Parents Plus charity build the capacity of services to improve outcomes for families by training and supervising professionals to deliver and evaluate our evidence-based parenting and mental health programmes.
Our team of experts research and develop evidence based parenting interventions for services supporting familiesin Ireland, the U.K. and internationally. The charity works closely with services across Community, Mental Health, Disability and Education, training, supervising and building their capacity to deliver and evaluate our proven interventions, tailored to the needs of local communities.
In the last 10 years alone, Parents Plus has supported over 1,000 organisations to create sustainable change in their service delivery, improving outcomes for over 100,000 families, from the early years right through to adulthood.
“We’ve been delivering Parents Plus programmes for many years and find that they really add value to the services that we provide for children and parents. We see really transformative outcomes.” Karin Todd, Manager, Fr. McGrath Family Resource Centre, Kilkenny
“Our multi agency service commissioned training our team in the Parents Plus range of programmes, as they have been clinically proven to work. Our recent evaluation report clearly demonstrates that the Parents Plus programmes have helped us to deliver measurable and tangible benefits to families, such as significant improvements in parenting confidence and skills, child behaviour, positive discipline and family relationships.”Ellen McMeel, Parenting Monaghan
“We ran the Special Needs programme in mental health and disabilities setting. The feedback we got was incredible. For many parents of children with disabilities they feel isolated and this is augmented by the lack of parenting advice out there specifically for their own children. The Special Needs programme recognises that not all children with disabilities are the same, and supports parents in developing individualised parenting strategies that support their children, which is consistent with the latest research.” Eleanor Kent, Social Worker, H.S.E. CAMHS, Cork
“I feel that every parent should do the ParentsPlus courses. They really are that impactful. It’s brilliant to watch parents feelings of self-worth and their solution focused ideas grow over the weeks. To see parents begin to believe in themselves again because of ParentsPlus is so powerful. I see the benefits for parents and their children every day.” Kathleen O’Hara, Early Intervention Team, Mayo
“Since becoming a Parents Plus facilitator, I now have parenting tools that I can use in my day to day work with parents. I would recommend Parents Plus to other professionals as the programme is an organised, easy to run programme, which I is effective in providing parents with support and in achieving best outcomes.” Maeve O’Neill, Northern Health and Social Care Trust
“The Parents Plus approach is solution focused and builds on what is going right for families. It is very practical in its layout and focus on positive parenting and positive discipline topics. During group delivery the flow of the session fits very well as one session builds on another.” Fionnuala Cunningham, Family Support Worker, Tír Boghaine Teo, Donegal
“Early intervention is the most promising way to address childhood obesity. Research has shown that if we really want to intervene, and this is shown internationally, we need to deliver educational, supported programmes to parents, delivered in their communities. The Parents Plus Healthy Family Programme will see families and parents comes together over 6-8 weeks to get ideas on nutrition and healthy lifestyles and how to implement these things, how to handle behaviour and how to set up good routines. Furthermore, parents will learn how they can motivate themselves and their children to change positively.” Professor John Sharry, Parents Plus
“Parents Plus is one of the most effective parenting programmes. The courses produce real results for parents and are easy to facilitate, helping parents to achieve their learning goals. I would definitely recommend Parents Plus to other professionals.” Dr. Foo Fung, Medical Doctor, Singapore Community Services
“Working within CAMHS I have faced many challenges when working with families and young people. I have learnt that there is a time to lean on the services for professional help especially where there is a mental health crisis but what happens after the appointment? What happens when everyone goes home? Families and parents need to be empowered to be their own support system. Parents plus provides the foundation for this and its impact is enduring.” Ger Buckely, Speech & Language Therapist, H.S.E. CAMHS, Dublin
Parents Plus provides training to professionals working in community, clinical and educational settings with children, young people and families both in Ireland and internationally. To discuss your training needs and which of our evidence based programmes will meet your practice needs, email Claire@parentsplus.ie
“The Parents Plus training had a very positive affect on my ability to empower parents to believe in themselves. They have the confidence to try new strategies in difficult situations with their children. When a parent comes back after a week and shares a positive story regarding a situation they were finding difficult this is very rewarding.” Ciannait Ni Rian Ui Broin, Pre-School Owner, Dublin
“We have been facilitating Parents plus in our Primary Care service for a number of years. The experience of doing so, and the feedback from parents, is consistently very positive. Facilitating the programmes is always an uplifting experience.” Dr Rosario Power, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Primary Care, Kildare
“Through training in and running the Parents Plus groups, I have been more able to support parents and families in my school. It has given me more confidence as a teacher and the programmes have helped children and families by offering a more structured approach to learning about good behaviours and setting up good parenting patterns. Parents are more confident in their role once they have completed the programme as they are given a set of tools to use at home and supported through the process.” Kate Breen, HSLC, St. Philomena’s National School, Wicklow
“The Working Things Out programme is a very beneficial and practical programme in helping young people navigate the many new challenges of secondary school. Having teachers trained in this course has proven invaluable to our school and offers our students practical and effective strategies.” Yvonne Kiely, HSCL, St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Rush
“The Parenting When Separated Programme has greatly benefited my practice when working with separated parents. Parents have reported that it has reduced conflict and improved communication with their ex-partner. They have also found the information very useful in both supporting their children and knowing how to talk to them appropriately about the separation or divorce.” Susan Lynott, Springboard, Dublin South
“The Parents Plus approach helps shift the notion that young people are the problem at home. Parents are able to manage with the new skills that they learn and can reflect on how they too contribute positively and negatively to family life.” Niamh Kelly, SCW, Squashy Couch Health and Information Service, Waterford
UCD Professor of Clinical Psychology Alan Carr
The work done to date by Parents Plus for Irish society and child and family mental health and well-being is extraordinary. It has transformed the lives of thousands of families and done this on a shoestring budget. When the charity first began, Irish mental health and social care services were using North American or Australian parent training programmes that were not tailored to the needs of Irish families, were designed for delivery by trainers with professional backgrounds, and were very expensive, meaning many services could not afford them. Parents Plus changed all this. … read more
Universal, Preventative and Targeted Solutions
Backed by over 27 years of research, our programmes have proven benefits for families, including those dealing with disadvantage, disability and mental health problems, as well as the normal ups and downs of family life.
All profits from sales of programme training and supervision is re-invested in developing new evidence-based programmes to respond to the evolving needs of families, and to sponsor facilitator training and supports of services with limited budgets, who work with high need families.
“Parents Plus programmes have helped us to support families experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. Parents have reported vast improvements in relationships with their children and in their own skills in parenting. Teachers have also observed corresponding improvements in the behaviours and social interactions of the children whose parents attend the Parents Plus course.” Patrick Kinsella, Teacher, St. Peter’s Primary School, Wicklow
“The Parents Plus programmes are effective in providing parents with support and achieving the best outcomes. The training also provides knowledge and skills which are applicable to everyday practice, whilst the programmes are organised, and easy to run.” Marguerite Lehane, Social Worker, H.S.E. CAMHS, Cork
“We had a waiting list of more than six months for young people waiting for counselling, and anxious parents also looking for support. Since running the Parents Plus Programmes our waiting list has reduced enormously and young people are discussing the improvements they feel at home, as they now feel supported and listened to.” Niamh Kelly, Squashy Couch Adolescent Health and Information Project, Waterford
“We have observed first-hand the success of the Parents Plus for parents. Many parents had attended other parenting courses, and all of them felt Parents Plus was different and that they learnt so much more. A lot of other parents are keen to attend now due to these parents telling them of how Parents Plus has changed their lives.” Rhonda Murphy, Manager, Chance For Change, N.I.
“Parents Plus training has enabled me to be a better teacher. I can now cater to the hidden needs of young people in an informed capacity. It also gives parents the tools to parent effectively, implement discipline at home and manage the many challenges of parenting teenagers. These practices are then reflected in how young people behave in school.” Yvonne Kiely, Teacher, St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Rush
“Parents Plus makes sense to the parents who participate in the courses that I run. It is respectful to every member of the family and this is part of its success. Parents say they are less stressed and more relaxed with their families after attending the Parents Plus Children’s Programme. The techniques parents learn transform life at home.” Marion Clarke, Community Development Worker, Ballyhoura Development CLG
“We see the evidence – The Parent Plus Early Years Programme has proven to be very successful and practical for the parents we work with and has become a valuable part of our multi-disciplinary team work. To watch parents believe in themselves again because of the Parents Plus Programmes is so powerful.” Kathleen O’Hara, H.S.E. Early intervention Team, Mayo
“I’ve used the Adolescent Programme in my every day practice since attending the training. Before I became a Parenting Plus facilitator, I thought I had a good idea of what the best interventions to support families were. Since the training, and being part of implementing the courses in our region in the U.K., I have a more profound and deeper understanding of what it takes to support families to make changes in their life.” Jon B. Churchill, Family Support Practitioner, Devon County Council, U.K.
“We have been facilitating Parents plus in our Primary Care service for a number of years. The experience of doing so and the feedback is consistently very positive. The programmes allow us to build respectfully on the vast experience of parents themselves and on their desire to be the best that they can be for their children. It allows facilitators to demonstrate how focusing on what is being done well and reinforcing that is the most powerful way to effect real change and promote confidence. I always find our final sessions very moving emotionally as each parent takes time to share the progress he or she has made over the programme and the ways in which things have changed for them and for their children. At our most recent programme one parent received feedback from the group that it sounded like he was speaking about a different family at the end of the programme.”
Dr Rosario Power, Senior Clinical Psychologist, H.S.E. Kildare
Evidence based Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme to launch in Autumn 2020. Sign up here to receive further information
“As Occupational Therapists we focus on ability rather than disability. Similarly the Parents Plus programmes use a strengths based approach to provide parents with strategies and resources to support their child with additional needs. A lot of the O.T. goals identified by families are centred around independence skills, routines and positive behaviour strategies. The Parents Plus Special Needs programme provides these strategies and resources to help families achieve their goals.” Molly Fallon, Occupational Therapist, Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service, Dublin
“As a Public Health Nurse, I have facilitated Parents Plus programmes in community settings for the past four years. We have received very positive feedback from parents, and when meeting these parents at a later stage, they often report the programme having ‘changed their lives’. I offer the programme to all parents at their children’s developmental checks, and many report the positive feedback they have also received from their friends who have done the Parents Plus programmes.” Noreen Gorman, Public Health Nurse, H.S.E., Wicklow
Evidence based Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme to launch in Autumn 2020. Sign up here to receive further information
“Since training in Parents Plus we now have an excellent resource to reference during access visits to assist us in promoting positive relationships between parents and their children. We also run individual Parents Plus sessions for parents who want to improve and build confidence in their parenting skills. As a result, we have seen improvements in the quality of access visits and parents are more confident in their ability to parent their child in area’s such as discipline and play.” Jacinta Doyle, Access Worker, TUSLA Contact Service
“The Parents Plus Training has by far had the biggest impact on the way I work as an SLT with children and parents. The biggest change has been learning to become solution focused to empower families to make long term positive changes.” Ger Buckley, Speech and Language Therapist, H.S.E. CAMHS, Dublin
“Parents Plus programmes provide an evidence based, cost effective, systematic approach, which can be used to support children with a wide variety of issues and their families. When parents use these positive parenting tools, we can prevent issues such as anxiety, social phobia and depression, occurring in children. Moreover, this approach is one of the most helpful methods for many psychiatric conditions and preventing mental health disorders when used in community settings.” Onur Burak Durson, Professor of Psychiatry, Ataturk University School of Medicine, Turkey
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