Welcome to the EDA Parent and Carer's Online  Community

This platform is dedicated to supporting and enabling caregivers who are supporting someone who is battling an eating disorder. Registration is required in order to join the discussion. On your first visit you will be asked to read the rules and to confirm that you will uphold them by registering as an Online Community member. You will have to do this before you are able to post and respond to comments. Registration and membership is currently free, as this is a lottery funded initiative.

Purpose of the Parent and Carer's Online Community

The sole purpose of this Parent and Carer's Online Community is to develop conversation amongst caregivers through comments and questions  posted on the site. The support that this Online Community will offer is intended as an adjunct to professional consultation. There are 12 categories that can be accessed through the home page. The categories are colour coded.

The categories are;

• Caring for the younger child (a child up to approximately 11 years old)   
• Caring for the adolescent ( a young person 12-18 years)              
• Caring for the adult child (18 years plus)
• Managing their behaviours (their eating disorder behaviours)
• Mums and step mums (as carers)
• Dads and step dads (as carers )
• Partners (as carers)
• Support services (making sure that the professional support services work for you)
• Coping with your feelings (as carers)
• Looking after yourself (as carers)
• Recovery
• Siblings (supporting your sibling as they battle an eating disorder)

Signing up to the Parent and Carer's Online Community

1. To sign up to the parent and Carer's Online Community, you will need an email address that you monitor regularly. The email address that you choose will not be displayed and will not be accessible to other members of the Parent and Carer's Online Community. Your email address will be known to the EDA administrator. Your details will be stored on the EDA Online Parent and Carer's database. They will not be shared with any third parties.
2. Choose a name and an avatar for your account; this will appear by any posts or comments that you make. You will not be identified in any other way. 
3. EDA produce a bimonthy newsletter, please sign up for this if you would like to receive it.

Rules

1. Please post in only one category per post i.e. do not post your question in more that one category.
2. Please use normal text. Please do not embolden text, or use excessive punctuation or emoticons.
3. Please be aware that people will be coming to the Online Parent and Carer's Community at different stages in their caring journey.
4. You will be expected to be kind and civil in all your contributions and treat all posts with sensitivIty and respect.
5. Please be inclusive of the range of religious and cultural backgrounds in your posts and contributions.
6. Please remember that the posts that you will read are those given by fellow caregivers; they are not to be regarded as professional instruction.
7. Clinicians who are also caregivers must clarify this in making their post
8. All contributions will be monitored by a member of the EDA team; any posts that are considered to be inappropriate or unsuitable will be taken down.
9. If you are uncertain about a post please click on the 'report as inappropriate' button. This will alert the forum administrator.
10. The sharing of resources or links is a grey area but if you wish to share something please ensure that it will not have copyright consequences. Please do not include any text in a Parent and Carer’s Online Community post which would breach copyright.
11. Any contact made between members of the Online Community will not be discouraged but will be considered outside the function and responsibility of the EDA Parent and Carer's Online Community.

What the Online Parent and Carer's Community cannot offer

• This platform is for caregivers only. It is not intended for people who are themselves struggling with an eating disorder.
• This platform is a supportive tool; it is not intended to take the place of professional consultation.
• This is not a promotional platform, so please do not post anything that could be seen as marketing, advertising or promotion either for yourself for someone else.
• Please refrain from giving direct advice.
• The contents of your posts and comments will be available to all, so please do not name or identify specific individuals or treatment providers in your posts.
• If the pressure of caregiving is causing you understandable strain, please seek clinical help, as the forum cannot provide interventions or therapies.
• If you are a caregiving parent who is in treatment yourself then your post must be about supporting your loved one. Please do not post about your own illness.

When to consult the Administrator

• If you consider that a post is inappropriate, please use the 'report as inappropriate button, the administrator will delete the post down if they are in agreement with you.
• Please contact the administrator if you are uncertain about how to tackle an issue.
• Please contact the admnistrator if you wish to suggest or promote an item or advice that might be viewed as promoting or marketing your own  or someone else's business.
• Replies to questions directed to the moderator will be shared if it is considered useful for the community                

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