About This Course
Our Cliff College Certificate in Parenting for Faith short course is designed to stretch, inform and inspire as those questions are explored. It is designed for those working in a professional or voluntary capacity with children, young people, and families in churches. This course will equip you to successfully support parents and carers as they disciple their children and explore what parenting for faith might look like in your church and community.
What is it to share Christian faith within the family? How can we better parent the children of our communities to grow in God, or as adults accompany children on the Christian journey? What can it mean for the Church to support a family and have effective input into young people’s lives? How can we develop confidence in parents around prayer and the sharing of the Bible story?
This short course will help people working with children, youth and families in their churches and communities learn how to position themselves for maximum impact; develop foundational values and practices to operate out of, and establish practical steps to shape a culture where parenting for faith can flourish.
Subject areas include:- the current crisis in spiritual parenting
- an overview of Parenting for Faith and its five key tools
- skills and values you need to successfully support your families
- Parenting for Faith in children’s and youth work and intergenerational spaces
- working with your church and planning your next steps.
The course will begin on 1st October 2024. There are 12 units to be completed and these will be released weekly to help you pace your engagement with the course.
This version of the course is the Cliff College Certificate option. The unit content will be released weekly. Students must complete the teaching material within 12 weeks and then have another 12 weeks to submit a written assignment. The assignment will be marked and then moderated by College staff. Students who obtain a pass mark or higher will receive a Cliff College Certificate in Parenting for Faith, awarded at the Cliff College Graduation ceremony. Alternatively you can take this course for a completion certificate, which allows you to work through the course content at your own pace and does not have a written assignment to complete. It is important to make your decision before your purchase access to the course as you cannot switch part way through the course content.
This course has the fee of £175.00
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between the two course types?
This version is the Cliff College Certificate in Parenting for Faith. It is the same teaching material as the completion certificate option but this additionally has one written assignment to submit to help you further engage with the learning of the course. The Cliff College Certificate version will have content released weekly across 12 weeks and then have 12 weeks to complete the assignment. It is important to make your decision before your purchase access to the course as you cannot switch part way through the course content.
I'm already embedded in Parenting for Faith, is it worth me doing it?
Yes it's still work doing the course because it really helps you drill down into the big picture of how Parenting for Faith can work in churches and helps you work that out in your own setting.
What's the time commitment per week?
The minimum time is about 2 hours per unit. The teaching videos average about 45 minutes, and then the rest of the time will depend on how you learn and how much you use the optional reflections and activities. Potentially if you completed all the reflections it is about 4 hours per unit. There are 12 units, and on this course the 13th is everything to assist you with your chosen assignment.
Do I have to complete the work the day it is released?
Simple answer is no. While the units will be released at 6:00am (UTC) on a Monday, you can fit the work in wherever it will work best in your life. It's got release times to help you pace your progress. If you have 30 minutes on a Tuesday, and 2 hours on a Thursday, and that's when it works for you that's great. If you can give a whole focused afternoon, that's great too. If you need to do 45 minutes while others are occupied at the beginning of the week and you don't get a chance until Sunday afternoon, that's okay too. You can make this work for your life style.
If I take a holiday or get ill and need to miss a week, is it an issue?
Be reassured that this is paced to help you fit this into your life. We get that some weeks are busy and packed full, or that you need a break. That's okay. Take the time you need to recover and rest, then pick up where you left off. The main dates that matter will be 1st October 2024 when you can access the content for the first time, and Monday 24th March 2025 which is the final date to submit your assignment. In between then you can motivate yourself.
What happens if I get behind?
While the course material will be released weekly, you may find that you need to catch up the following week if you've got a busier week. There are some activities that you might continue working on whilst also completing the next unit. Don't worry about it, there's plenty of time.
I’ve got more questions about the course, who can I speak to?
You can contact Kathryn Middleton at Cliff College, or Becky Sedgwick at Parenting for Faith. If you have technical issues with the course, please contact Kathryn on cc.tx@cliffcollege.ac.uk.
How much additional reading is expected?
There's an expectation that you read around the subject for this course, this will also assist with your assignment.
Is any of it marked?
The reflections and activities as you work through the units are for your own learning, they will not be marked. The only thing that will be is your assignment. This will be a choice from three options: first a portfolio of resources, second a reflective journal, or thirdly an essay responding to 1 of 5 essay questions. Full details are within the course unit 13. There is also information about support from the Cliff College team and helpful pointers about writing an assignment if you haven't done any study of this kind for a while.
How is the course delivered?
All the content is accessible within this course. There are hyperlinks to external resources and recommendations of further reading to try which you would need to find your own access to. The teaching is pre-recorded for you to work through at a suitable time to you. There are activities and reflections to engage with following each of videos that teach on that unit's theme.
The course starts on 1st October, can I join before and after then?
You will be able to enrol in advance of this date, the content won't be available until the start date of the course. You will still be able to enrol for a few weeks after the start date, but then it might be worth waiting until the next cohort. We don't want to place too much pressure to catch up with content and for participants to work through at a similar pace to others.
If you're reading the FAQs after the enrolment has closed (November 2024 onwards). If now really feels like the time to be doing the course you have two options, sign up for the completion version and enjoy the same great teaching or get in touch and have a conversation with us if you really want to do the Cliff College Certificate.
How can I pay for this course?
CliffX uses Stripe e-commerce to pay, you can pay for this course securely online. You can start that process by enrolling via the button.
