Bookbug for the Home training

Bookbug for the Home training is designed to help practitioners and volunteers working in the community to support individual families enhance their work with songs, rhymes and stories.

Bookbug for the Home is a flexible approach that can be used to support mums, dads and carers with sharing songs, rhymes and stories with their children (0-5 years old), particularly where they face barriers to participation due to their personal circumstances.

The course provides all of the theoretical and practical knowledge, and resources you need to deliver Bookbug activities while working one to one with a family, either in a family’s home or digitally. This course is aimed at practitioners and volunteers who do not have a lot of experience with sharing songs, rhymes and stories.

Our interactive training is a balance of practical exercises and researched-based theory about book sharing, music and child development.

Although delegates will participate in songs and rhymes in the group, you will not be asked to sing on your own.

Please note that this training course is not for those who wish to run Bookbug Sessions with groups of families. If you are interested in delivering Bookbug Sessions, please see our page on Bookbug Session Leader Training.

If you are already a trained Bookbug Session Leader, we may not be able to offer you a place on this training course as our funding is limited and we may need to prioritise those who have received no previous training with Bookbug.

If you have already attended Bookbug for the Home training, and are looking for a refresher, please register for Bookbug for the Home Refresher training.

Course details

The course will offer a range of learning opportunities to:

• Build your understanding of the importance of songs, rhymes and stories for both children and families
• Learn and practise songs and rhymes, and consider how to build these activities into your practice to encourage families to sing and rhyme together
• Explore a range of picture books and practise reading aloud
• Signpost families to Bookbug Sessions and online resources

Format

Online

Interactive online, trainer-led sessions combining theory and practical work. This course takes 8 hours and 30 minutes of learning time, comprised of:

• 1.5 hours of self-directed learning (45 minutes of work before the first live session, 45 minutes of work after the first live session)
• Two 3.5 hour live, interactive online sessions, a week apart

Note: Attendance is required at both sessions to complete Bookbug for the Home training. There will be a comfort break halfway through each session.

Blended

Our blended training is a mix of a trainer-led online theory session, and a hands-on in-person practical session. This course takes 8 hours and 30 minutes of learning time, comprised of:

• 1.5 hours of self-directed learning (45 minutes before the online session, and 45 minutes before the in-person session)
• One 3.5 hour live online session, run on either Zoom or MS Teams
• One 3.5 hour in-person session, one week later

Note: Attendance is required at both sessions to complete Bookbug for the Home training. There will be a comfort break halfway through each session.

Cost

Funded at no cost for participants

Eligibility and how to apply

Due to high demand, spaces on our public Bookbug for the Home training is awarded through an application process.

Applicants must:

• Be affiliated with an organisation, either as a member of staff or a volunteer, which will support the applicant’s use of Bookbug for the Home
• Be planning to use the Bookbug for the Home approach with families with children (0-5 years old), not just with children by themselves.
• Be over 16
• Be a member of the PVG scheme(this link will open in a new window)

This training course is aimed at family support workers, early years workers, social workers and social work assistants, members of health visiting teams, speech and language therapists, prison visitor centre staff and other family outreach workers, as well as volunteers who work in such capacities.

If you have any questions or you need additional support with the application process, please contact the Bookbug team at bookbugtraining@scottishbooktrust.com(this link will open in a new window) or 0131 524 0179.

Upcoming training

Applications are now closed. We will be notifying everyone on or before Monday 15 April about the outcome of their application.

Notes:

• Late applications will not be accepted.
• On the application form, you can select all the dates you are available for. We will assign you a place according to your selections. You are welcome to apply for both online and blended training dates.
• This application should only be completed by the prospective delegate. If you are awarded a place on a training course, this is not transferable to another member of staff – it is for the named person only.
• We can normally only accept applications submitted via our online application form and not other formats, such as PDF or email. If you need support to complete the online application form, or need to use another format for accessibility reasons, please email bookbugtraining@scottishbooktrust.com(this link will open in a new window), or call 0131 524 0179.
• The online application form must be completed in one attempt. We therefore recommend you prepare answers to the questions before attempting to complete the online application form. You can download a copy of the questions below.

Claiming a place

If your application is successful, you will receive an email offering you a place on a particular training date. You must accept by registering on Eventbrite within two weeks of receiving your offer.

Places on our training are not transferable - they are for the named applicant only. Unsuccessful applicants will be contacted once all the places have been filled.

Sign up for our regular Working with Bookbug(this link will open in a new window) newsletter to be notified when applications are open for future training dates.

Accessing the online training session