Helen Canning wins prestigious CPA Heroes award for 2023

A Vale of Glamorgan parenting practitioner has won a CPA hero award after being nominated by a parent for her support, kindness, and compassion.

The CPA (child to parent abuse) hero award started in 2022 when a support service known as PEGS (Parental Education Growth Support) recognised a need for an award that celebrated their staff commitment and support offered to vulnerable adults and children in often challenging circumstances.

A spokesperson for PEGS said “CPA Heros was born due to parents, carers and guardians sharing with us all the difference it makes to them.

“Having someone see, hear and believe them makes their lives a little less difficult and so together PEGS and the peer support group (our closed on-line group) decided to recognise those Heros and their acts of kindness.” 

PEGS is a social enterprise that was created with 4 aims - to provide support to those experiencing abusive behaviours from their child, to deliver training and to upskill professionals, to raise awareness of child to parent abuse (CPA) and to influence policy.

PEGS went operational in March 2020 and today has supported more than 3500 parents of caregivers; we have upskilled thousands of professionals too and have successfully influenced policies across the UK.

Parent, Robyn Walsh said: “Helen started working with me on a one-to-one basis after I attended a Teen Talking course. I think Helen quickly realised that my personal circumstances were beyond her help and support (I didn’t realise this until much later). However, Helen never gave up with me, continued to see me weekly providing much needed advice, support and just someone to listen to me on a weekly basis.

“Helen stayed with me as long as she could even after the referral was made and I am so grateful to her. She taught me so many things about reasoning, compromise, and patience and I truly feel these skills have helped me in some of the toughest situations.

“She is a fantastic support worker and a credit to her team.”

To find out more about the CPA award or the wonderful support by the PEGS team please visit their website here