Family Learning Project

ATD Fourth World seeks to build the perfect environment in which parents can learn some of the skills necessary to attain a stable and secure future for themselves and their children. It is with this aim in mind that the Family Learning Project, financed by the Big Lottery Fund and run in partnership with professionals in the social care sector and Surrey County Council’s Family Learning team, encompasses practical workshops run during weekends and school holidays.

Covering themes such as nutrition, health and hygiene, child development, budgeting, behaviour and boundaries and knowing one’s rights, the workshops emphasise the importance of bringing the whole family together for the learning experience.

The sessions are carefully planned and designed with qualified and experienced professionals in the relevant field. However, of equal importance is the creation of conditions that will allow parents, children and professionals to work together and learn from one another. Building on this positive experience, families then return to their communities and neighbourhoods with confidence and new skills. “When you go back, you feel stronger and you can tell your social worker where you have been and what you have done.”  

Having always believed that relations within the family and their trust of professionals can be strengthened by approaching learning in this way, ATD Fourth World makes every effort to ensure the participation of very disadvantaged families. Visiting families at home or in their communities in preparation for these learning workshops and once the families have returned home is fundamental to the success of this project.