Becoming an independent parental supporter

We are always looking for volunteer Independent Parental Supporters (IPSs), who enjoy working with parents and who have an interest in special educational needs.

An Independent Parental Supporter can be anyone who has time and commitment and ideally is:

• Sensitive to the needs of other people
• A good listener
• Able to offer information without giving their own opinion
• Able to separate their own experiences from the experiences of parents you are helping
• Attend the initial intensive training (approximately 30 hours usually over a number of weeks)
• Attend a day per half term for follow-up training support
• Have a few hours or more per month to help parents

If you are interested in volunteering as an Independent Parental Supporter, please phone us on 01234 316353. We will be very happy to tell you all about being a volunteer with the Parent Partnership Service and will let you know about the next training course.

Once you have trained as a volunteer we offer you regular support and training sessions, mileage and telephone expenses.