Resources For Groups & Organizations that Work with Parents

Many everyday places and gatherings can be ideal for reinforcing healthy relationship behaviours for parents. If you’re wondering whether your group or organization counts, chances are – yes! “Settings” or “environments” simply mean any regular gatherings or spaces where parents connect naturally, either in-person or virtually.

Some examples include:

• Schools: Parent councils and school volunteer groups.
• Faith communities: Churches, mosques, temples, or religious study groups.
• Community associations and libraries: Playgroups, activity classes, parent workshops, regular community gatherings.
• Sports & hobby groups: Sidelines at children’s games, club meetings, dance studios, scouting events, or music rehearsals.
• Workplaces: Parenting groups, wellness committees, and staff lunch-and-learns.
• Online spaces: Social media groups, virtual coffee chats, group text threads, or parent forums.

We have built a Healthy Social Environments Catalogue that answers this question and provides hundreds of examples of how you can build a healthy environment with parents. When parents feel respected, included, safe, and supported in your program or setting, they are more likely to bring these healthy relationship behaviours home with their children.

Click here to learn all about building healthy social environments to support parents in fostering healthy relationships!

One of the best ways to understand the social environment you’re building with parents is to hear directly from them. While this may seem obvious, it’s less common than you might think. Groups and organizations often ask about changes in parents’ knowledge or skills but less often about how parents perceive the setting where they learn.

Some service providers and community leaders may already use formal evaluation or parent feedback tools. Others may be working in informal or resource-limited settings. Either way, there are simple and meaningful ways to gather feedback.

This visual shows three examples for gathering feedback about the health of your setting:

Together, these examples show three simple approaches to gathering feedback: group discussions, surveys, and one-to-one conversations. Other options include creating a physical box or online link (e.g., using Mentimeter) where people can give anonymous input, setting up formalized interviews with group members, or supporting parents to seek feedback from other parents as peer evaluators.

Here are ten questions you can ask parents:

• Do you feel you belong in this group or setting?
• Do you feel like you’re treated with respect in this group or setting?
• Do you feel personal wellness is a priority here?
• Do you feel like people are hearing and responding to you here?
• Do you feel you have a say over what happens in this group or setting?
• Do you feel you can participate in this group in ways that are comfortable for you?
• Do you feel you feel cheerful and in good spirits in this setting?
• Do members of this group respect differences in each other (for example, gender, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, income levels)?
• Does this setting help people resolve conflicts with one another?
• Is this setting a physically safe place for all members to be?

Additional Resources:

More ideas on collecting feedback and conducting evaluation: https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/evaluate/evaluation

We have built a Healthy Social Environments Catalogue that answers this question and provides hundreds of examples of how you can build a healthy environment with parents. When parents feel respected, included, safe, and supported in your program or setting, they are more likely to bring these healthy relationship behaviours home with their children.

Click here to learn all about building healthy social environments to support parents in fostering healthy relationships!

Building healthy group and parent environments means change – for the parents you work with, and for the routines everyone is used to. Even positive changes can be difficult because people react differently to uncertainty, new expectations, and letting go of old habits.

One helpful way to facilitate change is to understand the Bridges Transition Model. This model breaks down change into three key stages, each with its own barriers and opportunities.

Endings:

• Parents experience a loss when existing routines or roles end. Expect feelings like confusion, denial, frustration, along with excitement and curiosity.
• What you can do: Listen to parents’ emotions, normalize resistance, and let parents talk about what they will miss (or have valued). Share how each person’s strengths will still matter, and let parents know about available resources, such as training or support, to help them adjust to change.

The Transition Zone:

• This is a bridge between the old and the new. Feelings of uncertainty and anxiety are common, but so is creativity and excitement.
• What you can do: Acknowledge that this stage can feel uncomfortable or unproductive. Keep communication open and check-in regularly. Set small, achievable goals to celebrate early wins. Adjust workloads, if possible, to ease the transition.

New Beginnings:

• Parents start to embrace the change. They might feel accomplished, excited about the learning that’s happening, and a sense of relief, but they may also feel unsure.
• What you can do: Help connect new roles to personal goals – for example, “Some of us are doing things differently, and here’s how that helps us create a healthier environment together.” Celebrate group successes and keep sharing stories of progress.

Supporting parents through each of these stages helps everyone move through change with less resistance and more confidence. Healthy environments growth when people feel supported, informed, and included every step of the way.

Making healthy social environment practices the norm involves embedding them into the culture so everyone can participate consistently. Here are some ideas you could try:

Create a shared values statement: Together, outline the principles guiding your space, such as respectful communication, inclusivity, and collaboration. Include examples of what those principles look like in practice (e.g., everyone gets a chance to speak, feedback is constructive). Post it somewhere visible, share it with new members of your space, and revisit it regularly.

Develop an onboarding process: Introduce new members to the culture and expectations with a simple guide or orientation chat. Include a brief discussion of the shared values, suggested behaviors, and practical tips for participating fully. Pair new volunteers with an experienced “buddy” to help model these practices.

Set informal meeting norms: Agree as a group on simple, clear guidelines for meetings. This can include things like taking turns speaking, using hand signals or “raise your hand” cues, or rotating facilitator roles. Keep these rules visible in agendas or notes so everyone can follow them consistently.

Collect feedback regularly: Even small, informal surveys or check-ins can help capture volunteer input. Create a simple system for documenting suggestions and sharing what changes have been made in response. This reinforces that feedback is valued and acted on.

Document shared practices: Maintain a simple guide or checklist of routines for communication, event planning, or conflict resolution. Accessible written notes help people understand expectations and keep things consistent.

Rotate responsibilities: Share roles like meeting facilitation, note-taking, or coordinating activities. Rotating responsibilities prevents burnout, encourages engagement, and reinforces that everyone contributes to the space’s culture.

Offer training and mentorship to emerging leaders: Support influential people in your space to help create healthy environments. This shares the responsibility, ensures it continues even when key people move on, and builds champions, so you’re not carrying it alone.

Review and reflect regularly: Set aside time periodically to check in on what’s working, what could improve, and any adjustments needed to practices or shared guidelines. Keeping these conversations part of the normal rhythm helps the culture stay strong and flexible.

By embedding practices in shared agreements, simple guides, and rotated responsibilities, you can ensure that healthy relationship behaviors move from individual efforts to a sustainable, shared culture.

Additional Resources:

For more ideas, visit ConnectED Parents’ Healthy Social Environments catalogue and filter for “Policies, guidelines, high-level ways of organizing.”