Who we are

The Parents and Carers Network is for University of Bristol staff who are parents or carers (in any context). Our aim is to facilitate mutual support, share experiences, signpost queries and to represent your views to the University.

How we can help

Our aim is to facilitate mutual support, to signpost queries and advice and to represent your views to the University.

We support each other and help our colleagues to:

• make the transition into parenthood, or to adapt to a new addition to their family
• support colleagues who are balancing new or ongoing caring responsibilities with work
• balance caring for an ill, elderly or disabled family member, partner or friend with work commitments
• meet and talk to others who are in the same or similar situation

Find out more about the policies and support available from the University.

We host (currently online) monthly forums where we facilitate opportunities to meet other parents and carers working at the University and discuss a different theme each month. Previous topics have included: entertaining the kids over Christmas, home-schooling, and providing feedback on the draft HR family friendly policies, to name a few.

Other events

We also host other events, e.g. we organised an online talk in November given by Dr Fabienne Vailes: How to grow a grown up and navigate the ‘new normal’.

Parents and Carers' Network Committee

The committee meets every two months to discuss how we can support parents and carers across the University (not just those in the network), and arranges socials, shares and co-ordinates information sharing opportunities (mostly via our Yammer group), signposts guidance to staff and works to ensure that University policies and procedures represent the network.

Committee membership:

• Myma Baptist – Divisional Development and Service Manager, parent to two young children
• Corinna Chandler – Research Administrator, parent to one young child
• Charlie Cowley – School Manager, parent to one school age child
• Roseanna Cross – School Manager, parent to two school age children
• Eva Dodding – Undergraduate Recruitment Assistant, parent to two school age children
• Georgina Hopkins – School Health Research Network Manager, parent to two school age children
• Ames Mosley (EDI and SWAN Officer, parent to one school-age child and one young child)
• Jessica Vance – Health and Safety Adviser. Parent to two school age children and parent carer of a child with a disability/special needs

If you are interested in joining the committee or would like to know more, please email us at grp-parentsnetwork@groups.bristol.ac.uk.