Supporting Parents
Parenting is probably the most important and rewarding role you will undertake in your life. Yet parenting is far from easy, having many ups and downs, and posing great challenges and demands. At Parents Plus, we hold parents in high esteem and recognise you as the experts of your family. The focus of the eight Parents Plus Programmes is about helping parents find solutions to problems and create more satisfying ways of relating to their children.
About Parents Plus
Parents Plus is an Irish charity that develops evidence-based, practical, parenting courses and mental health programmes. Our mission is to improve the well-being of children and families, by training and empowering professionals to deliver our programmes in their services.
There are eight different Parents Plus Programmes for parents and young people, which are usually run as 6-12 week courses. The parenting courses are largely run free of charge or at a minimal cost to those attending.
Please note that we do not run courses directly. Instead, our programmes are delivered by trained facilitators through local services.
“The Parents Plus group absolutely helped us as parents and our son David. I didn’t think that anybody could help us, because David was violent towards everybody. Ever since I did the Parents Plus sessions I’m a lot happier, David is a lot calmer, his sister is happier, his mother is happier. Our home is a lot calmer and he’s actually fun to be around now.”
Owen
Accessing Parents Plus Programmes in Your Community
The Parents Plus programmes are run by the professionals we train, in many different settings, such as Family Resource Centres, Primary Care Teams, Disability Teams, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, CAMHS and Primary and Secondary Schools.
In addition, many county organisations coordinate parenting courses and services, such as County Child Care Committees and
Children and young peoples services committees.
Regional organisations offering Parents Plus Courses on a regular basis include SPECS Bray Family Support Project, Clarecare in Co Clare, Love Parenting in Co Limerick, Parenting Monaghan, Donegal Parenting Hub
You can also check out our Facebook pages where information is shared on the services that are running upcoming courses.
If you would like to attend a Parents Plus programme in your area, please contact your local services for children and families to find out if there is a course coming up.
The Parents Plus Programmes
The Parents Plus Early Years Programme
Promoting attachment, learning and well-being for parents of children aged 1 to 6 years.
The Parents Plus Early Years programme is a practical, solution-focused and evidence-based course that builds on parent strengths. It is facilitated by skilled practitioners who have been trained by Parents Plus to deliver the course in their own communities.
Through this programme, you will be supported to:
- develop good attachments and relationships with your children.
- understand and manage tantrums and meltdowns.
- build your children’s communication and learning.
- problem-solve challenges as they arise.
- reduce your own stress as parents.
- promote your children’s self-esteem and well-being.
- establish positive daily routines for your family.
Parents Plus programmes are developed in partnership with families and services. The programmes are proven to create lasting, positive outcomes for families, communities, and the services that support them.
The Parents Plus Children’s Programme
Promoting attachment, learning and well-being for parents of children aged 6-12 years
The Parents Plus Children’s programme is a practical, solution-focused and evidence-based course that builds on parent strengths. It is facilitated by skilled practitioners who have been trained by Parents Plus to deliver the course in their own communities.
Through this programme, you will be supported to:
- understand and connect with your children
- build your children’s self-esteem and wellbeing
- reduce your own stress as parents
- manage behaviour and emotional concerns
- solve problems together with your children
- establish positive daily routines for your family
- develop warm, connected family relationships
- encourage your children’s learning and education
Parents Plus programmes are developed in partnership with families and services. The programmes are proven to create lasting, positive outcomes for families, communities, and the services that support them.
The Parents Plus ADHD Programme
Addressing the particular needs of parents of children with ADHD aged 6 to 12 years
The Parents Plus ADHD programme is a practical, solution-focused and evidence-based course that builds on parent strengths. It is facilitated by skilled practitioners who have been trained by Parents Plus to deliver the course in their own communities.
Through this programme, you will be supported to:
- understand the experiences and needs of ADHD children
- create warm, connected relationships
- manage behavioural and emotional concerns
- understand the role of medication and other supports
- encourage your child’s learning and education
- help your child talk about and understand ADHD
- reduce your own stress as parents
- support children’s friendships
- build their children’s self-esteem and confidence
- solve problems together with their child
Parents Plus programmes are developed in partnership with families and services. The programmes are proven to create lasting, positive outcomes for families, communities, and the services that support them.
The Parents Plus Adolescents Programme
Promoting effective communication and positive relationships, for parents of adolescents aged 11 to 16 years.
The Parents Plus Adolescents programme is a practical, solution-focused and evidence-based course that builds on parent strengths. It is facilitated by skilled practitioners who have been trained by Parents Plus to deliver the course in their own communities.
Through this programme, you will be supported to:
- create warm, connected family relationships
- build self-esteem and confidence
- support your adolescents mental health
- negotiate rules and boundaries
- communicate positively and effectively
- manage and resolve conflict
- solve problems together with your young person
- reduce your own stress as parents
Parents Plus programmes are developed in partnership with families and services. The programmes are proven to create lasting, positive outcomes for families, communities, and the services that support them.
The Parents Plus Working Things Out Programme
Promoting positive mental health and teaching coping skills to adolescents.
The Parents Plus Working Things Out Programme is a practical, solution-focused and evidence-based course that builds on adolescent’s strengths. It is facilitated by skilled practitioners who have been trained by Parents Plus to deliver the course in their own communities.
Through this programme, the young person will be supported to:
- understand the steps to solving problems
- learn practical cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) strategies
- deal with anger and conflict
- develop helpful thinking strategies
- manage anxiety and feeling down
- improve relationships with parents
- make friendships with peers
- reduce stress
Parents Plus programmes are developed in partnership with families and services. The programmes are proven to create lasting, positive outcomes for families, communities, and the services that support them.
The Parents Plus Special Needs Programme
Addressing the particular needs of parents of adolescents with an intellectual disability.
The Parents Plus Special Needs programme is a practical, solution-focused and evidence-based course that builds on parent strengths. It is facilitated by skilled practitioners who have been trained by Parents Plus to deliver the course in their own communities.
It is suitable for parents who are raising an older child or adolescent with a mild, moderate or severe intellectual disability, and who may also have a diagnosis, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or a physical disability.
Through this programme, you will be supported to:
- understand and connect with your adolescent
- manage behaviour and emotional concerns
- understand puberty, sexuality and relationships
- reduce your own stress as parents
- support sibling and parent relationships in the family
- build self-esteem and well-being
- advocate for your child’s needs
- prepare your child for adulthood and future transitions
Parents Plus programmes are developed in partnership with families and services. The programmes are proven to create lasting, positive outcomes for families, communities, and the services that support them.
The Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme
Promoting positive relationships, and family well-being for parents of children aged 0-12 years
The Parents Plus Healthy Families programme is a practical, solution-focused and evidence-based course that builds on parent strengths. It is facilitated by skilled practitioners who have been trained by Parents Plus to deliver the course in their own communities.
Through this programme, you will be supported to:
- improve your family’s health and well-being
- promote healthy eating habits in the home
- create happy family mealtimes
- incorporate active play and physical activities into your day
- maintain positive mental health and self-esteem
- establish good routines for sleep and rest
- set up rules around technology use at home
- build positive, warm and connected family relationships
Parents Plus programmes are developed in partnership with families and services. The programmes are proven to create lasting, positive outcomes for families, communities, and the services that support them.
The Parents Plus Parenting When Separated Programme
Supporting parents who are preparing for, going through or have gone through a separation or divorce.
The Parents Plus Parenting When Separated programme is a practical, solution-focused and evidence-based course that builds on parent strengths. It is facilitated by skilled practitioners who have been trained by Parents Plus to deliver the course in their own communities.
The Parenting When Separated Programme is suitable for fathers and mothers as well as residential and non-residential parents.
Through this programme, you will be supported to:
- co-parent effectively, to ensure your children cope and thrive
- manage stress and to personally cope post-separation
- reach out for support to reduce isolation
- create practical arrangements for children that minimise stress and conflict
- improve communication with your children and with your children’s other parent
- help your children cope and thrive post-separation
- maintain warm and connected relationships with your children
- deal with the challenges of lone parenting or being a ‘live away’ parent
Parents Plus programmes are developed in partnership with families and services. The programmes are proven to create lasting, positive outcomes for families, communities, and the services that support them.
Parenting – Tips and Support Services
Visit our Parenting Tips and Resources page for resources from the Parents Plus Programmes, and:
- Information on Parenting Support Services
- Children’s Support Services
- Relationship Counselling Services
- Mediation Services
- Mental Health Services, as well as
- Parenting articles, featured in The Irish Times, from Professor John Sharry of Parents Plus
“I think the Parents Plus course was fantastic. I was really lost before I went to it. But each day coming out of the course, I felt more confident. You gave me the tools to do things right. Everything you taught us to do really worked. Thank you.”
Louise
Feedback
If you are a parent or young person who has attended a Parents Plus programme, we would very much welcome your feedback. We would like to hear about your experience of attending our programmes, what went well and what could have been improved.
To provide feedback, please email admin@parentsplus.ie. You can leave your feedback anonymously or you can include your contact details if you would like to hear back from us. All feedback will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
Parents Plus Online Courses Nationally
Unfortunately, our funding for these groups has reduced.
This means we are now providing fewer programmes this autumn 2024, all of which have been filled from the list of parents who had previously signed up to the waitlist.
Please check-in with ADHD Ireland www.adhdireland.ie for the Parents Plus ADHD programme and Family Carers Ireland for the Parents Plus Special Needs Programmes.
Also, check with your local Parent Hub, Family Resource Centre, Youth and other family support services in your area many of whom run Parents Plus programmes in person and online.
| Online Parenting Courses – Parents Plus | Dates and Book |
|---|---|
| The Early Years Programme is for parents of young children aged 1 to 6 years. | Fully Booked Autumn 24 |
| The Children’s Programme is for parents of children aged 6 to 11 years. | Fully Booked Autumn 24 |
| The Adolescents Programme is for parents of adolescents and teenagers aged 11 to 16 years. | Fully Booked Autumn 24 |
| The Parenting when Separated Programme is for parents who are preparing for, going through or have gone through a separation or divorce. | Fully Booked Autumn 24 |
| The ADHD Programme is for parents of children with ADHD aged 6 to 12 | Visit adhdireland.ie |
| The Special Needs Programme is designed to support parents/guardians who are raising a teenager or young adult who has an intellectual disability and associated conditions which may include autism, physical disability and other additional support needs. | Visit Family Carers Ireland |
Parent Testimonials
“I’m mum to one fabulous, fun, energetic and exhausting girl who’s turning five next week. We’re far from perfect but try our best everyday. Some days are wonderful – others not so much. I took the leap and signed up to a Parents Plus parenting course. The support, encouragement and skills shared and learned were so much more than I’d expected. For any parents out there who are struggling or want to do better, I’d encourage you to make the time to find a local resource that are there to help. Invest in your relationship with your child – you’ll both benefit.”
“Well it was an experience for me to understand my son Anthony more than I used to before I went to the Parents Plus course as in not to think that he was just being bold or being a bully, but more to understand the pressures that he is under and what it is like to be out there today with friends and peer pressure and everything else”
“I think that when we started on the Parents Plus course I thought maybe it would be, ‘this is what you’re doing wrong, that’s what you’re doing wrong,’ instead of that I found that it emphasised the positive aspects. We all felt that we were good parents that were doing a lot of things right.”
“I found it very hard to come along to the Parents Plus class because I thought nobody was going to have a child like my child. It was absolutely great being able to say, well my child has this bad behaviour, and he wasn’t the only one with bad behaviour. Other children had done exactly same thing. As parents we benefited greatly from the course, we got a lot of emotions out – laughed, cried, and joked. It was time out.”
“I found doing the Parents Plus course really very helpful, I must say I went in thinking ‘Everybody will think I’m here that I have a problem with parenting’ but I soon realised that the people coming were the people that were already good parents and that wanted to do the best for their children, who wanted to do a very important job even better. It really did help my life considerably and helped the way that we related to each other as a family.”
“Really positive – I was very unsure about going to the Parents Plus group, I thought people were going to criticize me, but the course gave me the tools I needed in a friendly way…I just need to remember to press the pause button!”
“One of the key things that the Parents Plus course has given me is a sense of hope and understanding that there are other people in similar situations. I think that is very important for a parent because you do feel very lonely when you have to deal with a child with these difficulties, which other children and other parents don’t seem to experience. So just that idea of meeting people who have gone through the same experiences and are dealing with the same problems as you gives you an awful lot of strength and a lot of confidence to go on with your life and keep building that relationship with your child.”
“Overall the Parents Plus course was really helpful and I’m so glad I did it, and, if my experience or any of my feelings can help anybody else, then it’s well worth it. There was a group of us, mothers and fathers, everyone of us had one or two children but we all had the common problem that we couldn’t manage our children. Today to be able to manage my children and feel that I am a good mother is worth everything to me and I think that the children have reaped the benefit of it too.”
