NSPCC event and press release: Birmingham Comfortable Conversations

Muslim families across Birmingham can sign up to a new series of workshops offering advice and support on how to discuss challenging subjects with their children.

The workshops are based on an NSPCC resource developed in the city, a leaflet entitled Comfortable Conversations. The leaflet was released last year in partnership with Approachable Parenting, a community interest group supporting Muslim families in the UK.

The leaflet aims to help Muslim parents share advice in a culturally sensitive way and to feel confident and comfortable when discussing a range of topics with their children, and its success led to the creation of these workshops.

If Comfortable Conversations continues to be popular in Birmingham, the NSPCC hope to extend the workshops out to Muslim communities across the West Midlands and potentially the rest of the country.

Rachel Wallace, NSPCC Local Campaigns Manager for the Midlands, said: “We are thrilled to be able to see our Comfortable Conversations resource come to life with the animation and to offer families and professionals the opportunity to explore the topic together at our workshops.

“Our journey to make this happen, with Approachable Parenting, has been inspirational and by bringing together the strengths of both of our organisations we have created a toolkit which shows the importance of family in Islam and illustrates that faith and helping to keep children safe go hand in hand.”

Parents and professions are welcome to the launch of the workshops and a new animation about Comfortable Conversations, which will take place on Thursday, September 19, at The Muath Trust in Birmingham and will run between 10.45am to 1.45pm.

The Muath Trust is an organisation founded by members of the Yemeni community, one of the oldest Muslim communities to settle in the UK and plays a pivotal role in promoting community cohesion and encouraging its members to play a more effective role within society.

The Comfortable Conversations was launched last year and it aims to help Muslim parents share advice in a culturally sensitive way and to feel confident and comfortable when discussing a range of topics with their children.

To book a place at the Comfortable Conversations launch event or find out more about the workshops, please email MidlandsCampaings@nspcc.org.uk