208 Courses delivered Live Online

Circle of Friends is an approach to enhancing the inclusion, in a mainstream setting, of any child or young person who is experiencing difficulties in school because of disability, personal crisis or because of their challenging behaviour towards others. The ‘circle of friends’ approach works by mobilising the young person’s peers to provide support and engage in problem solving with the person in difficulty. Online Course now available via Teachable Platform – Creating Circles ofFriends Learn at your own pace… lots of text and video support Course Category Inclusion Peer Support Behaviour and Relationships Autism and Communication Description Circle of Friends is an approach to enhancing the inclusion, in a mainstream setting, of any child or young person who is experiencing difficulties in school because of disability, personal crisis or because of their challenging behaviour towards others. The ‘circle of friends’ approach works by mobilising the young person’s peers to provide support and engage in problem solving with the person in difficulty. ‘Circle of friends’ is not the same as ‘circle time’ but many of the skills and techniques used by teachers in ‘circle time’ can be used to support the ‘circle of friends’ process. Over the past 12 years Colin Newton and Derek Wilson have been encouraging the use of ‘circle of friends’ in a wide variety of primary and secondary schools, often with very successful outcomes. Some of these are described in their books ‘Circles of Friends’, (Folens, 1999) and ‘Creating Circles of Friends’ (Inclusive Solutions, 2005). This is an excellent opportunity to learn from Colin Newton and Derek Wilson the educational psychologists who brought this Department of Education endorsed approach to the UK. Learn how to build teams around challenging pupils by drawing on a resource which is always there…. other children. Enjoy participating in a multi media workshop that will challenge, entertain and reach for your emotions. Circles of support are for us all, for life…. and they work! Testimonials ‘Absolutely fantastic session – so thought provoking and positive.’ ‘Well presented excellent course’ ‘Wonderful, mind blowing day. Lots of children and young people there we need to really see – not treat’ ‘Excellent presentation, lively, modern, current – definitely got the attention. Course gave great food for thought and I feel confident that this way of working will have a place in the future of our school. Learning Objectives To be able to understand the values and wider context of inclusion To be able to set up and run a ‘circle of friends’ to reduce likelihood of a pupil being excluded or segregated To understand and be able to maximise the power of the peer group in supporting relationships, achievement and behaviour Who Is It For ? Primary and secondary teachers Heads and Deputies SENCOs Learning Support and Guidance staff Advanced Skills Teachers Parents Local Authority Support Services Community Development workers Early Years and School based Practitioners Course Content The course answers the questions: What do you do with the child who is isolated by their aggression and anger, through being different, disabled or new to the school or community? Practically how do we go about including high profile children or young people? How can we help some children be friends? We will cover: The importance of Welcome Inclusion values underpinning this work The Intentional Building of Relationships – ‘Circle of Friends’ work as an example Not doing it alone – The Importance of Teams in developing inclusive practice Practical setting up of circles of friends Lessons learned Stories of circles in primary and secondary mainstream schools ^ Circles of Friends Training in Kiev, Ukraine

In this course we explore how we have attempted to build inclusive circles of support around individuals and contrast this with a radical approach to hospitality and community building – the Community Circle. The purpose of community circles is to bring people from a local community together to share their skills, talents, gifts and resources. This idea is based upon the premise that ALL of us need three things in our lives to make us happy and fulfilled: these are money, friendship and meaning. We believe that everyone needs community, everyone needs to be heard and everyone needs to have fun. Online Course now available via Teachable Platform – Creating Community Circles Learn at your own pace… lots of text and video support Category Inclusion Peer Support Parents and Carers   Description  Building Community Circles In this course we explore how we have attempted to build inclusive circles of support around individuals and contrast this with a radical approach to hospitality and community building – the Community Circle. The purpose of community circles is to bring people from a local community together to share their skills, talents, gifts and resources. This idea is based upon the premise that ALL of us need three things in our lives to make us happy and fulfilled: these are money, friendship and meaning. We believe that everyone needs community, everyone needs to be heard and everyone needs to have fun. Community Circles are based upon reciprocity and the assumption that EVERYONE has both gifts and needs – whether these are labelled or not. The circles adopt the fundamental value of inclusion that ‘all means all’, no one is excluded from community circles, instead the circle members work out how to include everyone equally and safely. A community circle is made up of participants and allies from the local community. The meeting starts with everyone sharing food and conversations. Next the group comes together in a circle so that everyone can see each other and shares what is good and new in their lives, everyone gets a turn to be listened to. ‘New and Good’ breaks the habit of thinking about and acting from what’s wrong, it is an exercise of giving and receiving attention with one another and it also provides a strong foundation of strengths from which we can think about and tackle difficulties. The group is then asked the question what do they want, need or have to offer. Community circles provide a great foundation or starting point from which to explore connections, build relationships, locate resources and share skills. These circles will be a particularly important resource for Brokers and the people that they work for. They provide a safe forum in which people can meet and friendships can start, a natural reservoir of people and relationships where people can be invited to offer their time and capacity. To be successful we have to start from a belief in inclusion. A belief that: 1 We are all born ‘in’. 2 All means all. 3 Everyone needs to belong. 4 Everyone is ready. 5 Everyone needs support. 6 Everyone can communicate. 7 Everyone can contribute. 8 Together we’re better. Learning Objectives For participants to learn how to create a Community Circle. For participants to understand the underlying rationale and ethos of this way of working. To explore ways of maximising an individual’s inclusion and connection with the wider community. To explore ways of helping with friendship, social connection and education. To increase confidence, social skills and presence of disabled adults and those with a wide range of need in their local community by focusing on their contribution. Who Is It For? Anyone interested in mobilising the community to make it more inclusive around disabled or challenging individuals. Course Content Understanding ordinary needs – plus the true dimensions of social inclusion Building relationships Creating natural circles of support Creating a community circle If you like this you will almost certainly enjoy: Person Centred Planning using PATH and MAPS

This is our lead workshop/training day on behaviour and relationship work in Primary and Secondary schools and Academies, as well as Early Years, FE and adult settings and is both a values primer and a practical guide to successful innovative strategies for improving behaviour and strengthening relationships for challenging children and people of all ages. Course Category Behaviour and Relationships Meeting emotional needs Early Years Inclusion Description This is our lead workshop/training day on behaviour and relationship work in schools and other settings and is both a values primer and a practical guide to successful innovative strategies for improving behaviour and strengthening relationships for challenging children and young people of all ages. Not just another day on ‘Behaviour Management’ – our ‘Fresh Approaches to Behaviour and Relationships’ day goes well beyond a rewards and sanctions approach to ‘behaviour’. We will be focused on those young people for whom rewards and punishments do not always work and who confuse the adults who work with them. We aim to take a relationships based approach and to give those attending an opportunity to think more deeply about why young people do the things they do and what our part as adults is in creating, sustaining and changing these behaviours. The day gives those present opportunities to reflect on their attitudes and practice in relation to children’s behaviour and relationship building. If your usual approaches to managing behaviour aren’t working with particular individuals then take a tour through this range of cutting edge strategies for bringing about positive behaviour change, and for meeting challenging emotional needs. Testimonials ‘Thank you so much for the excellent training day you delivered last week. I found the whole experience quite uplifting and inspirational.’ ‘Thought provoking and empowering. Probably the best training day we’ve had in school’ ‘There was already evidence on the first day of school for pupils that staff were adopting a different approach. Thank you so much for helping us to make a difference.’ ‘Today has to have been one of the very best INSET days I have personally been to – full of practical tips and techniques to use in the classroom; and also proof that this approach does work in practice. It really was inspirational and an excellent start to the term.’ ‘Very motivating and exciting course.’ ‘Another fantastic Colin and Derek training session’ ‘Enjoyed this course very much. Derek and Colin worked very hard and I understood it. Thank you.’ Learning Objectives Reinforce and affirm good practice Re-energise, stimulate and challenge thinking about inclusion of challenging young people and children Increased understanding about behaviour and emotions Increased confidence in managing challenging pupils in childcare settings mainstream schools Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on behaviour problems Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards families and children and young people Learn new skills and processes to make inclusion successful Who Is It For ? Primary and secondary staff teams All Childcare Providers – Out of School club staff/Childminders/Youth Workers Early years and school based practitioners Heads and deputies SENCOs Advanced skills teachers Primary and secondary teachers Year Managers Parents Local authority support services Course Content The course answers the questions: Are there any new ways to include our most challenging young people? Should we focus on behaviour or relationships? How do we go about including high profile children or young people? Can we find an alternative to exclusion? What would a relationship policy look like? The following are some of the key themes and tools we are likely to explore during the day Getting the welcome right for the most challenging Encouraging – getting the best from the most challenging- Circle of Courage – belonging-achievement-generosity – independence Active listening – Listening to the person underneath the behaviour Compass of Shame – which directions do children and young people head when they feel shame? And what helps children work through these feelings in more healthy ways? Involving other children and young people in solutions and interventions – Circles of friends: peer support, counselling and mediation Team Problem Solving – Solution Circles: a 30 minute group problem solving process to get Teams ‘unstuck’ and to generate positive first action steps Circle of Adults: a process that ‘listens deeper’ to generate reflective problem solving creating lasting behaviour change and effective behaviour intervention plans. A particularly valuable process for those looking to enhance their leadership and facilitation skills Restorative justice and restitution: principles and practice of this approach to repairing harm and restoring relationships without reliance on punishment Understanding the effects of Separation, Loss, Trauma and Neglect on children’s learning and relationships in school and what adults can do to reach and support these children

Arguing over child arrangements Finding it hard to communicate because of breakup Arguing constantly Want to make things more amicable Sessions with both parties Mediation Therapy and guidance 2 sessions with each party 2 40 mins sessions with each party https://relationshipsmdd.com/product/single-parents-argument-package/

leading expert Philip Warford will talk about the options available to protect a disabled person using specialist Wills and Trusts

“Photography is my way of bearing witness to the joy I find in seeing the extraordinary in ordinary.” -Harold Feinstein Photography For Parents - Advanced Course Next course starts on 15th April 2024  6 week Photography course designed to help further advance your photography skill and move beyond simply capturing what's in front of you. Choose this course if you are already friends with your camera but want to learn how to shoot creatively in full manual, how to go beyond the basic composition rules and start expressing yourself through photography KEY COURSE INFO: Course type: Instructor-led or self paced Course duration: 6 weeks Course format: Online course with Interactive weekly live classes, personal photo feedback and support group WHAT YOU LEARN: In this course we build on the key photo skills we introduce in the Fundamentals Course and learn some new ones ( although completing the Fundamentals course is not a pre-requisite)  You will love this course if you want to keep growing your photographic eye, truly control your camera and start making your photos reflect who you are and who your family are. This is the course where your photography really picks up the pace. We will support and challenge you to help you find your own voice in photography. creative use of manual mode creating strong compositions low light shooting capturing emotions introduction to flash using colour in photography THIS IS THE COURSE FOR YOU IF : Are already familiar with your camera - but want to get better at using it in full manual - with no overwhelm or frantic guesswork You want to take photographs that look more polished and that truly show you what you pictured in your head - still true to your kids and who they are You want to be able to capture true emotions and express yourself through photography You want to get more creative with light and colour to elevate your images and make them shine Next course starts on 15th April 2024 The bookings for this course are not open yet - request to be added to the waiting list to be offered priority booking and Early Bird prices when the course registration opens 5 core course modules Support Facebook group Weekly online Live class Personal Feedback on your images BONUS: extra module with ideas to keep your creativity flowing BONUS: PDF course workbook HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL LEARN in this course :  This course was designed to help you grow your photography skills beyond just being able to take "nice looking photos". You will love this course if you want to keep growing your photographic eye, truly control your camera and start making your photos reflect who you are and who your family are. This is the course where your photography really picks up the pace. We will support and challenge you to help you find your own voice in photography. How do I get FULL control of my camera? - shooting in full manual - but with clarity and purpose When is the ‘correct’ exposure not the RIGHT one and why is my camera confused? And more importantly, how to fix it in camera? How do you capture genuine emotion and NOT just fake smiles? No more 'smile for Mummy' How to make your light AND SHADOWS work for you? and capture stunning images even if you think you have barely any light What makes a ‘strong image’ and how do I begin to get them more consistently? INSIDE THE MODULES - aka WHAT DO YOU LEARN? Module 1: Getting started in Manual mode First steps into shooting in full manual – understanding your exposure and metering, finding correct exposure for your subject, handling over and under exposure and adjusting your settings without even taking your camera away from your eyes. Major Takeaways: At the end of the module you will have gained full control of your camera - no more guessing game and unpredictable results with all the control going firmly to you. You will be able to understand your jump off points for different situations and how to adjust them to the changing light or environment Module 2: More on manual exposure and why your camera is often wrong Learning when the ‘correct’ exposure is not the “right exposure”, understanding and interpreting your histograms, learning how your environment can help you get the right exposure even in tricky light, dealing with challenging light situations. Major Takeaways: Knowing when to trust and not trust your camera's exposure assessment. Knowing exactly how to adjust things when the images don't turn out looking right out of the camera. Having a method to help you capture different colour accurately - especially when it comes to skin tones, or elements that are bright or dark Module 3: Powerful composition  Learning what makes a strong image and learning to create your own, consistently, with the help of our advanced composition techniques – beyond the rule of thirds. Visual storytelling and creating connection to create images which go beyond just pretty. Major Takeaways: Learning new concepts in composition - things that will help you create exiting visual flow, help with impactful storytelling and draw the viewer's eye into the image rather than away from it.  Next course starts on 15th April 2024Get your space now Module 4: No such thing as bad light There is no such thing as bad light - even with just a sliver of it you can make a statement in your images. In this module we teach you how to work with low light - through low key photography - playing with light and shadows. And we give you an introduction to Flash - for when you want to boost your existing natural light that little bit more.    Major Takeaways: You will learn how to use light and shadows to your advantage, literally learning to paint with light - letting it uncover your subject, and hide what you want to stay out of light. Much like the light module in our Fundamentals course this is very much an AH-HA lesson that will shake your photography to its core. Module 5: Photographing emotions  In this module we get under our subject's skin and focus on photographing emotions. We show you how to reply on more than facial expression to show emotions and how to use your creative toolkit, including colour theory to make the viewer see and understand the emotion felt in the moment.  Major Takeaways: Learning how to capture genuine connection with your subject and their true emotions – whether happy or mad! Going beyond the smiles or frowny faces to portray your children’s true selves and capturing the moment. Using body language and other creative means – from colour theory, editing style and more! BONUS Module 6: Your creative self Exploring various photographic styles and conventions. Learning to recognise your own strengths and weaknesses and taking steps to grow further. Bonus creative exercises to take you outof your rut and help you continue to grow your photography. In my opinion Advanced level 2 is absolute must as it expand the knowledge from level 1 to the point, that you can take photos confidently, and knowing what you do. I did it online and my teachers were superb, passionate, helpful and very flexible.  Aga Stefaniak Photography for Parents ADVANCED Book your space now: COURSE STARTS : 15th April 2024( 6 weeks incl 1 week break)COURSE COST :   £279 (payment plans available) What’s included: 6 weekly modules covering all key aspects of children’s photography, weekly live online class ( also recorded) - on Wednesday evenings personal feedback and advice on your images private support group PDF workbook Photography for Parents ADVANCED But will it work for me? - our guarantee: We know our course works. We have seen a few thousands of students go through our courses and really improve. BUT, if you find that after the first couple of modules that it just doesn't work for you, you haven't learnt anything new, it's the wrong level for you, you haven't improved, or you simply don't get on or engage with it - we will simply refund you in full. Simple as that!

Regular expressions training course description Regular expressions are an extremely powerful tool for manipulating text and data. They are now standard features in a wide range of languages and popular tools, including Python and MySQL. Regular expressions allow you to code complex and subtle text processing that you never imagined could be automated. Once you've mastered regular expressions, they'll become an invaluable part of your toolkit. You will wonder how you ever got by without them. What will you learn Use Regular Expressions. Troubleshoot Regular Expressions. Compare RE features among different versions. Explain how the regular expression engine works. Optimize REs. Match what you want, not what you don't want. Regular expressions training course details Who will benefit: Anyone looking to use regular expressions. Prerequisites: None. Duration 1 day Regular expressions training course contents Introduction to Regular Expressions Solving real problems, REs as a language, the filename analogy, language analogy, RE frame of mind, searching text files: egrep, egrep metacharacters, start and end of the line, character classes, matching any character with dot, alternation, ignoring differences in capitalization, word boundaries, optional items, other quantifiers: repetition, parentheses and backreferences, the great escape, expanding the foundation, linguistic diversification, the goal of a RE, more examples, RE nomenclature, Improving on the status quo. Extended introductory examples A short introduction to Perl, matching text with regular expressions, toward a more real-world example, side effects of a successful match, Intertwined regular expression, intermission, modifying text with regular expressions, example: form letter, example: prettifying a stock price, automated editing, a small mail utility, adding commas to a number with lookaround, text-to-HTML conversion, that doubled-word thing. Regular expression features and flavours The regex landscape, origins of REs, care and handling of REs, Integrated handling, procedural and object-oriented handling, search-and-replace example. strings character encodings and modes, strings as REs, character-encoding issues, unicode, regex modes and match modes, common metacharacters and features, character representations, character classes and class-like constructs, anchors and other 'zero-width assertions', comments and mode modifiers, grouping capturing conditionals and control. The mechanics of expression processing Two kinds of engines, new standards, regex engine types, from the department of redundancy department, testing the engine type, match basics, about the examples, rule 1: the match that begins earliest wins, engine pieces and parts, rule 2: the standard quantifiers are greedy, regex-directed versus text-directed, NFA engine: regex-directed, DFA engine: text-directed, first thoughts: NFA and DFA in comparison, backtracking, two important points on backtracking, saved states, backtracking and greediness, more about greediness and backtracking, problems of greediness, multi-character 'quotes', lazy quantifiers, greediness and laziness, laziness and backtracking, possessive quantifiers and atomic grouping, possessive quantifiers ?, +, *+, ++ and {m,n}+, the backtracking of lookaround, is alternation greedy? taking advantage of ordered alternation, NFA DFA and posix, the longest-leftmost', posix and the longest-leftmost rule, speed and efficiency. Practical regex techniques Continuation lines, matching an IP address, working with filenames, matching balanced sets of parentheses, watching out for unwanted matches, matching delimited text, knowing your data and making assumptions, stripping leading and trailing whitespace, matching and HTML tag, matching an HTML link, examining an HTTP URL, validating a hostname, plucking a hostname, plucking a URL, parsing CSV files. Crafting an efficient expression Efficiency vs. correctness, localizing greediness, global view of backtracking, more work for POSIX NFA, work required during a non-match, being more specific, alternation can be expensive, benchmarking, know what you re measuring, benchmarking with Python, common optimisations, the mechanics of regex application, pre-application optimizations, optimizations with the transmission, optimization of the regex itself, techniques for faster expressions, common sense techniques, expose literal text, expose anchors, lazy versus greedy: be specific, split into multiple REs, mimic initial-character discrimination, use atomic grouping and possessive quantifiers, lead the engine to a match, unrolling the loop, observations, using atomic grouping and possessive quantifiers, short unrolling examples, unrolling C comments, the free flowing regex, a helping hand to guide the match, a well-guided regex is a fast regex.

Dating is a skill and a skill that is learned through failure and experience. Whether you are married,in a relationship or single improving your relationship skills is vital towards having success in love. In this course, you will be taught the following: Emotional intelligence Self-awareness and Social awareness You will be taught empathy, emotional validation, consideration and civility These three relationship skills go hand in hand. Together they form a foundation of caring, trust, and connection to which couples can more easily return when they find themselves in times of stress, tension, or emotional distance. Living together, considering marriage, conflicts, family issues, betrayal, patience, respect, relationship growth, single parents, creating open communication and finances these will all be covered in this course. How to become a better partner is vital in today’s society the healthiest relationships are built on respect, trust and communication to learn these facets and to understand what skills you need to sustain a long-lasting relationship are imperative. This course will teach everything you need to know with the support of a qualified coach guiding and educating you. Learn how to become a better partner today. Three 1 hour and a half sessions weekly https://relationshipsmdd.com/product/how-to-be-a-better-partner-package/

This free introductory training webinar is designed to raise awareness of children of parents with a mental illness.

This masterclass will focus on supporting Key Safeguarding staff in understanding the current context around SVSH and HSB in your setting.