Category: News

Introduction to Parents Plus – Dublin 13/09/18

Parents Plus is hosting a free introductory seminar in Dublin in September 2018:PP FB image

  • Introductory Event, 13th September 2018 – 2:30-4:30pm, Dublin
  • Free to attend, registration required below

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.

Registration

 

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.

Parents Plus in Disability Settings – 11/06/2018

Workshop – Monday 11th June 9:00am-1:30pm, Lucan Spa Hotel Co Dublin

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. This advanced practice workshop brings together Parents Plus Facilitators working in disability settings both within early intervention (0-6) and school age teams ( 6-18) under progressing disability.

Workshop content includesPPEY Umbrella

  • Parents Plus guidelines on running groups in disability services
  • Presentations from practitoners working in disability
  • Launch of Parents Plus Disability research project
  • Networking opportunities to meet other facilitators

If you are interested in presenting or providing a short input on your practice (5-10 mins) or helping to run a break out group, please email sinead@parentsplus.ie.

This workshop is designed for
1) trained Parents Plus facilitators who are looking to develop their practice and 2) professionals working in disability settings who are considering Parents Plus training in the future. See here for details of full Parents Plus training.

Cost of attendance is €50 euro, or free for practitioners who present or assist above or practitioners who agree to participate in the Parents Plus Disability Research Project.

Registration

Parents Plus Programme Cover Photos

Parents Plus is an Irish charity that develops practical, evidence-based parenting and mental health programmes. We train professionals working with children and families to deliver the programmes in communities and clinical settings. Our programmes support families to communicate effectively, build satisfying relationships and overcome emotional and behavioural problems.

Our Programmes: Parents Plus have developed five flagship programmes in partnership with parents and children living in Ireland and includes their specific experiences. Our programmes combine a social learning model with a solution-focused preventative framework that encourages and empowers parents and children to ‘take charge’ and make positive changes in their lives.

Our programmes comprise of:

  • 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.

Parents Plus Programmes are devised for and with Irish parents

Pause to breathe joy into parenting

How programmes devised for and with Irish parents work in a variety of situations

Tue, Nov 3, 2015, Irish Times , Sheila Wayman

‘Press the pause button” sounds simple, but it’s easier said than done not to react to a tantruming toddler, a demanding tween or a ranting teenager.

This is one of the most effective strategies that people say they take away from Parents Plus courses, a set of five parenting and mental health programmes devised in Ireland by professionals with and for parents. Stepping back from moments of drama to consider what’s really going on and the best way to address it results in a calmer parent and, consequently, a calmer child, and helps enhance the joy of family life.

It’s an approach that has worked for Dublin mother-of-two Sinéad O’Connor. She candidly admits she was at “breaking point” with her two daughters, aged five and three, whose behaviour she couldn’t control. “I was ready to get into my car and drive [away].”

So when she saw mention of “managing behaviour and tantrums” on an ad for a Parents Plus course in the older girl’s school in Ballyfermot, she thought “it has to be a sign from God”.

The programme is run in groups over eight weeks and straight away it was a relief for O’Connor, a single parent, to discover that she was not alone. “There are other people who are feeling the same overwhelming responsibility.”

The support and advice of fellow parents is key during Parents Plus programmes, which almost 400 professionals a year in Ireland and the UK are now being trained to deliver within their services or communities.

The group factor is huge, agrees Breeda Hallissey, deputy manager of Clarecare Family Support team in Ennis, which runs a number of different Parents Plus programmes.

“For parents who feel their child is very difficult, it can help them realise that there are things that their child is doing well and that other parents are talking about issues that they don’t have to deal with.”

Lisa Coote did the early years programme in Ennis while waiting 18 months for a diagnosis for her three-year-old son, Aaron, who is on the autism spectrum. It was a huge turning point for her and her partner, Niall Rooney, who were nearly afraid to leave the house with him at the time due to his frequent meltdowns.

After starting the course, she says, “I could see the difference in Aaron; his behaviour, how we could manage the tantrums better.” He was nonverbal, but one session about play interaction on the floor showed her how to encourage him to talk.

“We wouldn’t have thought to use that time to start our own speech therapy,” she says. “Within the eight weeks he was saying phrases and words he had never said before.”

What they learnt, she adds, “gave us the confidence to seek more answers, to push for a diagnosis and push to get into Aaron’s world”.

Parents Plus was founded in 1998 by consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist Prof Carol Fitzpatrick and former social worker and The Irish Times parenting columnist Dr John Sharry, and became a registered charity under the auspices of the Mater hospital, Dublin, in 2001.

“The Parents Plus programme is as effective as the best international programmes I have seen, and outstanding because it has been developed collaboratively with parents and families in Ireland,” according to Prof Alan Carr, director of clinical psychology training at University College Dublin.

He will present his analysis of the latest research on the effectiveness of Parents Plus at an international conference in Croke Park in December, entitled “Innovations in Working with Families”. In the run-up to that conference, we look at four Parents Plus programmes in a variety of settings.

 

Early Years programme, age up to six years

The professional

When Laura Ward, manager of Ballybay Community Creche in Co Monaghan, was asked to train to deliver the Parents Plus Early Years programme in 2012, she was sceptical.

“I thought it would be a ‘time out’ job, and that wasn’t my thing at all. At that time there was a lot of Supernanny, and I didn’t agree with that.”

However, she says, the moment the training course started, “I got really into it and I am really passionate about it.” Common issues: Fighting; sleeping patterns; routines around dinner time; children learning to accept “no”; and parents needing to find time for themselves. Key messages: Ward’s favourite tip is pressing the pause button. “I think it helps all situations: it helps the child, and it helps the parents as well. Otherwise you go in gung ho, shouting and roaring, and you’re more upset than the children are.”

She also believes it is important that parents tune in to children. “The child may have a genuine concern and needs to know that they will be listened to.”

The parent 

Donna Gray was exasperated by how her sons fought all the time. “I was pulling my hair out with the two of them,” she says of Alex and Jake, now aged seven and four. “They just couldn’t be in the same room together. The minute I’d leave they would be fighting over something.”

So when she heard about the course through the Ballybay creche she thought it would be good to listen to other parents’ perspectives.

Most valuable advice: “I got a good few tips,” she says, including, “breathe before you step in”. But a suggestion from another parent that worked best was, because the boys were always fighting over toys, to have a “share box”.

They agreed to put toys in this box that both could play with, without any squabbles; they also each have an individual box of toys. This had an instant calming effect, and there are share boxes upstairs and downstairs.

“They get on quite well now and very rarely fight,” adds Gray, who recommends the course to other parents: “You’ll always get something out of it.”

Children’s programme, age six to 11

The professional

“Upskilling of parents”

is how Anne-Marie McGovern, a home-school liaison teacher in Ballyfermot, Dublin, describes the course that she has been rolling out through nine local schools. It is open to any parent but is also specifically recommended to parents with whom she, or partner agencies, may be working.

They try to get a balance between fairly confident parents who would just like a few extra tips and those who are “really in despair”, she says.

The courses are run on the shared campus of St Gabriel’s, St Michael’s and St Raphael’s, where McGovern works, where it is easy for parents to attend.

Common issues: Bedtime; morning routine; and tantrums. There are also many issues around coparenting.

Key messages: Feedback from participants is that “pressing the pause button” is one of the most valuable strategies, says McGovern. If the child is having a tantrum in the kitchen, walk into the living room.

“The more you react, the more the child is going to keep going,” she points out.

Parents also find that positive attention works; catch your child being good. Prevention strategies are also looked at; recognising when bad behaviour is likely to kick off. For example, if children are likely to act up in the supermarket, give them little jobs to do – or say, “I am really looking forward to seeing how good you are at helping me with the shopping” – rather than warning “don’t do this” and “don’t do that”.

 

The parent 

Single parent Sinéad O’Connor was at the end of her tether about the behaviour of her daughters, five-year-old Khloe and especially three-year-old Millie.

“The tantrums were getting out of control and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed,” she says.

Most valuable advice: “What really worked for me more than anything else was me taking a step back. Initially, when the tantrum started or the behaviour started I would have gone in guns blazing – screaming and losing the head.

“Let her have her tantrum. When she’s calmed down and finished, then we can talk about it and resolve the issues, well, try to resolve the issues.”

Is it a calmer house since she did the course? “It is and it isn’t,” she says honestly. “You are always going to have your bad days. I’d say 80 per cent of it has calmed down. I definitely have a grasp on managing the behaviour, and a better understanding of it.”

 

Adolescents programme

The professional

Fina Doyle is a social worker with Teen Counselling, and some of the parents who are on the Parents Plus programme she runs have adolescents who are on the waiting list for counselling.

Sometimes parents have got so much out of the programme and things have improved so much at home that they decide the teenager no longer needs counselling.

Parents work hard within the group, she says. They are encouraged to look at things from both their own and the teenager’s perspectives. It is a strength-based programme, focusing on the positives in any given situation.

“That is really empowering and really encouraging for people,” she says. “As a practitioner, it is a lovely way to work.”

Common issues: “Very mixed,” says Doyle. “Sometimes it would be general stuff: not getting on, not talking; then more severe difficulties, behaviour problems, teens not coming home at night.”

Some parents may have a teenager with a diagnosed disorder “but that’s the beauty of the programme, it still applies”, she explains.

Key points: “That parents really matter in the lives of their teenagers,” says Doyle, even though they are separating from their parents. They may start doing things that their parents don’t like, but that’s normal.

The importance of being a positive parent and really getting to know your teen is also stressed.

“The golden rule is respectful communication and there are lovely tips around that,” she adds.

 

The parent

Suzie’s* son was always “quite a lively child” but “once he hit the dreaded teens and went into secondary school, the behaviour really started to kick off”, she says.

He had been diagnosed with dyslexia but she felt there was something else and took him to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. He was difficult to manage and she was looking for support, so a psychiatrist gave her a leaflet about the Parents Plus course run by Teen Counselling.

It was a relief just to meet other parents and realise her son wasn’t so bad in some respects, she explains.

“It was very well run and gave us lots of tools – how to communicate better, how to discipline – standard stuff that you might know in your head but when it actually comes to doing it, it’s not always easy to be calm and the perfect parent.

“We did practical, hands-on stuff. I might go in and say that this week he did x, y and z, and they’d get me to role play it and I’d get solid, practical tips on what I might try. I found that really helpful.”

Most valuable advice: When your child gets to the teenage stage, it is no longer about telling them they have to do something; it is more about negotiation.

“They need to feel they are being listened to rather than feel you are laying down the law,” says Suzie. “I certainly learnt from that.”

Also, you have to be alert to the one time they might be ready to communicate rather than just grunt, and to look after yourself so that you can be an effective parent.

“It never occurred to me before the course that he is a teenager so I can literally walk out and go for a walk; I don’t have to stay there and listen to the rants.”

It is also important to create opportunities to do a fun activity with teenagers. “I think I was stuck in the nagging parent role.”

A big thing for her was “my son didn’t want to be seen dead with me . . .” But she was assured that that is normal “and that really helped”.

Things were definitely better between them for months after the course but now she feels they are falling back into old patterns. However, she has found it helpful to continue to meet up with some of the group.

“As a single parent, it is quite nice to have that sort of support. I wouldn’t necessarily get it from other people.” *Name has been changed

 

Parenting When Separated programme

The professional

“It gets them to reflect on their role as parents and not as victims of a broken relationship,” says Deirdre O’Sullivan about the course for separated parents she runs at the Wicklow Child and Family Project in Wicklow town.

Although separated parents want the best for their children, they can get caught in a situation where they are doing inappropriate things and telling children things they shouldn’t hear.

“The children know about maintenance, they know about court dates. In some cases I have had children say to me ‘Mummy is taking all of Daddy’s money’,” says O’Sullivan.

While you couldn’t have former partners attending together “because their issues would impact on other people in the group”, she explains, it’s recommended that one parent attends and then the other parents goes to the next one.

“Where that doesn’t happen, you find the parent who has attended becomes very child-centred and doesn’t tend to focus on the emotional baggage. They don’t ‘buy into’ conflict situations; they don’t speak inappropriately around the children; and they are very much focused on the children being in this situation because of them.”

Common issues: “Some are quite complex,” says O’Sullivan. “We have had fathers who have had no access to their children for a number of years.” Communication is another big issue, as is parental isolation, particularly for the non-residential parent.

Key points: “Keep the children at the centre; look after yourself and seek help.” They also have to accept that they can’t dictate what goes on in the other house when their children are with the other parent.

“The programme is not a magic wand,” she tells participants, “but there will be some sort of salve on the problems if you use the tools you are given.”

For more information about the programmes see parentsplus.ie

This article can be found on the Irish Times website. 

 

Book now – Group Supervision Training Coming Up

We are holding a Parents Plus Group Supervision Training Session in Dublin at the start of next year.

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 this supervision training, book a place below. This session is open to all trained facilitators but book early as there are a limited number of places available.

 

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

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 2018

You can book online below for the 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.

 

Official Launch of the New PP Programme Manuals & Information Seminar 9th March 2017

Thursday, 9th March 2017   in the Ashling Hotel, Dublin 8

To mark the development of our updated programme materials, Parents Plus is hosting an official launch and a special information seminar for practitioners and managers.  You are very welcome to attend if you are:

  • New to the Parents Plus programmes and want to find out more about how they might work in your agency.
  • An existing PP facilitator and you want to find out about the new programme materials and to network with other facilitators.

NB: The morning seminar (9:30am-1pm) is now booked out. To facilitate the extra number of people wishing to attend, we are repeating the information seminar on the same day in the afternoon. Please register below. 

 Agenda Morning Seminar (booked out)

  • 9:30am  – Arrival at registration, networking and refreshments.
  • 10:30am – Launch of new Parents Plus Programme materials. Dr Michael Drumm, Chair of Parents Plus and Principal Clinical Psychology Manager, HSE
  • 11.00am – 1.00pm  – Parents Plus Information Seminar – Dr John Sharry, CEO and Founder, and Dr Eileen Brosnan, Senior Trainer, Parents Plus 

Agenda Afternoon Seminar (open for bookings below)

  • 2pm  – Arrival at registration, networking and refreshments.
  • 2:30pm – 4:30pm  – Parents Plus Information Seminar – Dr John Sharry, CEO and Founder, and Dr Eileen Brosnan, Senior Trainer, Parents Plus 
  • 4:30pm-4:45pm – Review and Close

Seminar Content: The morning and afternoon seminars will introduce all five Parents Plus programmes, describing the background and how the programmes work as well as outlining the content of the new manuals and updated materials. The seminar is ideal for professionals and managers who want to find out more about the Parents Plus programmes and how they might work in their agencies. There will be time to network, to ask questions and to meet practicing Parents Plus facilitators. This information seminar may also count towards your CPD and a certificate of attendance can be given to you on the day.

You can download an information flier here on the event to share it with your colleagues and display in your organisation.

Registration

Please note this event is free to attend but when booking online, 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 this free event but your order will then be confirmed. 

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 community 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.

About the Updated Parents Plus Programme Materials

  • The new Parent’s Booklets are now in full colour and the information is presented the  in a clearer more visual way that is accessible to more parents. They contain updated ideas on topics such as emotional development of children and new family challenges such as such as screentime and social media.
  • The Facilitator Manuals are all standardised and presented in a an easier to use format containing new resources for facilitation such as extra group exercises, posters and editable fliers.
  • Please note that the DVD content for each of the programmes have not been updated at this time.

If you have any queries about this event, please contact siobhan@parentsplus.ie