TV’s Teen Tamer helps Trust create stronger communities

Trafford Housing Trust has become the first housing association to draft in Channel Five’s Teen Tamer Lorrine Marer to help it create stronger communities.

The Trust project was the brainchild of Neighbourhood Housing Officer Jan Ward who had watched the Channel Five series. She put forward the idea of bringing in the Teen Tamer to deliver a tailor-made course to help create a respect agenda at the grass roots on its Sale Moor estate.

The six week course on the psychology of parenting was open to mums and dads living in Trust properties as well as private residents on the estate and featured a range of parenting advice and techniques including:

• the use of descriptive praise
• language and phrases to use and avoid
• how to successfully challenge negative behaviour
• rule setting and rule policing
• helping children make informed choices

Challenging behaviour specialist Lorrine works with local authorities, Primary Care Trusts, the Police and youth offending teams. She agreed to take on the project with Trafford Housing Trust as she had not worked with a housing association before.

Following an introductory session with Lorrine 15 parents signed up for the innovative course - a weekly two hour session - with amazing results - parents have praised the new skills they have picked up.

Trust Neighbourhood Housing Officer Lily Si, who delivered the parenting project, said: “Parents took home a range of techniques to tackle different situations with their children. These new-found skills have given parents more self esteem and confidence in bringing up their children.”

Mum-of-four Nicola Cushing, aged 40, said: ”Lorrine was brilliant, some of the techniques she taught us have been so effective.”

The Trafford Housing Trust tenant added: “The course has helped me bring control back into the house. There’s respect again, so there’s a stronger family unit working together.”

Nicola’s neighbour, Amanda Marsland, joined her on the course. A Trafford Housing Trust tenant for six months, the 29-year-old mum-of-three, said: “It’s really helped me change the behaviour in my house, the way I talk and act with my children and the way they behave back.”

Matthew Gardiner, Chief Executive of Trafford Housing Trust, added: “The parenting course was not only ground-breaking for the Trust but also within the housing association sector. This is exactly the kind of innovation we need to strengthen the family ties in the community where we work.”

The psychology of parenting course forms just part of Trafford Housing Trust’s approach to building sustainable communities. It has a dedicated Good Neighbour Unit to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour and has set up a Youth Team to work on diversionary activities ranging from dance and drama workshops to sport and art projects.

Lorrine said: “Trafford Housing Trust was the first housing association to contact me. Their idea was cutting edge in creating pride in communities at the street level. More associations should adopt the idea.”

The Trust worked with partner organisations including local schools and youth workers to find families who would be interested in the course. Invitations for the introductory session were also sent out to all family sized properties owned by the Trust on the estate.

Through the help of different agencies, 13 families signed up and two more joined after one parent recommended the course to her friends. Each week both a morning and evening session was offered to ensure the course was run at accessible times.

Following the success of the first course, a pilot project, the Trust is set to run it for a second time this summer, as part of its range of initiatives.

Stretford and Urmston MP Bev Hughes, the Minister for Children, Young People and Families, said: “We know that there is an increasing demand from parents for these kinds of programs, which help parents deal with some of the problems that can arise in any family as children are growing up.

“This is an excellent project by Trafford Housing Trust and I commend them for their initiative.”