Author: Siobhan Dolphin

Book now – Group Supervision Trainings Coming Up

We are holding Parents Plus Group Supervision Training Sessions in Limerick and Dublin in the coming months and at the start of next year.

Limerick Group Supervision:
Date: Friday, 24th November 2017 from 9.30am until 12.30pm
Venue: Northside Family Resource Centre, Clonconnane Road, Ballynanty, Limerick
Cost: Free to attend

Dublin Group Supervision:
Date: Wednesday, 24th January 2018 from 9.30am until 1.00pm
Venue: Parents Plus Office, 15 St Vincent Street North, Dublin 7
Cost: €60 per person

If you would like to attend either of these supervision trainings, book a place below. These sessions are open to all trained facilitators but book early as there are a limited number of places available.

Please note when booking any FREE TRAINING, you will be brought to the payment’s page to confirm your booking. On this page, check all of your details and tick the box beside ‘I wish to be issued with an invoice’. Then click the Process Order button. You won’t be sent an invoice for the free training but your order will then be confirmed. 

 

Order Parent Booklets

Once you have added all your purchases to the basket please proceed to the checkout.
Alternatively, you can checkout at any time using the basket top right of the screen.

 

Group supervision training sessions are a great opportunity for you to meet with your colleagues, reflect on your experiences of running Parents Plus groups thus far, and access support to improve your practice.

The goals of the workshops are to:

  • Support facilitators to get PP groups up and running in their services
  • Support programme delivery
  • Consult on specific challenges/group facilitation skills
  • Provide information on the Parents Plus Accreditation process

Promoting your Parents Plus Programmes

A key challenge in running a Parents Plus Programme is getting enough parents to attend. You may have an excellent group ready to run, but your parents simply don’t know about it. Below are some tips for trained facilitators on how to spread the word about the Parents Plus Programmes in your service and getting the parents knocking on the door to attend.

You will also find lots of promotional resources in the Member’s Area of the website. You must be logged in to access these extra resources. You can login here or if you haven’t already, you can register here for this private Member’s Area.

Prepare your Message

Prepare your key message and plan how you will spread it in an easy, cost effective way.

  • Ensure any publicity for your programme includes essential details, e.g. venue, date, times and contacts, topics covered and sign up criteria.
  • Always include a clear point of contact for parent’s queries and sign ups.
  • Make a flier which is printable and which is also legible in the various digital platforms (available to download from the Member’s Section on the website here once you are logged in).
  • Put together different versions of text about your programme which can be circulated through emails, cover letters, texts, social media. Include a link or attachment to a poster or further information. Make sure the message is consistent and has a clear call to action.
  • Use free sites like www.canva.com to create images for social media, posters, fliers etc. There are some images, fliers and posters already available to share and download in the Parents Plus Member’s Area here.

Communication Tips

Advertise early. Spread the word well in advance of the dates as this gives busy parents time to plan and make arrangements to attend.

Have a clear call to action. Any communication about your Parents Plus Programme should include your attendance criteria (e.g. age of their children, where they live), what commitment is involved (e.g. time and cost), course topics and contact details for queries.

Link with other community groups and agencies. Ask them to share and circulate your information further and to print and display your posters.

Link with Parents Plus. Parents Plus has established a quality brand that many parents, referrers and agencies are familiar with and seek access to. Ensure Parents Plus is in the title of all advertising and include the logo and website address so referrers and potential attendees can learn more. Further information is in the Parents Plus Advertising Guidelines in the licensing agreement which you can view here.

Engage through social media

  • Put details of your event on your website
  • Add as an event on Facebook
  • Tag other local businesses, community groups in your posts and tweets
  • Use your local hashtags
  • Include images and links in your posts
  • Share information with us and we can share on the Parents Plus social media channels. Email siobhan@parentsplus.ie with details.

Make attending attractive!

Further information is available in the ‘Recruiting Parents’ section in your Parents Plus manual and is replicated in a checklist document below or which is available for download  here.

Promoting Parents Plus Programmes – CHECKLIST 

Checklist of Actions which can be completed to help promote your groups to parents.

People who use your services
  • Have a clear point of contact for parent queries
  • Invite previous Parents Plus graduates to promote future courses (by writing an endorsement for fliers, speaking at an information evening)
  • Hold an Information meeting to share the course ideas and explain what is involved.
  • Use ten minutes of another client meeting (e.g. 10 min morning meeting in school) to show introduction video/slideshow about Parents Plus programmes.
  • Send reminder texts with course details, sign up deadlines etc, (attach image of poster)
Agency and venue
  • Display information on noticeboards/doors of your agency. Place information on a sandwich board or easel outside the building.
  • Have fliers available at reception
  • Include information in your agency newsletters and mailshots
  • Make sure all your agency colleagues (whether they are the point of contact for interested parents or potential referral agents) know the details of your programme- when and where it is on, who it is suitable for and contact details
  • Display information at your course venue (if it is different from your own agency base)
  • Use your agency’s website and social media platforms to promote your group
Other agencies and potential referrers
  • Ensure potential referral agents have the information they need to give to parents, at least the contact name and phone number
  • Family Doctors/Schools – distribute fliers and poster with a cover letter, including clear information on who the group is open to
Wider community contacts
  • School/preschool newsletters and texts
  • Local businesses e.g. preschools, creches, chemists,
  • Supermarket noticeboards/set up an information stand at busy time
  • Library noticeboards
  • Centres where parents visit GAA, other class/music venues
  • Parent and toddler groups/cuidiu/men’s groups
  • Local radio announcements and shows
  • Local newspaper listings
  • Church/parish newsletters and notices
  • Councils and local representative newsletters and social media platforms
  • Solicitors
Parents Plus can help

3Ts/Parents Plus Positive Mental Health Project

Parents Plus started working with the 3Ts Charity in 2014 on a project promoting positive mental health in young people and their families.

Goal of the Project

The goal of the 3Ts/Parents Plus project was to promote positive mental health and communication in families, and thus, reduce the risk of suicide and self-harm among young people, especially those who might be vulnerable or who are identified as at risk. To achieve this, the project centred on the combined delivery of the Parents Plus Adolescents Programme (an intervention teaching relationship-building, positive communication, and conflict resolution skills to parents) and the Working Things Out programme (a small group mental health intervention for young people, promoting positive mental health and building coping capacity) to families targeted in mental health and school settings.

Method for the Project –  the first two years

Both the Parents Plus and Working Things Out programmes employ a ‘train the trainer’ model to empower mental health and education professionals to deliver the programmes with the families they work with. The project recruited two professional groups to run the groups with parents and young people:

  • Secondary Schools Group – consisting of a cluster of 17 schools running the WTO and PPAP groups over an 18 month period, targeting vulnerable/at risk youth and their parents in the school setting. Relevant staff from each school (Home School Liaison; student counselling; other mental health support staff) have been trained and supervised in their delivery of the WTO/PPAP.
  • Adolescent Mental Health Services – this involves a cluster of 9 services providing mental health interventions to youths with identified mental health difficulties and their families (e.g. CAMHS, Primary Care etc.). Multi-disciplinary staff from these groups, such as psychiatry, social work, psychology etc., have been trained and supervised in the delivery of the WTO/PPAP.

To see a full report on this project including success stories and stats, please click here.

Year 3 of the Project

Two years of the project have now been completed and major roll outs in both schools and mental health services have been completed. This has resulted in 46 professionals from mental health settings and 65 from schools and approximately 329 parents and 301 young people attending. In addition, two outcome studies have been completed indicating significant benefits for the participating families and one has been published in an international mental health journal (Wynne, Doyle, Kenny, Brosnan & Sharry, 2016) reference and referenced in a large meta study (Carr, Hartnett, Brosnan & Sharry, 2016).

To continue the benefits of the project and to address some of the challenges, the plan in year 3 is to:

  • Broaden the range of the services who can deliver the Parents Plus Programmes as part of the project.
  • Expand the age range and to include the Parents Plus Early Years and Children’s Programmes in the suite of programmes offered.

Parents Plus Official Launch and Information Seminar March 2017

It was great to see so many new and old faces at the Parents Plus Official Launch and Information Seminar on Thursday, 9th March 2017 in the Ashling Hotel in Dublin.

This launch marked the official development of our updated programme materials (the manuals and parent booklets). And the information seminar gave practitioners and managers the opportunity to find out more about the five Parents Plus Programmes and how they might work in different agencies.

  • To view the launch presentation from this event, please click here.
  • To view the information seminar presentation from this event, please click here.

Also, thanks again to our funders the 3Ts Charity (in particular Joe McAvin, Lise Alford and Claire O’Brien who attended the event) and also to Pobal for their support.

To view some photographs from this event, please visit our Facebook page. 

Booking Open for PP Programme Training for Professionals 2017 & 2018

You can book online below for the 2017 and 2018 programme trainings for all five of the Parents Plus Programmes.

Parents Plus Adolescents Programme Training for Facilitators

Facilitator Materials

You may only purchase programme materials without training if you are a facilitator who already has been trained or belong to an agency with staff already trained. Please provide the name of the trained facilitator below.

Facilitator Details

Approximate date in which the course was attended:

Order Parent Booklets

  • AP Parents Book - cover 2016
    Adolescent’s Programme Parent Booklets Pack (contains 15 booklets)
    € 120
    per pack
  • Adolescent’s Programme Materials
    € 500
    per pack
Once you have added all your purchases to the basket please proceed to the checkout.
Alternatively, you can checkout at any time using the basket top right of the screen.

Parents Plus Children’s Programme Training for Facilitators

Facilitator Materials

You may only purchase programme materials without training if you are a facilitator who already has been trained or belong to an agency with staff already trained. Please provide the name of the trained facilitator below.

Facilitator Details

Approximate date in which the course was attended:

Order Parent Booklets

  • CP Parents Book - cover 2016
    Childrens Programme Parent Booklets Pack (contains 15 booklets)
    € 120
    per pack
  • Children’s Programme Materials
    € 500
    per pack
Once you have added all your purchases to the basket please proceed to the checkout.
Alternatively, you can checkout at any time using the basket top right of the screen.

Parents Plus Early Years Programme Training for Facilitators

Facilitator Materials

You may only purchase programme materials without training if you are a facilitator who already has been trained or belong to an agency with staff already trained. Please provide the name of the trained facilitator below.

Facilitator Details

Approximate date in which the course was attended:

Order Parent Booklets

  • EY Parents Book
    EY Parent Booklets Pack (contains 15 booklets)
    € 120
    per pack
  • EY Programme Materials
    € 500
    per pack
Once you have added all your purchases to the basket please proceed to the checkout.
Alternatively, you can checkout at any time using the basket top right of the screen.

Parents Plus Parenting When Separated Programme Training for Facilitators

Facilitator Materials

You may only purchase programme materials without training if you are a facilitator who already has been trained or belong to an agency with staff already trained. Please provide the name of the trained facilitator below.

Facilitator Details

Approximate date in which the course was attended:

Order Parent Booklets

  • PWS Programme Materials
    € 200.00
    per pack
  • PWS Parents Book cover
    Parenting when Separated Parent Booklets Pack (contain 15 booklets)
    € 120
    per pack
Once you have added all your purchases to the basket please proceed to the checkout.
Alternatively, you can checkout at any time using the basket top right of the screen.

Working Things Out Programme Training for Facilitators

Facilitator Materials

You may only purchase programme materials without training if you are a facilitator who already has been trained or belong to an agency with staff already trained. Please provide the name of the trained facilitator below.

Facilitator Details

Approximate date in which the course was attended:

Order Parent Booklets

  • Working Things Out Programme Materials
    € 500
    per pack
Once you have added all your purchases to the basket please proceed to the checkout.
Alternatively, you can checkout at any time using the basket top right of the screen.

 

About the Parents Plus Programmes

The Parents Plus Programmes are evidence-based parenting courses designed to support and empower parents to manage and solve discipline problems, to create satisfying and enjoyable family relationships and to help children and young people grow up and reach their full potential. The original Parents Plus Programme was developed in 1998 and since then five flagship programmes have been developed targeting different age groups and contexts.

  • The Early Years Programme for parents of children aged 1 to 6.
  • The Children’s Programme for parents of children aged 6 to 11.
  • The Adolescents Programme for parents of adolescents aged 11 to 16.
  • The Working Things Out Programme targeted at adolescents aged 11-16.
  • Parenting when Separated Programme targeted at parents who are preparing for, going through or have gone through a separation and divorce.

All Parents Plus programmes are evidence-based approaches and currently 19 studies attest to their effectiveness in clinical and specialist settings. They are delivered as structured courses with small groups of parents, children and adolescents utilising DVD input, handouts, group exercises and homework and are delivered within a solution-focused collaborative facilitation model. The Parents Plus charity has an established ‘train the trainer’ process to empower professionals and community leaders to deliver the programmes in their agencies and local areas.

Introduction to the Parents Plus and Working Things Out Programmes Free Seminar

Parents Plus is hosting a free introductory seminar on 26th January from 4.00pm to 5.00pm in Hotel Woodstock in Ennis, Clare.

This seminar is suitable for both practitioners and service managers who want to gain an understanding of the five Parents Plus programmes and how they can best be implemented within individual services. Samples of each programme will be presented as well as the evidence base along with a number of implementation strategies for getting the programmes off the ground both within individual services and larger organisations.

The session is free but has a limited number of places. To book a place, please add attendees and their details below. Note when booking, click the invoice option on payment and you will not be charged.

 

About Parents Plus Programmes

The Parents Plus Programmes are evidence-based parenting courses designed to support and empower parents to manage and solve discipline problems, to create satisfying and enjoyable family relationships and to help children and young people grow up and reach their full potential. The original Parents Plus Programme was developed in 1998 and since then five flagship programmes have been developed targeting different age groups and contexts.

  • The Early Years Programme for parents of children aged 1 to 6.
  • The Children’s Programme for parents of children aged 6 to 11.
  • The Adolescent’s Programme for parents of adolescents aged 11 to 16.
  • The Working Things Out Programme targeted at adolescents aged 11-16.
  • The Parenting when Separated Programme targeted at parents who are preparing for, going through or have gone through a separation and divorce.

All Parents Plus programmes are evidence-based approaches and currently nineteen  studies attest to their effectiveness in clinical and specialist settings. They are delivered as structured courses with small groups of parents, children and adolescents utilising DVD input, handouts, group exercises and homework and are delivered within a solution-focused collaborative facilitation model. The Parents Plus charity has an established  ‘train the trainer’ process to empower professionals and community leaders to deliver the programmes in their agencies and local areas.

 

Delivering PP Programmes in Disability Settings Workshop – 30th March 2017

Thursday, 30th March 2017, 9.30am – 4pm, Centre for Nurses Education, Dublin 7

This Advanced Practice workshop brings together Parents Plus Facilitators working in the disability settings. It is suitable for practitioners who are working within the early intervention (0-6) and school age teams (6-18) under progressing disability, as well primary care professionals working with clients with a disability.

Providing parenting groups is an important part of service delivery within disability settings.  Such groups can provide parents with group support, as well as access to specialist interventions.

Workshop content includes:

  • Presentations from practitioners working in disability
  • Description of Parents Plus guidelines on running groups in disability services
  • Networking opportunities to meet other facilitators

Attendance at the workshop is free (and by application only) for trained Parents Plus facilitators who are running groups in their service.

This training is now fully booked. If you would like to go on a cancellation list for this training, please email siobhan@parentsplus.ie with your name, profession and service as well as details of your Parents Plus training, the groups you have run and your goals for the workshop.

 

Become a PP Mentor and Support other Professionals to Deliver the PP Programmes

Parents Plus is looking to recruit a number of experienced facilitators who can act as professional mentors to other Parents Plus Facilitators.

The role of a Parents Plus mentor is to:

  • Support new Parents Plus Facilitators to get their groups up and running.
  • Provide supervision to facilitators as they deliver their Parents Plus Groups.
  • Host Parents Plus regional network meetings and local supervision groups.
  • Support facilitators to progress through the Parents Plus Accreditation process.

In order to be a Parents Plus mentor you need to be:

  • Trained and experienced in running one or more of the Parents Plus Programmes.
  • Accredited or in the process of accreditation in one or more of the Parents Plus Programmes.
  • Have specific experience in providing professional supervision and training – this is a distinct advantage.
  • Able to give an indication of how much time you can allocate to mentoring.

Acting as a Parents Plus Menor can be done:

  • As part of your role within your agency.
  • In return for a fee from Parents Plus for an identified project.

If you are recruited as a Mentor, you will be provided with training and supervision from the Parents Plus Training Team and you will become part of a network of Parents Plus Mentors.

To apply to be a mentor, please fill out the application form here and send it back to siobhan@parentsplus.ie