Togetherness - Information for Practitioners

Togetherness (formerly ‘In Our Place’) is an online library of free, evidence-based learning resources for everyone in the Bradford District, including families with children of all ages, teenagers (courses they can follow independently), and adults (with or without children).

These free courses can help people better understand themselves and their family members, to support and help deal with family life, parenting, relationships, and their emotional wellbeing.

Practitioners/professionals in the Bradford District can recommend Togetherness to any family or individual who would find it useful. When signposting please also consider the wider range of parental and family support offered in different ways, including face-to-face – these are all detailed on our Parenting programme pathway.

The Togetherness online library consists of 17 separate courses, themed for different age groups and needs, from pregnancy, during childhood and teenage years, through to adult life.

You can see the full list of courses on the Togetherness website and listed at the bottom of the page.

Togetherness learning resources are completely free for Bradford District residents to access. People can register for as many courses as they want.

To access courses, all people will need is their post code and the access code – BDPARENTS

The courses are delivered online, ‘on demand’, through a combination of audio, video and text, so people can follow them in their own time and at their own pace. The courses are in short modules, to fit easily around family life.

The courses are available universally, to all families regardless of their level of need. Professionals can signpost people to the Togetherness courses wherever helpful.

Where appropriate, practitioners are also encouraged to use the courses during one-to-one support with parents, when they are unable to access a group programme and/or require support to access the course digitally.

The courses are ideal for people who have access to their own digital equipment (such as a smart phone, tablet or PC).

For people for whom digital access is a challenge, IT equipment, funded by Family Hubs and Start for Life, will be made available within our district’s Family Hubs for people to use.

Some of the In Our Place courses are available translated into languages including Modern Standard Arabic, Polish and Urdu. The full library of courses also supports auto-translation through Google Translate, which offers over 200 languages.

Togetherness has been launched in partnership between Family Hubs and Start for Life within Bradford Council, and Bradford Children and Families Trust’s Prevention and Early Help service. Representatives from health and care, and VCSE partnership organisations have been consulted via the Family Hubs and Start for Life steering group and other direct involvement.

The Togetherness online library has been developed by the Solihull Approach, a not-for-profit NHS service, with input from clinical psychologists.

While Togetherness is provided by the Solihull Approach, it is not connected to some of the broader ‘Solihull Approach’ working practices which are used by some health and care organisations, but which we have not commissioned in Bradford.

The Togetherness courses complement and enhance Bradford District’s existing support for families. This online offer is not intended to replace any of the targeted or face-to-face support provided by any services, however it can be offered alongside these. For more information visit our Parenting programme pathway.

The Togetherness learning resource library is currently licenced until August 2027. During this time, Togetherness will be promoted to families and people in Bradford District through a mix of advertising, social media, posters, newsletters and more.

Information about Togetherness, and links to the online library, are on the new Parenting programme pathway.

There is also a new A - Z of parenting programmes page to find courses quickly if you know which programme you want to view. 

Please take a look at all the courses on offer through Togetherness and help promote them to any families that may find these useful. You can create a Togetherness account to fully explore the courses and get a feel of the experience for families and individuals. Feel free to use a workplace postcode if you don’t live in the area, and don’t forget the access code – BDPARENTS.

Antenatal

• Understanding pregnancy, labour, birth and your baby.
• Understanding pregnancy, labour, birth and your baby: for women couples.

Postnatal (0 - 6 months)

• Understanding your baby
• Understanding your preterm or sick baby in hospital
• Understanding your preterm or sick baby now you're home

Children and Young People (6 months to 19+ years)

• Understanding your child: from toddler to teenager
• Understanding your child with additional needs
• Understanding your child's feelings
• Understanding your child's mental health and wellbeing
• Understanding the impact of the pandemic on your child

Preteen to teenager

• Understanding your teenager's brain
• Moving up to secondary school for children with additional needs
• Understanding the impact of the pandemic on your teenager

For Teenagers

• Understanding your brain (for teenagers only!)
• Understanding your feelings (for teenagers only!)

For Adults

• Understanding your relationships
• Understanding your own trauma