Telling and Talking
Workshops for heterosexual and lesbian couples and single women who are parents of DC children aged 0-7 years
Open to all members and non-members
Who are they for?
The workshops are for all parents of donor-conceived children aged 0-7 years (unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate babies or children at these workshops). They are equally appropriate whether you had treatment in the UK or abroad, with a known, identifiable or anonymous donor or if your treatment involved surrogacy. 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.
We run separate workshops for heterosexual couples and single women and lesbian couples.
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 single, you can come alone or bring a family member or friend. The maximum number on each in-person workshop is 18 and for online workshops is 14.
Some testimonials
'This workshop triggered a lot of new thoughts. I thought that by buying the book I was done, instead I realised this is 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.'
'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."
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 admin facilitator assists with running the online workshops.
What are the workshops about?
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 with talking about this subject, and look at our hopes and anxieties about it. To enable you to grow in confidence there are opportunities to practise what you might say in these situations. You will also be able to watch a DVD featuring families speaking about their experiences of talking about donor conception. Many participants choose to share their email addresses or phone numbers with each other at the end of the workshop and remain in touch.
You will receive an email pack of information in advance of the workshop.
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 as to which workshop will be appropriate for your family, please contact the DCN office 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 in-person fee
- £165 per single person
- £290 per couple
The fee covers venue hire, facilitators' fees and expenses, daytime refreshments and lunch, training development and office administrative costs.
The online fee
- £155 per single person
- £270 per couple
The fee covers facilitators' fees, IT administrator, IT costs, training development and office administrative costs.
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. Please arrange childcare for your sessions.
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. 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.
It is wise not to book travel or accommodation until we have confirmation of the numbers for each individual workshop.
Workshop income
We offer two main workshops open to members and non-members, Preparation for Parenthood (for people considering donor conception) and Telling and Talking (for those with children 7 yrs & under).
These workshops are very important in helping participants explore the issues related to donor conception relevant to their stage of parenthood. 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.
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.
Booking Terms and Conditions
For a full list of our terms and conditions, please click here.
What if my child is older than 7 years?
We run workshops for parents of children aged 8-12 years.
What if I haven't conceived yet?
If you are thinking of starting a family using a donor or donors, we also run Destination Parenthood workshops.