Telling & Talking workshop

Who are they for?

You may be wondering how to start talking to your child about their donor-conceived origins, or you may have already begun this process and would like to explore what may come up in the future. Our Telling & Talking workshops are perfect for parents of donor-conceived children aged 0-7 years. They are relevant whether you had treatment in the UK or abroad, with a known, identifiable or anonymous donor or if your treatment involved surrogacy.

We currently run two types of workshops: for mum-and-dad families and for solo mums and two-mum families. At present, we are not running workshops for solo dads or two-dad families because demand is not high enough but please do get in touch if you would be interested and we will see what we can do.

When should I attend?

If you are a heterosexual couple, experience tells us that you will get the most from the workshop if you attend after your child is born.  If you are a single or lesbian woman, we recognise that your experiences are different from the time your pregnancy becomes public knowledge, and that attending our workshop even before your baby is born might be helpful for you. All of our single women and lesbian couples’ workshops have a small number of places for pregnant women. If you would like further information, please ring the office to find out more.

If you are part of a couple, we strongly recommend you attend together.  If you are single, you can come alone or you might want to book a place for a family member or friend to join you.  The maximum number of attendees is 18 at in-person workshops and 14 at online workshops.

Testimonials

“This workshop triggered a lot of new thoughts. I thought that by buying the book I was done, instead I realised this is a journey.”

“A huge thank you for Saturday’s workshop.  It was immensely useful and so good to feel able to talk about things in a safe environment.  Both Jim and I feel more confident now in starting the telling process to our boys…it was brilliant to have time to focus on the issues and actually think things through…so nice to know we are not alone.”

“Money well spent in relation to looking after my son’s well-being, self-esteem and mental health.”

What will I get out of the workshop?

The workshops provide a comfortable and confidential space to explore personal feelings and experiences, and how these impact on how we share information about donor conception with our children and with family and friends.  We look at why it’s important to feel comfortable talking about this subject, and discuss our hopes and anxieties.  To enable you to grow in confidence there are opportunities to practise what you might say in these situations.

We set up a WhatsApp group for attendees, which people can join before, during or after the workshop. This alllows people to stay in touch with each other going forward. This peer-support group is another benefit and we know from feedback how valuable it can be.

You also receive an email pack of really useful information in advance of the workshop.

Who runs the workshops?

Two facilitators run each workshop; a man and a woman for heterosexual couples and two women from solo mum or lesbian couple families for those family types.  All facilitators are long-standing members of DCN, have donor-conceived children themselves, either from treatment in the UK or abroad, and in addition bring wider relevant professional and personal experience.  A third technical facilitator assists with running the online workshops and ensures all runs smoothly.

Where and when are they?

The workshops are held on Saturdays from 9.30-4.30 so they are convenient for most working parents.  The in-person workshops are held at a venue near Kings Cross in London, with online options covering all regions across the UK and Ireland. We also welcome participants from other countries to our sessions, although please note that sessions are held on UK time.

The online workshops have a 1 hour introductory session on the Friday evening (7.30-8.30pm) as well as the Saturday session.

Please note times are UK times.

If you have any questions about whether the workshop will be appropriate for your family, please contact us on +44 (0) 20 7278 2608 or email events@dcnetwork.org, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

How much do they cost?

The prices we charge for these workshops reflect the costs of providing them and we do not make a profit. They are specialised, highly sensitive, professionally run events where we limit the numbers who attend to ensure everyone attending has a really personal and valuable experience. This makes them a little more expensive than some other workshops but we consider them to represent extremely good value for money and the feedback from those who attend confirms this.

Early bird pricing

Online workshops:

• £199 for couples
• £129 for a single place

In-person workshops:

• £249 for couples
• £149 for a single place

These are our early booking prices which are available if you book more than a month in advance. Within four weeks of the workshops, prices increase.

Full pricing

Online workshops:

• £269 for couples
• £169 for a single place

In-person workshops:

• £249 for couples
• £299 for a single place

The fees cover facilitators’ fees and expenses, training development and office admin costs. They also cover the venue hire, lunch and refreshments for the in-person workshops, and the IT support and IT facilitator for our online workshops.

We appreciate that finding the money in one lump sum can be hard, so please contact events@dcnetwork.org to discuss instalment payments if that would be helpful.

How do I book?

Choose a workshop from this schedule and check availability.

If a workshop has free spaces, go ahead and book as spaces can go quickly.  If there are no suitable dates or available places you can go on the waiting list or fill in this form selecting “Please contact me when new dates become available”

Your booking is only secure once we have received payment.

Following confirmation of your booking by email, and about two weeks prior to the workshop, we will ask you to complete a short survey online.  This is a requirement of your attendance, and must be completed by each person (rather than each couple).  You will also complete a short feedback form before you leave the workshop.  Anonymised evaluations from these workshops may be used in DC Network materials or for funding applications.

Childcare

Unfortunately we are not able to provide childcare for the in-person workshops and it is not suitable for children to be present during the online workshops as the workshop is very busy and requires your full attention to make sure you get the most out of the day.  We therefore ask you to arrange childcare for your sessions.

Cancellations

If we cancel

One month before the workshop date we will decide whether the numbers of booked attendees are sufficient, and will either confirm or cancel.  If we cancel a full refund will be given.

If you cancel

Cancellations received 5 weeks before the workshop date will be refunded in full. Cancellations notified 3-5 weeks before the date will be refunded at 50%. We are unable to refund cancellations received with less than 3 weeks’ notice.

We recommend that you do not book travel or accommodation until we have confirmation of the numbers for each individual workshop.

Booking Terms and Conditions

For a full list of our terms and conditions, please click here.

More testimonials

“A fantastic course, I must admit I had a hesitancy with it being on Zoom but it was really good and really helpful, so being on Zoom was not an issue after all for me!”

“So well organised, Facilitators were incredible. Don’t know how you managed to make everything run so smoothly remotely. I’m extremely glad we booked in. It has been so helpful and so reassuring to meet other parents.”

“It was great to meet others who have undergone what I did to have a child.  I feel much better about dealing with questions as they arrive.  A great opportunity to network with others who share my concerns, hopes and fears!”

“Gave me great ideas for thinking about who I should tell. Also it was really helpful for me to think of telling as a process rather than a single event.”

Looking for something for older children? 

We also run workshops for parents of children aged 8-12 years but these run much less frequently. To be the first to know when the next workshop will be, please sign up to our mailing list or follow us on social media via the links at the bottom of the page.

Not conceived yet?

We run two events that are specially designed for people at the start of their donor conception journey. Our Getting Started event is perfect for anyone who is just beginning to think about using a donor, and is informative, practical and takes place in-person. These events are held in London twice per year and include a medical expert to answer your questions. Our Destination Parenthood workshops are for those who want a more in-depth experience; it provides a collaborative and individual experience, and there are three facilitators for a maximum of 14 participants to ensure a personalised experience.