NCT - the UK's largest charity for parents

NCT is an important service for employees who are planning to have a baby.
How companies approach employees' natural progression to starting and
extending their families with family-friendly and supportive services is an
important factor in retaining employees. NCT offers a work-based series of
modules for preparation for childbirth, early days, breastfeeding and parents’
mental health.

In addition, NCT is proud to be working in partnership with Parenting for Professionals.

Together we offer a full suite of workshops and modules to not just educate but offer a supportive network of people and information to assist employees as they become parents and welcome a new baby into their working lives. Our workshops can be run at any corporate location nationally. Included in our services is a full retention evaluation to feedback the positive effects of these services for you workforce.

For more information, please email info@parentingforprofessionals.co.uk

Vincent Thomas - Management Expert

Director - Barclays Asia Pacific Strategic Alliances Learning & Development Team

With many years of managerial experience, Vincent has managed numerous women through maternity leave and helped them confidently re-integrate back into work.  Vincent supports us to continuously see things from the ‘line manager’s perspective’ which is of great help when we talk about relationships during our Maternity Coaching Workshops.

Vincent Thomas began his career in education spending 18 years teaching in Lancashire, Leicestershire and Kent culminating in being Principal of the Abbey School Faversham.
 
From education he moved in to management consultancy specialising in the fields of Management Development, Organisational Development and Change Management. Working with an international client base he conducted assignments in Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Japan and the USA. 
 
In September 2007, he accepted a new role at Barclays Capital and is currently Director of the Asia Pacific Strategic Alliances Learning & Development Team.

Peter Hurst - Management Expert

Managing Director - OnTrack International

As a Managing Director and a father, with a background in training and development, Peter also supports our goal to be able to offer our parents a viewpoint on managing maternity from the leaders of a company.  Peter also supports us to ensure we equally represent the needs of mothers and fathers.

Peter has many years experience within a blue chip environment, leading teams and successfully managing significant change projects.  He injects a commercial perspective into all of his work as a result of previous expertise developed in corporate finance.

He is MD of OnTrack International, working globally within a number of industries, including banking, automotive and telecommunications.  He has a natural facilitative and enquiring style, which generates high levels of understanding, empathy and trust.  Along with healthy challenge, this generates success for clients and great feedback for Peter.

Cass Edwards - Image Management Consultant

Prior to establishing Cascade Colour and Style in 2007, Cass Edwards enjoyed a variety of client-facing, HR and management positions with a major insurance company.  This enabled Cass to gain first hand experience of the vital importance of a positive business image in career success, and of the pressures that being a working parent can impose, as she combined her own City career with bringing up two children.

She now advises private clients on the practical aspects of successful dressing, as well as presenting talks and seminars on various Image related topics for organisations such as the A.C.C.A, , Thomson Reuters, Omgeo, The Insurance Institute of Chelmsford and Lifehouse Spa.

Cass is an Affiliate Member of the Federation of Image Professionals International. 

Andy Lopata - Networking Strategist

Labelled 'Mr Network' by The Sun, Andy Lopata was called one of Europe's leading business network strategists by the Financial Times.  Andy is the author of three books on networking, as well as a blogger for The Huffington Post and NatWest Business Sense.

Andy speaks internationally and has worked with companies from one-man bands to organisations such as Deloitte, Merrill Lynch and Mastercard to help them realise the full potential from their networking.

He is also a Fellow and former vice-president of the Professional Speaking Association.

Emma Webster - Solicitor specialising in employment law

Emma provides us with research and quotes that are particularly useful for our Managing Maternity workshops for line managers.  Her particular areas of interest and expertise are in ensuring that business needs are met along with balancing an employee's parental and flexible working rights.

Emma is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and a fully qualified and accredited Mediator having trained and qualified with ADR Chambers.

Emma works for Bindmans LLP.

Sarah-Jane Butler - Director & Founder of Parental Choice

Behind every successful working parent, is the right childcare. Sarah-Jane and her team at Parental Choice provide us with the information and expertise to help those attending our workshops to find the right childcare for them and their families, thus relieving some of the stress often involved in returning to work. Sarah-Jane offers clear, factual advice to enable parents to make informed practical choices designed to get them back into work safe in the knowledge their children are being properly cared for. Parental Choice’s various services include a childcare search facility, payroll and employment contract services.

Sarah-Jane is a solicitor with over 10 years’ experience of working in the City. More importantly, she is a mother of two young children and so understands the pressures on professional men and women to achieve having returned from maternity / paternity leave. She has also has first-hand experience of issues that arise when looking for the right childcare.

Verity Gill & Charlotte Lloyd Owen - Grannynet

Organising the right childcare to maintain a healthy work-life balance is every parent’s hardest challenge when returning to work. Increasingly they are choosing to appoint a Granny-carer to take up the helm, be it one day a week or full time.

Grannynet is the social network for Granny-carers, providing  a ‘one-stop-shop’ that meets all the needs of modern grandmothers. The site’s forum is a meeting place to discuss concerns and issues with other Granny-carers, there are also articles and blogs written by real grandparents to help members make the most of their role.  Grannynet is there to ensure that Granny really won’t be alone in her new job, as Mum returns to hers.

Verity
Before having her first child, Verity worked in government intelligence, in the City and latterly as an analyst at media agency Mindshare. When looking to return to work Verity, like many other new mums, approached her mother for childcare support.  It was then that she realised how many mothers rely on their own parents for this help and when she got the idea for Grannynet.   Verity has three children aged 6, 4 and 8 months.

Charlotte
Charlotte began her career at advertising agency Leo Burnett where she found her niche in new business and marketing.  After two further agency roles at Howell Henry and then Engine, she went client side to work at Conran.  Seven years of marketing experience stood her in good stead to join Verity in running Grannynet as Director in 2009. Working mother of 2 boys aged 5 and 3.

Claire Csoka ACA - Financial Advisor

Co-founder of Accudo Investments Ltd

We cover the financial responsibilities of becoming a parent in our workshops.  Claire gives us practical financial advice in areas such as investing the child trust fund, the importance of life insurance and saving for school fees etc.

Qualified FSA registered Independent Financial Adviser and Securities Representative.  Qualified Chartered Accountant.  BA (Hons) Degree in Economics from Nottingham University.

Claire is a member of Chartered Institute of Accountants in England and Wales and also of Portsmouth and South East Hants Chamber of Commerce.  She worked as an auditor at Arthur Andersen in London prior to establishing and managing a high street branch of Edward Jones Stockbrokers on Holwell Hill, St Albans, Herts.

Jo Pearson - childminder and pre-school expert

Getting the right childcare for your family is a pre-requisite to being a successful working parent.  Jo Pearson provide us with a crucial insight into how to choose and then manage your childcare to make sure your child is happy and settled.

Jo
Jo’s background was originally in nursing, which she found very fulfilling. In 1997 she gave birth to her daughter Beth and changed her career to child minding, which she has enjoyed now for 12 years. Beth was followed by two gorgeous boys Teddy in 1999 and Robert in 2002! Jo has gone on to study child development and child counselling. In February 2009 Jo enrolled on her level 3 qualification course and plans to go on and complete her degree next year.