Free foundation course for parents and carers
Understand behaviour. Build safety. Stay connected.
Practical learning for parents and carers who want to understand their child’s responses, build connection and approach difficult moments with greater confidence. Start with our free foundation course and learn at your own pace.
Six short modules. Practical ideas. No pressure to get everything right.
A gentle way in, at a pace that suits your family
Some children have been through experiences that left them feeling unsafe, even when they are now in a safe home. Their behaviour can be confusing, exhausting and hard not to take personally.
This course offers a way of understanding that behaviour, and simple, practical ideas to try. It is for birth parents, adoptive parents, kinship carers, foster carers and anyone caring for a child. You do not need to be an expert, and you will not get everything right. Nobody does.
Understanding behaviour
Explore why a child who has felt unsafe might react the way they do, and what their behaviour may be communicating.
Building connection
Learn small, everyday ways to help your child feel safer with you, through routine, warmth and time together.
Responding with care
Practise calm, kind ways to hold limits, help your child settle and repair after difficult moments.
The free foundation course
Six short modules
- 1
Understanding trauma, attachment and behaviour
What attachment and trauma mean, how a child’s need for a safe haven and a secure base changes from early childhood to adolescence, and why behaviour is communication.
- 2
Safety and connection come first
How children build trust through predictable relationships, and what this looks like in birth, foster, adoptive, kinship and residential care, including professional boundaries, transitions, safeguarding and teamwork.
- 3
PACE part 1: Playfulness and Acceptance
What PACE is, where it comes from in Dr Dan Hughes’s work, and how to use playfulness and acceptance well, including when humour does not belong.
- 4
PACE part 2: Curiosity and Empathy
Wondering rather than interrogating, being alongside your child when things are hard, knowing when not to probe, and putting all four parts of PACE together.
- 5
Helping your child calm, and setting limits with care
Co-regulation that fits the child, boundaries that feel safe, consequences that teach rather than shame, and repair after difficult moments.
- 6
Looking after yourself, and knowing when to ask for help
Why your wellbeing matters, blocked care and burnout, reflection and support, and clear signs that extra help is needed.
Course pathway
Start free. Continue only if it helps.
The free Foundation course is complete in itself. If you would like to go further, three optional stages take you from understanding, to everyday practice, to confidence with more complex needs.
Foundation
Free · Start here
Six short modules introducing connection and PACE.
Level 1
Understand
What stress and trauma can do, and what helps.
Level 2
Put it into practice
Everyday skills for listening, calm and repair.
Level 3
Grow in confidence
Support for complex or long-lasting needs.
Stage 1 · Start here
Foundation course Free
- Six short modules on understanding behaviour, connection and PACE
- Online lessons, a knowledge check for each module and a free printable workbook
- No payment details needed. Learn at your own pace
Stage 2 · Understand
Level 1: Understanding Trauma
6 modules · 6–7 hours (estimate)
What this level adds
- Understand what stress and trauma can do to a child’s body, feelings, sleep and learning, explained simply.
- Look beneath behaviour for needs and strengths, without assuming everything is caused by trauma.
- Build everyday routines around food, rest, play and calm that help children feel safe.
Stage 3 · Put it into practice
Level 2: Putting Trauma-Informed Parenting into Practice
7 modules · 7–8 hours (estimate)
What this level adds
- Use Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy in real family moments, and know when not to joke.
- Listen without pressure, help your child settle, and hold kind boundaries, then put things right afterwards.
- Make your own practical family plan for school days, bedtime and times of change.
Stage 4 · Grow in confidence
Level 3: Developing Confidence with Complex Needs
8 modules · 8–9 hours (estimate)
What this level adds
- Make sense of difficulties that keep coming back, and respond more safely to explosions and shutdown.
- Work with school, health and family support, and share information safely.
- Know when and how to get professional help, and build a support plan you can keep up.
Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 describe stages in this provider’s learning pathway. They do not indicate regulated qualification levels. None of the courses is therapy.
Levels 1–3 · Coming soon
Course prices
One-off prices with 12 months’ access to each level. The Foundation course is always free.
Start with the free Foundation courseLevel 1
Understanding Trauma
Understand trauma, behaviour, what can set off strong feelings, and ways to help your child feel safe at home.
6 modules · about 6–7 hours
Save £10 when offer opens
- Planned Early Bird (excludes VAT)
- £39
- Regular price after launch offer
- £49
Level 2
Putting Trauma-Informed Parenting into Practice
Learn Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy, ways to calm together, kind boundaries and what to do in difficult moments.
7 modules · about 7–8 hours
Save £10 when offer opens
- Planned Early Bird (excludes VAT)
- £59
- Regular price after launch offer
- £69
Level 3
Developing Confidence with Complex Needs
Build trust, strengthen family routines, support emotional safety and create a personal family support plan.
8 modules · about 8–9 hours
Save £10 when offer opens
- Planned Early Bird (excludes VAT)
- £89
- Regular price after launch offer
- £99
All three levels · Coming soon
3-Level Bundle
Complete learning pathway
Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 together, with 12 months’ access to each.
Planned prices: £38 less than the three levels at their planned early bird prices (£187); £39 less than the three levels at regular prices (£217).
Register your interest in the 3-Level BundleSave £29 when offer opens
- Planned Early Bird bundle (excludes VAT)
- £149
- Regular bundle price after launch offer
- £178
Early bird prices will apply for the first three calendar months after the official course launch. Launch date to be confirmed.
Levels 1–3 are not on sale yet. Prices shown are planned prices; you cannot buy a course on this website at the moment.
Flexible learning
Learn, try, reflect
The foundation course has six online lessons and a matching downloadable workbook. Explore one module a week, or take longer. There are no deadlines.
- Learn. Short, clear explanations with words to try and worked examples.
- Try. One small thing to practise during the week.
- Reflect. Questions to think about, write down or talk through.
- Apply. A short task to use the idea in your own home or care setting.
About the course provider
Hello, I’m Jacqui Blake
I have spent eight years working with children and young people, and eight years training, assessing and supporting people who work in children’s residential care. I am also a qualified counsellor and hypnotherapist.
I believe that when we begin to understand what lies beneath a child’s behaviour, we open the door to greater connection, compassion and positive change. I created these courses to share that understanding with parents and carers, in plain words and with practical ideas you can use at home.
You do not need to be a perfect parent or carer, or have all the answers. The courses are education, not counselling or therapy, and you can go at your own pace.
Questions parents often ask
All FAQsWho is the foundation course for?
Birth parents, adoptive parents, kinship carers, foster carers and anyone caring for a child who wants to understand behaviour and build connection.
Is it really free?
Yes. The foundation course is free. You create an account with your name, email and a password. We do not ask for payment details.
Do I need previous knowledge?
No. The course is written for parents and carers, not professionals. You do not need to be a therapist, and the course will not ask you to become one.
How does the course work?
The foundation course has six modules. Each one is available as a lesson on this website and in the free downloadable workbook. Every module has learning objectives, short Learn sections with words to try, then Try (one small thing to practise), Reflect (questions to think about) and Apply (a short task for your own situation). The course also includes worked scenarios and optional activities. Your reflections stay in your own workbook or notebook. You can tick off modules and take a five-question knowledge check for each one in your learner dashboard.
Are there live classes or group sessions?
No. The foundation course is self-paced online learning. The workbook includes optional role-play activities that a support group, foster carer group or staff team could choose to run themselves with a facilitator, and every activity has a solo version.
Can I learn at my own pace?
Yes. The workbook suggests one module a week, with time in between to try the ideas, but you can take longer. There are no deadlines.
If your family needs more support
Asking for help is a strength. If you would like individual support for your child or yourself, your GP, your child’s school or your local family support service is a good place to start.
In an emergency, call 999
Our contact form is for course enquiries only and is not monitored as an emergency service.
Take one small, manageable first step
Free to join. No payment details. Learn when it suits you.
Start the free courseThese courses provide education and practical information. They are not therapy, diagnosis or a substitute for individual professional advice.