The teenage years can be a challenging time for many families. By helping parents develop warm relationships with their teenagers you can reduce conflict and support their teenagers to grow up as well-adjusted and happy adults. 

This programme is practical, solution-focused and draws on parents strengths. It is suitable for parents of adolescents, including those with additional needs, such as ADHD. It is flexible and can be delivered over 6-12 weeks in small groups or with individuals.

We have also developed the Parents Plus Special Needs programme for parents of young people with an intellectual disability.

By training as a facilitator of this programme, you will learn how to support parents of adolescents to:

• Manage and resolve conflict 
• Build self-esteem and confidence
• Create warm connected relationships
• Positively discipline their adolescent
• Negotiate rules and boundaries
• Solve problems together
• Communicate positively and effectively
• Reduce their own stress as parents

“The Parents Plus approach to solving family problems is a well-established model. Due to the proven efficacy of the Parents Plus Adolescents Programme in improving outcomes for parents, carers, children and young people, Bristol City Council has committed to funding facilitator training for 8 years.”

Deborah Davis, Parenting Supervisor, Families in Focus, Bristol

The Adolescent’s Programme facilitator training is practical and solution-focused and will provide you with the essential skills and learning to achieve the best outcomes for the parents and families who attend your service. The training focuses on:

• Developing an in-depth understanding of this programme.
• Delivering the programme via face-to-face and online sessions to groups and individual families.
• Providing opportunities to observe and practise the skills to become a solution-focused facilitator.
• Building on parents strengths as a basis for ongoing change.
• Strengthening inter-agency and community partnerships

Facilitator Training
The next facilitator training for our Adolescent’s programme starts on  11th April 2024. A summary of the training is provided below and a detailed breakdown can be accessed here

Parents Plus offer a small number of part-sponsored places on the training when accessing finance is difficult.  

The Parents Plus facilitator trainings are open to qualified education, mental health and community professionals who work with families.

Our programmes are successfully delivered with impressive outcomes in a variety of Primary Care, School, Health, Disability and Mental Health settings.

• Attendance at our facilitator training for this programme is compulsory prior to delivering it to families attending your service.
• Parents Plus programmes must be co-facilitated, therefore, at least two facilitators need to be trained before a programme can be delivered to families in your agency. Facilitators who go on to complete our accreditation process are licensed to run the programme without a co-facilitator.

Please read our licensing guidelines here. 
prior to booking a place on our training.

Studies in secondary schools and mental health settings have shown that families who complete the Adolescents programme report:

• Increased teen positive social behaviour
• Reduced behaviour and emotional problems
• Decreased parental stress
• Improved family communication
• Increased parental confidence

You can learn more about the impact of this programme, and all our other programmes here.

Research shows that families achieve the best outcomes when facilitators and their managers are supported pre and post-training to deliver programmes. We provide a comprehensive package of pre and post-training supports to our facilitators and managers in order to ensure a sustainable and effective delivery of the programmes within their agency.

Our supports include:

• Implementation support to get groups off the ground, including planning workshops and coaching for managers.
• Individual and group supervision sessions with an experienced Parents Plus Trainer.
• Advanced training workshops on specific topics.
• Extra resources to facilitate delivery, e.g. fliers, posters, certificates, practice articles, parenting articles, supplementary handouts.

• Support to promote your Parents Plus courses in your community.
• Advice and guidance on evaluating and monitoring outcomes in your agency to ensure your groups are effective.
• Access to two individual supervision sessions free of charge in the first year post-training.
• Sponsorship for further supervision is available on application.

You can read more details about our pre- and post-training supports here.

Certification 
On completing the facilitator training for the Parents Plus Adolescent’s Programme, you will be licensed to co-deliver this programme under supervision in your agency, to groups and with individuals. You can read our full licensing guidelines here.

Accreditation
For facilitators who want to take their practice to a higher level, Parents Plus also has an established accreditation process which supports you to refine your facilitation skills and professional practice and reach a high standard of delivery. Representing a major CPD achievement, accreditation allows you to deliver our programmes independently and to work towards becoming a Parents Plus supervisor. You can read more about our accreditation process in the resource section.