Author: John Sharry

Book Your Place on the Parents Plus Special Needs Programme
Training for this Programme is taking place on the 5th, 7th & 8th December

The Parents Plus Special Needs Programme for Professionals is a first in the world programme for families rearing an adolescent with an intellectual disability and was created to help parents to manage challenges, improve their family’s well-being and strengthen their links with other parents.

Training for this unique and invaluable Programme is taking place on the 5th, 7th & 8th December.

Through training in the Special Needs Programme, you will learn how to empower parents to positively manage the many hidden challenges and isolation that can be common for parents of adolescents with an intellectual disability, as well as improve the well-being of all family members and prepare young people for future transitions and adulthood.

This programme is practical, solution-focused and draws on parents strengths. It is suitable for professionals including social workers, therapists, teachers to assist parents who are raising an older child or adolescent with a mild, moderate or severe intellectual disability, and who may also have an additional diagnosis, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or a physical disability.

By training as a facilitator of this programme, you will learn how to support parents of an adolescent with special needs to:
- Manage behaviour and emotional problems
- Deal with puberty, sexuality and relationships
- Reduce their own stress as parents
- Support all relationships in the family
- Build self-esteem and confidence
- Advocate for their child or adolescent
- Support education and development
- Prepare their child for adulthood and future transitions
Book Your Place Today

Like each of our extended suite of 8 professional programmes, The Special Needs Programme has been co-developed with services and families and is supported with a robust evidence base, well-defined outcomes and backed by 25 years of research.

This professional programme will empower you to have better outcomes in your service equipping parents with the tailored tools for a brighter future for their families.

Learn More
November 4, 2022
Practice Seminar 27th June 22 – Parents Plus Special Needs Programme

On the 27th June a special practice seminar took place to celebrate and support the work of the many practitioners who are delivering the PPSN throughout Ireland and the UK.

View the webinar below to hear about how practitioners have successfully delivered the programme in a variety of settings, with a wide range of disabilities and age ranges as well as the current research and feedback from parents attending the groups

Presentations and timecodes

Dr Eileen Brosnan Parents Plus, Chair

00: Parent empowerment and the Parents Plus Special Needs Programme (PPSN), Prof John Sharry Parents Plus Presentation Slides

14:50: Rolling out the PPSN with follow up groups – the Scottish Experience. Sylvia Todman, Health and Wellbeing Practitioner, Thistle Young Persons Team Presentation Notes

28:36 How the PPSN can work within a HSE disability setting and align with PDS principles. Eileen Crowley, Senior Occupational Therapist Limerick Presentation Slides

46:45 Supporting parents in a school for children with mild ID – Suzanne Anglim and Emma Earley, Resource Teachers Scoil Chiarain

1:00:00 Delivering the PPSN with families with younger children with Intellectual Disabilities Catherine McConnell, Therapeutic Social Work Senior Practitioner in the Children’s Learning Disability Therapeutic Service in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust Presentation Slides

1:13:05 What is working for the parents – feedback from recent evaluation – Lesley Lally, Research Psychologist Parents Plus Presentation Slides

1:24:20 Training opportunities, Sponsorship and next steps – Ciara Ni Rathallaigh, Parents Plus

See details of our Rethink Sponsorship which allows you to apply for fully funded training and programme materials.

The rollout of the Parents Plus Special Needs Programme (PPSN) has been supported by Rethink Ireland, the JP McManus Benevolent Fund, the Ecclesiastical Movement for Good fund, and the Sunbeam House Trust.

July 11, 2022
‘Starting Healthy Family Habits in the New Year’ – Free parenting talk with John Sharry on 13th Jan 2022
A free online workshop for parents of children under 12.

Thursday 13th January 2022, 7:30pm – 8:45pm

Establishing positive family habits around healthy eating, family mealtimes, fun activity and restful sleep will make all the difference to your children’s health and well-being. In the midst of the ongoing Covid crisis, this has never been more important. Drawing on the evidence-based Parents Plus Programmes, in this workshop Prof. John Sharry will provide practical tips on how you can
- Start positive family habits
- Establish routines that work
- Overcome challenges
- Ensure you remain in control as a parent
Presenter

Prof. John Sharry is a social worker and family psychotherapist with over 27 years experience as a child and adolescent mental health professional. He is founder of the Parents Plus Charity, adjunct Professor at the School of Psychology in UCD, an Irish Times Parenting Columnist and author of fourteen best-selling positive parenting books.

To book a place on the talk please register here

zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82317401143?pwd=WTBLdHdZNTRWbkc2dXcxU05qYXlaUT09

Meeting ID: 823 1740 1143
Passcode: 139999
December 21, 2021
Free training in the new Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme

The Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme was launched last year and already shows positive results for families completing the groups.

In partnership with UCD, we are now conducting a larger RCT study to determine its wider impact and are looking for services to help us.

In return for taking part we can offer fully sponsored training, programme materials and post training support for you and your co-facilitator. If you have already trained we can provide training for your co-facilitator. We can also provide free parent books for your groups during the study.

To apply to take part please complete the
1) Application form and 2) Contract of agreement and email to adele@parentsplus.ie before 30th May 2022

See further information on the programme here – Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme

October 23, 2021
Parenting When Separated – Further supports
Parents Plus Parenting when Separated Course – six week course for parents starting Thursday 15th April, 7:30 – 9:30p.m

Delivered by Adele Keating and Michelle Choudhry, (two of the original developers of the programme) in partnership with Parentline . For more details go to www.parentline.ie/courses

Topics covered in the course include:
- Communicate and co-parent effectively with your children’s other parent
- Maintain the quality of your parenting
- Tune into and respond to your child’s needs
- Prioritise your own self care as a parent
- Minimise post separation challenges and changes
Other services which run the programme for free include One Family who run them nationally and also several other regional organisations including SPECS Bray Family Support Project, Clarecare in Co Clare, Love Parenting in Co Limerick, Parenting Monaghan, Donegal Parenting Hub •

For Professionals

For professionals interested in training and delivering the Parenting when Separated Programme, we are also running an online introduction for professionals on Friday 9th April at 10a.m. and the full training takes place on 7th, 13th and 14th May. Bookings here.

If you have already trained in the PWS programme and would like to discover new ways to engage your parents, to boost your practice or just to meet other facilitators delivering the courses, feel free to sign up to our post training group supervision workshop below

Group Supervision – Parenting when Separated Programme
18th March, 2021, 10-11.30 AM Trainer: Adele Keating
free to attend for trained facilitators
Registration Form

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March 18, 2021
Parenting When Separated – a free online talk for parents 19th March
Friday 19th March 12p.m. – 1 p.m.

Prof John Sharry

Drawing on the evidence-based Parents Plus Programmes, John Sharry describes practical ways parents can help themselves and their children cope and thrive after separation. In particular the talk will describe how you can learn to
- Communicate and co-parent effectively with your children’s other parent
- Maintain the quality of your parenting
- Tune into and respond to your child’s needs
- Prioritise your own self care as a parent
- Minimise post separation challenges and changes
To reserve a place please complete booking form

The talk is based on the evidence-based Parents Plus Parenting when Separated Programme which is run as a six-week course in services throughout the country.

If as a parent, you are interested in attending the full course please contact your local services. There is also an online course being run over six weeks in partnership with Parentline starting Thursday 15th April, 7:30 – 9:30p.m. For more details go to www.parentline.ie/courses

For Professionals

For professionals interested in training and delivering the Parenting when Separated Programme, we are also running an online introduction for professionals on Friday 9th April at 10a.m. and the full training takes place on 7th, 13th and 14th May. Bookings here.

If you have already trained in the PWS programme and would like to discover new ways to engage your parents, to boost your practice or just to meet other facilitators delivering the courses, feel free to sign up to our post training group supervision workshop below

Group Supervision – Parenting when Separated Programme
18th March, 2021, 10-11.30 AM Trainer: Adele Keating
free to attend for trained facilitators
Registration Form

.
March 11, 2021

New Parents Plus courses open to the public

Parents Plus partner with Parentline
Parents Plus are delighted to be partnering with Parentline to deliver four online parenting courses to the public this April 2021.

The four courses for parents are:
Parents Plus Early Years (1-6 years) starts Mon 12th April, 8 – 10pm.
Parents Plus Children’s (6-11 years) starts Tues 13th April, 7:30 – 9:30pm.
Parents Plus Adolescents (12-16 years) starts Wed 14th April, 7:30 – 9:30pm.
Parents Plus Parenting when Separated starts Thurs 15th April, 7:30 – 9:30pm.

All the courses are run over six weeks by accredited Parents Plus facilitators to a small group of approximately 15 parents.

Cost
€120, and includes the parent course book. (Discounts are available for parents who may find it difficult to pay the full price- details at the link below.)

Book your place
For further details and to book your place on a course, visit Parentline at www.parentline.ie/courses
If you have an enquiry about these courses please email: [obfuscate]courses@parentline.ie[/obfuscate] only.

You are welcome to share this information with your colleagues, families and services that you work with.

February 24, 2021

Would you like to refer parents you work with to our online Healthy Families Programme this Autumn?

Parents Plus are now piloting our new Healthy Families programme. Tackling the challenges of creating healthy family lifestyles, managing screen time and building children’s self-esteem, the programme is even more relevant in the face of the Covid crisis for families.

Read more about the programme here.

During the pilot we will deliver two FREE online courses on the following dates via Zoom – Thursday evenings (7pm to 9pm) from 15th October to 10th December, OR, Monday mornings (10am to 12pm) from 12th October to 7th December.

Feel free to refer the parents you work with to these courses. Please see our parent flier with course information that you can distribute to parents you think might be interested.

For more information, please contact Dr. Adele Keating [obfuscate]Adele@parentsplus.ie[/obfuscate]

Places are limited so early referral is recommended – Closing date is 21st of September

September 15, 2020
Sunbeam Trust sponsor training in Special Needs Programme

Parents Plus are delighted to announce their grant partnership with Sunbeam Trust. The partnership will see Sunbeam Trust fund the training of professionals delivering services to families of adolescents and young adults with an intellectual disability from the Wicklow area in the Special Needs Programme.

The Sunbeam Trust is a registered charity dedicated to supporting developments that enable people with disabilities to maintain full and meaningful lives in their communities. Based in Co. Wicklow, the trusts focus is on developing partnerships with and funding projects that improve outcomes for individuals with an intellectual disability and their families.

Sunbeam Trust hope to expand this sponsorship support to a wider geographical area.

To secure your FREE training place, register here

August 3, 2020
Would you like to co-facilitate our Healthy Families Programme this Autumn?
Parents Plus are now piloting our new Healthy Families programme. Tackling the challenges of creating healthy family lifestyles, managing screen time and building children’s self-esteem the programme is even more relevant in the face of the Covid crisis for families. Read more about the programme here.

During the pilot we are looking for Parents Plus facilitators who can co-facilitate the programme online this Autumn as part of a pilot. The invitation is open to professionals who:

have trained in and delivered at least one of the Parents Plus Programmes
can co-facilitate the eight-week programme online this Autumn
can participate in the evaluation conducted by UCD
can recruit parents from their agency

By participating you get the benefit of:

co-facilitating the group with Dr Adele Keating, one of the programme authors
getting the opportunity to deliver this much needed programme to your families
receiving a full set of programme materials for your agency

If you are interested, please email adele@parentsplus.ie with details of your Parents Plus training, accreditation and experience and your motivation to take part
August 3, 2020

Author: John Sharry

For Professionals

For Professionals