We are pleased to announce that Lifeline Projects has been awarded funding from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime through London’s Violence Reduction Unit to deliver a programme aimed at increasing parental wellbeing and family support across all 32 London boroughs.
Our new Community Parenting Academy is designed to support parents and carers to build confidence, improve wellbeing, and strengthen relationships within families, helping children and young people grow up in safer and more stable homes whilst also training parents to support other families.
Supporting families across London
Families across London are facing growing pressures including financial challenges, housing difficulties, stress and mental health concerns. These pressures can affect daily family life and contribute to tense family dynamics.
The Community Parenting Academy will provide practical training and support for parents and carers across all London boroughs. It will focus on helping adults understand their own wellbeing, manage stress and respond to children’s needs in a calm and confident way.
It will also help parents and carers build stronger relationships with their children, improve communication at home and set clear and healthy boundaries.
Building confidence through community support
A key part of the Academy is the further development of the existing Parent Carer Champions network, which supported around 29,000 parents thanks to funding through London’s Violence Reduction Unit. LifeLine Projects is honoured to continue this legacy and deliver a programme that will enable Parent Carer Champions to become Leaders amongst their communities.
The programme will work through schools, faith groups and community networks to ensure support is accessible and grounded in local experience. Training will be delivered both in person and online to reduce barriers to participation.
Launching the programme
The Academy was officially launched on Monday 8th June at St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace in central London, bringing together practitioners, community partners and parents for a day of presentations, workshops and interactive learning.
The event included an overview of the course structure, reflections on the legacy of the Parent Carer Champions, a taster workshop on emotional regulation and peer mentoring, and opportunities for attendees to register interest in delivering or joining future cohorts. The day also focused strongly on the connection between emotional wellbeing, parenting confidence and community safety, reflecting the priorities of both Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and the Violence Reduction Unit.
Strengthening peer support and developing community facilitators
A central focus of the Community Parenting Academy is the development of peer support capacity, enabling participants to move beyond individual learning into active community leadership. Through the OCN Level 2 Award in Peer Mentoring, parents and carers are supported not only to strengthen their own parenting confidence, but also to become trained peer supporters and facilitators within their communities.
This builds on the work previously delivered by Violence Reduction Unit and expands the legacy of the Parent Carer Champions model into a more structured pathway for progression, leadership and local delivery.
By equipping participants with mentoring skills, reflective practice and facilitation tools, the programme creates a growing network of community-based practitioners who can support other families facing similar challenges. This approach reflects the vision of Lifeline Projects: not only improving outcomes for parents, but also developing trusted peer leaders who can hold space, share lived experience, and help strengthen support networks across London’s 32 boroughs.
What the programme aims to achieve
The Academy will focus on improving outcomes for families, children and communities across London.
It aims to:
- Improve confidence and wellbeing for parents and carers
- Strengthen relationships within families
- Support better emotional understanding between adults and children
- Reduce stress in the home
- Improve communication within families
- Strengthen local community support networks
- Help children feel safer and more secure at home
- Reduce behavioural difficulties at home and in school
Building stronger futures
In the longer term, the programme aims to reduce family breakdown, support children to remain safely within their homes where appropriate and help break cycles of harm between generations.
By investing in parents and carers, Lifeline Projects aims to strengthen family life, build resilience and support safer communities across London.
This work reflects a shared commitment to early support for families and to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable and supportive home.
This funding is a powerful opportunity to support families at a time when many are under real pressure. When parents and carers feel confident and supported, the benefits are felt across the whole family. We are proud to be working with partners across London to help build stronger relationships at home and safer communities for children and young people.
Nathan Singleton
CEO, LifeLine Projects
We see every day how much parents and carers want to do their best for their children, even when life feels difficult. This programme gives families practical support and space to build confidence, strengthen relationships and feel less alone. It also helps parents connect with each other, which is often one of the most powerful forms of support.
Tilishia Green
Head of Families, LifeLine Projects