Mellow Parenting

⏳ Only two weeks to go until Mellow Up! 2026

Soon, Practitioners from across the Mellow network will come together in Stirling for a day dedicated to learning, connection, and reflection.

On Monday 10 August, attendees will hear from Robin Balbernie as he explores how early relationships shape development and wellbeing, before joining conversations on responsive, relationship-centred practice for supporting diverse needs.

Alongside the learning sessions, there will be plenty of opportunities to reconnect with colleagues and share experiences from practice.

Have you secured your place? 💜 See the latest agenda: https://www.mellowparenting.org/news/news/mellow-up--stirling-10-august/

Five young people. One presentation. A teacher who changed their lives.

When a trusted teacher’s job was at risk, two teenage girls decided they couldn’t stay silent. They created a presentation for their school’s senior leadership team, explaining why she mattered, not just as a teacher, but as someone who made school feel safe.

At Eastwood High School in Glasgow, Mellow Practitioners David and Lucía have been delivering Mellow for Young People with a group of five teenage girls facing disrupted home lives, school attendance challenges, mental health difficulties, and the impact of neurodiversity.

Through the programme, the young people have learnt about how their brains and emotions work, building practical strategies for difficult moments, and growing in confidence.

Halfway through the programme, David and Lucía already saw change. Young people who were once reluctant to speak began to share their thoughts, while those who found it hard to concentrate became more engaged.

The girls later learnt that a teacher from the school’s Learning Support team, someone they had built a strong bond with, had to reapply for her role. Wanting her voice to be heard, they prepared and delivered a presentation about why nurturing, trusted adults matter.

They spoke honestly about the difference she had made to their mental health, attendance, learning, and sense of belonging. They described someone who listened without judgement, cared deeply, and helped them keep going on difficult days.

The teacher was rehired.

We can’t say whether the presentation influenced the outcome, but we do know this: these young people found the confidence to advocate for someone who had made a lasting difference in their lives.

That is what relationship-based practice can help make possible. 💜 When young people feel heard, valued, and supported, they begin to recognise that their voices matter. Sometimes the biggest change is discovering they can create change themselves.

Last month (18–19 June), we were delighted to deliver Mellow Growing Together training to Practitioners from the St Helens Early Help and Family Hub teams as part of the Department for Education's Best Start for Life initiative.

It was a real pleasure to spend time with such a passionate and committed group of Practitioners. Their enthusiasm, insight, and genuine desire to make a difference for children and families shone through throughout the training.

Over the two days, Practitioners explored the Mellow approach and got hands-on experience using the programme materials, including the Feelings Dice, Different Types of Glasses, and learning how to be BOLD when feeling overwhelmed. The energy, discussion and willingness to learn from one another created a fantastic learning environment.

Most importantly, we're incredibly excited to see Mellow Growing Together being offered to parents across St Helens through the Family Hub network. 🫂 We know the difference that safe, nurturing relationships can make in the early years, and we're looking forward to seeing families benefit from this evidence-based, relational, and trauma-informed programme.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part, and for the warm welcome we received. We can't wait to see Mellow Growing Together in action across St Helens, supporting parents, babies and young children to build strong, nurturing relationships from the very start.

At the start of June another group of Mums celebrated their journey of taking part in their Mellow Mums/Toddlers group at Burnfoot Early Years Centre.

This is a significant achievement, taking part in 14 full day sessions and as you can see in the photos the Mums and their children marked this achievement by having a celebration lunch, being presented with their group completion certificates and a framed special photo.👏🎉🥳

We hope you all enjoyed taking part in your Mellow group, have a great Summer everyone

A massive well done to the Mums from Burnfoot Early Years Centre who completed Mellow Growing Together programme at the end of last month.

We are grateful that you have shared these cracking photos with us. 🥰

We hope all the Mums, Babies and Mellow Growing Together facilitators have a great summer ☀️

Today, on World Youth Skills Day, we celebrate the skills that help young people navigate life's opportunities and challenges with confidence.

Alongside academic achievement, skills such as communication, emotional awareness, relationship building, problem-solving, and self-belief play an important role in helping young people thrive.

Our Mellow for Young People and Mellow Caring for Young People programmes create space for young people to develop these foundations in a supportive, relationship-centred environment. By strengthening confidence, resilience, and connections with others, we help young people build skills that can support them throughout their lives.

Because every young person deserves the opportunity to grow, learn, and realise their potential.

Are you looking to strengthen early parent–child relationships, improve parental wellbeing and reflective capacity, and support children’s emotional and behavioural development?

We are taking notes of interest from parents, caregivers, and services based in Glasgow for places on our Mellow Growing Together programme starting in September.

Mellow Growing Together is an 8-session programme for parents and caregivers of children aged 0 to 5 years old. During the programme, you can talk about what is going well, what feels difficult, and learn more about how young children grow and develop. The sessions help you to continue to build a warm, positive relationship with your child and give you ideas for play, routines, and spending time together.

At the group sessions, you can expect a friendly and supportive atmosphere where you will look at short video clips of you and your child to help you notice your strengths and talk about what is going well. In this space, you can share experiences with other parents and caregivers, get support, and learn additional ways to connect with your child. The aim is to help you feel more confident, supported, and connected as a parent or caregiver.

The programme offers the flexibility of being delivered on a one-to-one basis as well.

Find out more or request a place at [email protected] or call us at 01414456066

Discover our Mellow Growing Together programme at: https://www.mellowparenting.org/programmes-parents-carers/mellow-growing-together-22/

Could you help us find our next trustee? 🫂 Mellow Parenting is looking for new volunteer trustees to join our Board.

For 20 years, Mellow has been supporting children, parents and families through nurturing, relationship-based programmes. As we continue to grow, we are looking for people who share our values and can help guide and support the organisation in the years ahead.

You don't need to work in the parenting, family support or charity sectors to make a valuable contribution. In fact, we are particularly interested in hearing from people who can bring different experiences, skills and ways of thinking to our Board.

Many of the people who become involved with Mellow do so through a conversation, a recommendation or a personal connection, it’s all about relationships! That's why we're reaching out to our practitioner network.

If someone comes to mind; a colleague, friend, family member or professional contact who shares our commitment to children and families and would enjoy helping a charity grow and thrive, we would love to hear from them.

By sharing this opportunity, you'll be helping us strengthen Mellow's future and support more families to experience safe, nurturing and positive relationships.

If you would like to find out more about becoming a trustee, please get in touch at [email protected] - we'd be happy to have an informal conversation about the role and what being part of the Mellow Board involves.

📅 One month to go until Mellow Up!

We're looking forward to welcoming Accredited Practitioners and those working towards Accreditation for a day of shared learning, professional development, and meaningful conversations.

Taking place on Monday 10 August at The Barracks Conference Centre in Stirling, this event will feature:

✨ A keynote learning experience with Infant Mental Health Specialist, Robin Balbernie
✨ Opportunities to connect with fellow Practitioners from across the Mellow network
✨ Discussions focused on responsive, relationship-centred practice and supporting diverse needs
✨ Time to reflect, share experiences, and learn together

Few spaces are left. Register free now: https://www.mellowparenting.org/news/news/mellow-up--stirling-10-august/

Updates | Mellow Up! | Stirling, 10 August Mellow Up! is back - an exclusive event for Accredited Practitioners to get together for a day of shared learning and insightful conversations. Join us at The Barracks Conference Centre on Monday, 10th August 2026.

A positive step forward for families and Family Hubs across England.

We are delighted to see the publication of the Department for Education's updated Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies guidance, including the refreshed menu of evidence-based parenting interventions: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-parenting-and-home-learning-environment-menu-of-interventions

The guidance reinforces the importance of offering parents access to interventions that are grounded in evidence and delivered as part of wider relational, community and early help services.

We're particularly pleased that Mellow Toddlers continues to be included within the national menu, alongside the inclusion of Mellow Growing Together. Together, all the programmes on the updated menu give local authorities greater choice in how they support families through their Family Hubs, helping ensure parents can access evidence-based support that best meets their needs.

This is more than recognition of individual programmes. It reflects a shared commitment across the sector to ensuring families can access high-quality, evidence-based support that strengthens parent-child relationships, promotes children's development, and gives every child the strongest possible start in life.

A huge thank you to all of our local authority partners, practitioners, researchers and families who continue to champion relationship-based parenting support. We also recognise the collaborative efforts of colleagues across the Parenting Programmes Alliance in helping to champion the value of evidence-based parenting programmes.

We look forward to continuing to work alongside Family Hubs across England to support even more families in the years ahead.