Innovations in Practice 2024 – Reflections and Learning
The Parents Plus Innovations in Practice Conference took place on Wednesday, 13 November 2024 and brought together a vibrant community of over 200 practitioners from across Ireland, the UK and beyond. Here, Dr Eileen Brosnan, our Head of Practice and Implementation, shares her reflections on the conference, highlighting the inspiring contributions from practitioners and academics, and the power of shared learning:
The Parents Plus team are pleased to share some learnings from our very successful ‘Innovations in Practice’ Conference, November 2024.
Prof Alan Carr began proceedings with the Keynote presentation of the results of the Parents Plus Meta-analysis (2023) demonstrating the effectiveness of the 8 Parents Plus programmes. For our community of services and practitioners delivering the programmes, and moreover for parents attending, it is great to see the strong evidence presented, that the programmes work in reducing parents’ stress levels, increasing their satisfaction as parents and improve children’s emotional and behavioural well-being. The Parents Plus Healthy Families programme, Randomised Controlled Trial (2024) also presented, showed a very positive benefit for improving family lifestyle habits. This benefit was brought to life in the following set of presentations from Dr Kathy Looney, who outlined the wider context of the model of care for childhood obesity and Dr Adele Keating who brought us through the background and programme content, including topics such as Managing Technology, Happy Mealtimes, Restful Sleep. A very illuminating presentation from Early Years practitioner, Yvonne Anderson, gave fabulous real life examples of the kinds of changes parents attending the groups were able to make, many of whom reported better sleep for the whole family on the back of adjusting family evening time routines. One of those parents, Olivia, spoke at the conference about how she and her children got more active, made mealtimes more sociable by sitting together and chatting, and how she managed to regulate herself emotionally, staying calmer and more connected with her children. The practice message here was of facilitators warmly engaging in a supportive, non-judging way with parents and parents supporting each other in the groups.
The short breakout interactive session mid-way through the conference brought about some excellent ideas sharing on overcoming the challenges for services implementing parent programmes. A highlight from this feedback was the need to focus on getting fathers to attend. A bit like what parents get when they attend group parent programmes the breakout attendees felt reassured that they were not alone in their challenges! See the breakout feedback below.
The learning from the second part of the morning was resoundingly a message to practitioners, service managers and commissioners ‘Listen carefully to your parents’ needs and collaboratively find ways to address them.’ Ciara Kane presented a fantastic Family Resource Centre project based in the Mid-West of Ireland, working closely with the local Courts, where parents experiencing separation and divorce can access the Parents Plus Parenting When Separated programme, and get follow-up support as needed via community services. Lisa Whitlock showed us how listening to parents needs within her CAMHS parent support service led to the Parents Plus ADHD programme being offered to parents attending the service and on waitlists. The team ensured a neuro-affirming practice approach to their support offer to parents of children with ADHD many of whom were neuro-diverse themselves. The final presentation showed a group of practitioners innovating with the Parents Plus Special Needs programme, bringing in parents of younger children and offering them a safe space to connect and discuss topics such as their own emotional journey, supporting siblings, managing school transitions and parent self care.
Overall we had a super morning of sharing rich insights from evidence, practice and implementation.
Thank you to all the speakers and participants for making this conference a success. Read on for conference resources and recordings and follow Parents Plus on LinkedIn for further updates as we continue to support you in making a positive impact.
Resources and Recordings
We are delighted to have resources to help you revisit the research and insights shared during the Parents Plus Innovations in Practice Conference. Below, you will find the event recordings and presentation slides for each of the 6 presentation topics. These resources are designed to support your continued learning, offer practical tools for implementation, and help you share the knowledge with your teams and networks.
1. ‘ New Parents Plus Evidence – Meta-analysis (2023) and Recent Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme Research‘
Prof Alan Carr provided a detailed overview of the new meta-analysis of Parents Plus programmes, encompassing 21 studies conducted between 2001 and 2024. The analysis highlighted the extensive evidence base supporting the effectiveness of Parents Plus eight programmes across a variety of settings, including CAMHS, disability services, and community services. Key findings included improvements in goal attainment, parenting satisfaction, and reductions in parental stress and child behaviour problems that were sustained long after the programme ended, demonstrating the lasting impact of Parents Plus programmes for the families attending them.
Professor Alan Carr is founding director of the UCD doctoral programme in clinical psychology. He has a couple and family therapy practice at the Clanwilliam Institute where he treats individuals, couples and families with a range of psychological challenges across the lifespan. His research programme at UCD focuses on clinical psychology, family therapy, parent training, and positive psychology. He has produced over 25 books and 250 papers and presentations.
2. ‘A preventative approach for the Management of Overweight and Obesity within the context of the Health Service Executive Model of Care – The Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme’
Dr Kathy Looney and Dr Adele Keating presented an in-depth look at the Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme. The programme emphasises a holistic approach, addressing not only healthy eating and physical activity but also the broader determinants of family health, such as emotional wellbeing, screen time management, and sleep routines. Dr. Looney and Dr. Keating highlighted the importance of empowering parents to make small, sustainable changes.
Dr Kathy Looney is an Assistant Professor at University College Dublin and a Senior Clinical Psychologist at Children’s Health Ireland, Temple Street working in the Healthy Living with CHI Child and Adolescent Complex Obesity Service. Dr Looney has co-supervised research on the Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme. In her presentation Dr Looney will discuss the importance of the programme as a preventative approach to childhood overweight and obesity.
Dr Adele Keating is co-author of the Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme and a Senior Clinical Psychologist in the Endocrinology Department in Children’s Health Ireland, where she works with children with obesity. In the presentation, Dr Keating will give an overview of the Healthy Families content and discuss the research rationale behind the programme content.
3. ‘Working in Partnership with Parents in delivering the Healthy Families Programme’ in St. Kevin’s Family Resource Centre, Kilnamanagh, Dublin
Yvonne Anderson and Samantha Byrne from St. Kevin’s Family Resource Centre shared their successful implementation of the Healthy Families Programme, emphasising the importance of building strong partnerships with parents and creating a welcoming environment. Many families reported improvements in their daily routines, including healthier eating habits, reduced screen time, and more consistent bedtime practices for children. In this presentation they share some really heart warming feedback from the parents who attend the programmes.
Yvonne Anderson is a Project Manager at St Kevins Family Resource Centre. She started her career working in the Garda Youth Diversion programne with young people and their families involved or at risk of becoming involved in anti-social/criminal activity. In her current role she coordinates services for families including play therapy, counselling, family support, education, childhood bereavement and parental separation. She has a keen interest in development of people and working alongside them in their journey.
Samantha Byrne is an Early Years Educator on the management team in St Kevin’s Family Resource Centre Childcare. She has a wealth of experience working with children under five having worked in the Early years sector for over 17 years. She is passionate about providing first class quality childcare to all children and working in partnership with parents. Samantha is an accredited Parents Plus Healthy Families Facilitator. “One of the many positives of facilitating the Parents Plus Healthy Families programme is seeing first-hand the benefits of this programme for the participating families
4. ’A collaborative approach to supporting parents in separation and divorce – the Midwest Family Resource Centre Network, Parenting When Separated Project’
Ciara Kane shared an approach for supporting families dealing with separation and divorce via the Mid-West Family Resource Centre network project. Through a well established collaboration between the Family Resource Centres, community services, the Family Mediation Service, the local court Judges and administrators, parents are offered a wraparound support with the Parents Plus Parenting When Separated programme at it’s core, addressing the specific needs of families facing challenges around separation or divorce.
Ciara Kane is CEO of Northside Family Resource Centre, a prominent FRC located in Limerick City, whose mission is to provide safe, welcoming, and supportive opportunities. She holds a Master’s Degree in Community Development from the University of Galway and postgraduate qualifications in conflict intervention and family mediation. Ciara has a deep understanding of the complex challenges faced by parents living in deprivation and poverty. Using a collaborative, grassroots, and solutions approach, she is committed to providing support and advocacy to families, empowering them to create sustainable and positive changes in their lives.
5. ‘Embracing neuro-affirming practice through the Parents Plus ADHD programme‘
Lisa Whitlock’s presentation on the Parents Plus ADHD programme emphasised the importance of a neuro-affirming approach, sharing valuable insights from her and her team’s work in Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, CAMHS. Lisa shared some wonderful practice insights around working sensitively, supporting parents of neuro-diverse children, many of whom may be neuro-diverse themselves, providing holistic intervention for the whole family through the Parents Plus ADHD programme.
Lisa Whitlock has worked alongside parents for over 20 years, starting off in community playgroups then later moving into CAMHS delivering a range of parent groups. Her hope is to empower parents to understand their child and be present with them, acknowledging there is no “rule book”. Lisa manages the Parent Support Team in Gloucestershire CAMHS where up to 12 Parents Plus programmes a year are delivered. She is also a facilitator and trainer for the Parents Plus ADHD Children Programme. Lisa has two adult children and a three-year-old grandson.
6. ‘Flexibility in delivery to meet the needs of families – Parents Plus Special Needs Programme with a younger age cohort’
Liza Kelly and Sinéad Wearan from HSE Children’s Disability Network Team discussed adapting the Parents Plus Special Needs Programme (PPSN) for parents of younger children, illustrating the benefits of a flexible approach to meet the diverse needs of families. They shared the story of how their service worked collaboratively with parents, listening to them and tailoring the PPSN to provide a safe space for parents to meet, talk together about their challenges and successes, share resources and get support on topics relevant to raising a child with additional needs.
Liza Kelly works in a Children Disability Network Team in Co. Laois where she facilitates the Parents Plus Special Needs programme, creating a safe space for parents to share their experiences and learn from one another. She has worked in the intellectual disability field for 30 years, starting her career in Stewarts Hospital Palmerstown, supporting young adults to live in a self-directed way, making their own choices. Following this as an advocacy officer in Inclusion Ireland, developing and promoting self-advocacy locally, nationally and at European level and with Muiriosa Foundation in Laois creating new services for school leavers with varying support needs. She is a mother of 3 teenage boys, a yoga teacher, and loves being outdoors.
Sinéad Wearan is currently a Trainee Educational Psychologist. After spending 22 years serving in the Irish Defence Forces, Sinéad undertook a BA(Hons) Degree in Psychology, followed by an MSc in Autism in Queens University Belfast. She followed this with a HDip in Counselling and Psychotherapy. Sinéad has worked as an Assistant Psychologist in Primary Care before moving to the Children’s Disability Network Team as a Behaviour Therapist. It was in this role that she trained as a Parents Plus Special Needs facilitator, recognising the benefits immediately with families but also acknowledging this course could also serve parents of children with intellectual disability under the age of 10.
Breakout Sessions: If you had a magic wand…
During the breakout sessions, participants were asked to share their ideas for overcoming common challenges in running programmes. They were asked the question, “Considering the challenges around implementing evidence-based parent programmes – if you had a magic wand, what would you wish for?
Here are the main themes and ideas they shared:
More Funding and Resources
- The need for steady, increased funding was the top priority. More financial support would help keep programmes running and reach more parents.
- Participants wished for more admin support to handle tasks like recruitment and follow-up, freeing up facilitators to focus on delivering the programme.
Making Programmes Easier to Access
- A key barrier for many parents is finding childcare. Participants suggested providing a childcare service during sessions to make it easier for parents to attend.
- Offering a mix of online and in-person sessions was suggested, so parents can choose what works best for them.
- Many participants wanted a system where every parent automatically gets access to a parenting programme at key stages, like when their child starts school, similar to routine PHN check-ups.
- There was interest in creating a Parents Plus programme for expectant parents, providing support during pregnancy and in the early months after birth. Similarly, participants suggested a new programme designed specifically for first-time parents to help address the unique challenges they face.
- Starting with a no-commitment “Week Zero” session where parents can meet each other and learn about the programme was recommended. This could help reduce fears and build trust before the full course starts.
Promotion
- Making sure that the programme promotion uses simple, clear language to reach parents and clearly showing the benefits of the programme were suggested as ways to attract more parents, especially those who are harder to reach. Participants noted the need for tailored approaches that engage families in disadvantaged areas.
- Participants discussed the challenge of getting dads involved in parenting programmes. They suggested having specific strategies to engage fathers.
- Many participants wanted an online Parent Hub where parents can easily find information about upcoming programmes and resources. Some suggested taking a ‘population approach’ to promotion to take pressure off facilitators.
Supporting Facilitators
- Participants appreciated the follow-up coaching and Community of Practice offered by Parents Plus.
- Letting new facilitators observe experienced ones was proposed as a way to build their skills and confidence.
- There was interest in having more collaboration between facilitators, including working together with topic experts.
What’s Next?
Community of Practice: After training, practitioners join our Community of Practice, where they receive ongoing mentoring and support around programme implementation and delivery as well as access to additional resources. We believe that continued support is key to successful programme delivery and achieving positive outcomes for children, young people, and families.
Train as a Facilitator: Since 1995, Parents Plus has developed eight programmes for services that adapt to diverse family needs. The programmes offer universal support for all families, preventative solutions for disadvantaged and at-risk families, and targeted interventions for high-need families facing complex challenges. We deliver scheduled and onsite training throughout the year.
