Thurcroft Infants FAST Graduation

At 5 pm on Tuesday, March 29, the families, who all have children within the Thurcroft Infant and Junior Schools, will become graduates of the Families And Schools Together programme.

The FAST programme runs for eight weeks, within the school, and is delivered by practitioners and parent partners from different agencies, including school staff. It aims to build family and school relationships and develop cohesion within the community.
 
The celebration will be attended by Cath Ratcliffe, Strategic Lead of Parenting and Attendance for the Council and Vanessa Naylor, the FAST Coordinator.
 
The Mayor of Rotherham, Cllr Rose McNeely, will be in attendance prior to the graduation event, from 3.25pm, when the families will enjoy a specially-prepared meal made by one of the FAST families.
 
The FAST programme was founded by Dr Lynn McDonald and was launched in America in 1988. It has produced significant results and has become an internationally recognised system for supporting parents.
 
Dr McDonald was a family therapist, child therapist and community worker and has developed and evaluated a range of family-based approaches to children's mental health and well-being. She is currently a Senior Lecturer at Brunel University and is working with Middlesex University on the FAST programme nationally.