Empowering parents and caregivers to safeguard their children

A woman with short curly hair is standing in a kitchen holding a mug and smiling
A circular logo with a line drawing of a patient's profile, with multicolored leaves forming a tree-like shape from the head, and the text "The Enlightened Parent" written around the top edge.
Learn more

Hi, I’m Susie, the founder of The Enlightened Parent.

A woman with curly blonde hair is standing in front of a wooden fence and smiling

At The Enlightened Parent, my mission is to equip parents and caregivers with the tools, insight, and confidence they need to protect their children in today’s complex world.

From online safety and emotional wellbeing, to spotting early warning signs of harm, I provide clear, accessible information that helps parents and carers feel prepared- not panicked.

This isn’t about fear- it’s about empowerment. Because when parents are informed, children are safer.

A woman with short curly hair is sitting at a desk, looking down at her laptop

With a background in education and safeguarding, I’ve spent years working closely with families, schools and safeguarding professionals. Throughout my career, I’ve seen firsthand how empowered, informed parents are a child’s most effective line of defence.

I created The Enlightened Parent to bridge the gap between professional safeguarding knowledge and everyday parenting.

Illustration of pink and green leaves with a small yellow bud.

Before founding The Enlightened Parent, I worked as a secondary school teacher in Birmingham, where I developed a deep understanding of the challenges young people face and the vital role parents play in their wellbeing. 

Two women sitting at a table, reviewing documents and using a pen together in a bright room with windows and greenery outside.

For 13 of those years, I was part of the pastoral team, eventually leading a large and dedicated team as Assistant Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead. My work focused on behaviour, attendance, and safeguarding — supporting children through some of the most critical and vulnerable periods of their lives. 

In 2023, I made the decision to leave teaching to dedicate myself full time to The Enlightened Parent, driven by a passion to share what I’ve learned with families who want to be proactive, informed, and confident in keeping their children safe.

What We Offer to Schools & Organisations

  • A classroom scene with a teacher sitting on a desk next to a digital presentation screen. The screen shows a cartoon detective graphic and text about a workshop called "Digital Detectives" for spotting signs and making smart choices, with a tagline about awareness and future. Four students are seated at desks facing the teacher, looking at her and the screen. The classroom has a small potted plant, containers of colored pencils, and posters on the wall.

    Transforming Minds Student Workshops

    Our Transforming Minds programme is a progressive course for primary and secondary schools, designed to build awareness, confidence and resilience when navigating relationships, the digital world and real-life situations.

    Learn More
  • A laptop displaying an Enlightened Parent Newsletter

    Spotlight on Safeguarding Newsletter

     A monthly subscription newsletter for schools and organisations, personalised with the school’s logo, providing parents with clear, practical advice on a wide range of safeguarding topics to help them support and protect their children.

    Learn More
  • A woman presenting in front of a whiteboard

    Parent and Carer Workshops

    Delivered online or face-to-face (Midlands-based) and organised through schools - help parents understand key safeguarding issues, including digital safety, and empower them to recognise risks and protect their children.

    Learn More
  • A pinboard displaying an Enlightened Parent safeguarding briefing

    Safeguarding Briefings for Staff

    23 concise, one-page overviews - each on a different safeguarding topic and accompanied by a short quiz - designed to drip-feed essential information and strengthen staff knowledge over time, organised through schools and organisations.

    Learn More

What We Offer for Parents and Caregivers

If you care for children or young people at home, and would like to access our reassuring, easy-to-implement tips directly, you can sign up to receive our regular email updates.

You can also follow us on Instagram for the latest news on safeguarding.

Featured
Fortnightly Safeguarding Tips – Straight to Your Inbox
Fortnightly Safeguarding Tips – Straight to Your Inbox

Sign up for my free fortnightly email and get practical, easy-to-read advice on one key safeguarding topic at a time.

Read more →
Sign up for Free Fortnightly Updates

Connect with me on Social Media

Three weeks ago, we banned YouTube in our house. The original plan was simple: a four-week break to reset the role YouTube had started to play in our family life. But three weeks in, we’ve already decided we won’t be going back. As a p
TikTok and YouTube aren’t safe enough for children.” That headline can feel shocking… but for many parents, it probably isn’t surprising. When we talk about online safety, most of us think about strangers or inappropriate c
There’s something really powerful about speaking to young people during the school day… and then speaking to their parents that same evening. Last week I delivered student workshops at a secondary school in Birmingham. We focused on hel
Instagram has quietly introduced a new feature called Instants - a way of sending photos through DMs that disappear after they’ve been viewed. At first glance, this might seem harmless. Teenagers already use disappearing messages across lots
“Boys will be boys” - but what are we telling boys they should be? If young boys are getting their ideas about masculinity from the manosphere, from influencers who promote disrespect, dominance and misogyny, then that becomes the versio
The example we set shapes what young people think is okay. The jokes we laugh at. The things we ignore. The stuff we pay for. It all sends a message. This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being aware. Because small moments, what
It’s hard to ignore what’s going on here. A group of boys, aged 14 and 15 years, old part of a Scottish football team and on a tour abroad, wearing t-shirts with explicitly sexual, misogynistic slogans. Not just worn in private but photo
On the day I posted about David Haye’s bullying and sexist behaviours, my 7 year old son told me that his friend always says boys are better than girls because they are stronger and faster… It would have been easy to jump in and correct

Kind words

  • “As a parent of a Year 5 child, I recently attended Susie’s ‘Keeping our children safe online’ session. I found it both informative and eye opening as I prepare to navigate the ever developing online world with my 3 children.”

    -Parent Workshop Attendee

  • “The delivery of Susie’s session was engaging and highlighted so many valuable points to think about and further explore in regards to making sure my children are able to access the technology they need in a safe and secure way.”

    -Parent Workshop Attendee

  • “I would highly recommend Susie - her passion and drive regarding this important topic is evident and I look forward to following her journey on Instagram and becoming better informed. Thank you Susie!”

    -Parent Workshop Attendee

  • “Susie's ‘Parenting in the Digital World’ workshop has been a huge success! Both parents and teachers have praised it for its practicality, sharing how helpful it was in navigating the digital world.”

    -Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead - The Place

  • “The Spotlight on Safeguarding newsletters have been a fantastic way to keep our parents informed and engaged about key safeguarding messages. They’re clear, well-presented, and always highlight the key information families need—our parents really value them.”

    - Headteacher, Fairway School & Children’s Centre

Get in touch.

We’d love to hear from you!

A woman with curly blonde hair, wearing a white blouse and red pants, standing indoors with her arms crossed, smiling, against a plain wall with a potted plant and a plant with trailing vines in the background.