents who have created video resources for training.
  3. The parents who took part in the focus groups with the children’s bureau regarding vulnerability for Ofsted. The research has now been published: Gaps in understanding vulnerability in education and social care | Research in Practice.
  4. The parents who supported the research with Sarah and Nick Marsh re parents experience of partnership working with agencies.
  5. The parents who have signed on to the lived experience speaking programme.
  6. The parents who have shared their insights at the parent open group.