In this article, Parents Plus Disability Programme Lead, Ciara Ni Raghallaigh explores the importance of self-care for practitioners delivering Parents Plus programmes. Just as we encourage parents to prioritise their own well-being while supporting their families, it’s equally vital for facilitators to take care of themselves.
As part of the Parents Plus programmes, we encourage parents to reflect on their self-care. Taking care of yourself as a practitioner is important too and will come in many different forms. Having a colleague or manager to debrief with around the programme delivery is very helpful. This is already built into the programme implementation structure where you meet and review with your co-facilitator in a ‘co-supervision’ space each week.
Pausing to reflect on your practice and how the participants are engaging with each other, the content, and you as the group leaders, will help you process the session delivery. It also gives time to consider parents’ emotional sharing that often goes with the territory when running parent programmes. Having good supportive relationships with colleagues, staying connected with support people outside of work, staying active, engaging with activities and hobbies that replenish you are all features of good mental health and well-being.
Practical Tips for Facilitator Self-Care:
Time: Before the programme starts, plan with your co-facilitator to protect time in your working week to deliver a good-quality programme. This may require five hours per week for experienced facilitators and up to seven hours per week if this is your first programme delivery (see your manual for more information)
Planning: Start planning for your programme at least two months (or more) in advance of the first session. This gives you time to advertise, recruit parents and complete goal-setting with each family. It may require up to ten hours per co-facilitator over this pre-programme period. This time is well worth it to engage parents to attend your programme.
Having back-up: Is there another person on your team who can support as you deliver a programme? This person could assist with room set-up/tidy-up, welcoming parents and making tea for in-person courses. They could help with technology issues and admin tasks for online courses. If you or your co-facilitator can’t attend a session this extra person may be able to step in so the session can go ahead.
Parents helping: Any offers of help made by parents within your group to assist co-facilitators each week can be welcomed. This may include help with room set-up/tidy-up, making tea/coffee, perhaps offering to bake or bring resources to share with the group. This can foster group bonding and as well as supporting co-facilitators with tasks that need to be done weekly.
You and your co-facilitator are welcome to avail of coaching sessions on Zoom with a Parents Plus supervisor. To set this up, and for any further practice support/troubleshooting, you can contact Karin Todd at karin@parentsplus.ie.
At Parents Plus, we are committed to supporting your professional development.
As part of this commitment, we offerCommunity of Practice sessions to all facilitators within the first year of completing the training in one of ourevidence-based programmes. These are facilitated peer learning sessions designed to support you in effectively delivering programmes to parents and caregivers. Our training and supportsaim to help practitioners improve outcomes for families.
Research shows that families achieve the best outcomes when facilitators and their managers are supported pre and post-training and when delivering interventions. Parents plus provide a package of pre and post-training supports to our facilitators and managers in order to ensure a sustainable and impactful delivery of the programmes within their agency or service.
What is involved in aCommunity of Practice/Peer Learning Sessions?
These workshops are for trained facilitators. Joining a Community of Practice session is a great opportunity for you to reflect on and develop your skills as a facilitator, share your experience of running the Parents Plus Programmes with others and learn from others who have already run programmes. You may be running a Parents Plus Programme (PPP) currently in your service, you may be aiming to get a PPP started in your service or you may be a newly trained facilitator looking for tips on how to recruit and plan for your programme. Whatever stage you are at, you will have a chance to connect with other Parents Plus facilitators and learn from each other on how best to deal with challenges that may arise.
You will also get lots of support and tips on all aspects of programme delivery. This session is part of your overall programme training, therefore there is no additional cost. However, you must register in advance via the registration links. See the dates below for each programmes post-training Community of Practice session.
Upcoming Community of Practice Dates
Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme Community of Practice
We have a funded accreditation opportunity that you might be interested in.
Parents Plus are offering funded Accreditation places for a limited number of practitioners (8 places in total) to complete the Accreditation process in the programme that they are trained in and deliver in their service.
The Accreditation is an additional piece of practice development CPD for trained facilitators who want to take their practice up a level and ensure the best outcomes for their families.
Benefits to you in gaining Accreditation include:
Being licensed to deliver the Parents Plus programmes independently.
Opportunity to work as a Parents Plus Supervisor to support other facilitators.
A major CPD achievement as a practitioner which is recognised by a range of professional bodies.
The steps to becoming an Accredited Parents Plus facilitator are:
1. Having completed Parents Plus facilitator training for the selected programme.
2. Facilitate at least two Parents Plus groups, following the Parents Plus Quality Protocol (including using session protocols, parent goals, session ratings and evaluations).
3. Complete the Parents Plus Supervision process, which involves a minimum of 4 supervision sessions during accreditation including video reviews of your parent group delivery.
4. Submit a practice portfolio for review by Parents Plus.
If you are planning programmes this year and are interested in taking part in this initiative, please complete and submit the short application form via the button below and we will be in touch with you to discuss it further.
With an influx of new followers and enthusiastic participants, we’ve noticed an increase in queries and curiosities about our programmes and supports.
To ensure that everyone feels well-informed, connected to our mission and understands how we can support their service delivery we’ve decided to compile a FAQ list, addressing some of the most frequent questions we’ve encountered.
Whether you’ve just joined us or have been a long-standing supporter, this guide aims to provide clarity and deepen your understanding of Parents Plus.
Who or what is Parents Plus? Parents Plus is a charity that develops evidence-based parenting and mental health programme training for professionals working across the community, education, disability, mental health and youth sectors. Our mission is to improve the well-being of children and families by empowering professionals to deliver our suite of evidence-based programmes in their services and at their point of need. Learn more about us at https://www.parentsplus.ie/about/
Who can benefit from Parents Plus programmes? Parents Plus programmes are designed for professionals who work with children and families across Community, Mental Health, Disability and Education. These range from early years’ programmes for parents of young children to adolescent programmes targeting the unique challenges faced by parents of teenagers. We have developed eight flagship programmes, in partnership with services supporting families and parents and children. Learn more at –https://www.parentsplus.ie/parents-plus-programmes/
How are Parents Plus programmes developed? Parents Plus programmes are evidence-based, which means they are developed in collaboration with families, backed by research, and have been found to be effective in clinical trials. They draw from positive psychology, solution-focused therapy, and social learning theory. Currently over 26 studies conducted in clinical, community and disability settings attest to their effectiveness. Read more about our evidence and research by visiting – https://www.parentsplus.ie/parentsplus-research/
What are the training opportunities available? If you want to develop your professional skills and improve outcomes for children, adolescents, and families then Parents Plus offers professional training courses for those who wish to deliver our programmes in their communities or settings. The training is comprehensive and equips professionals with the necessary skills to facilitate the programmes effectively. You can learn more about the training on offer and ongoing support at – https://www.parentsplus.ie/parents-plus-programmes/
What support does Parents Plus offer Professionals?
At Parents Plus, we deeply understand the crucial role that professionals play in the seamless and impactful delivery of our programmes. Our extensive experience in evaluating and monitoring the outcomes of our programmes has granted us insights into the tangible benefits they offer families and communities. Here’s a comprehensive overview of the support services and tools we provide to professionals:
1. Evaluation and Monitoring:
We emphasize the integration of evaluations into local deliveries of our programmes. The benefits include ensuring lasting outcomes, adapting to local community needs, showcasing positive results, recruiting new parents for future groups, fostering collaboration with parents and community networks, and empowering parents to be a pillar of support for one another.
We offer templates that are tried and tested, enabling you to monitor and evaluate your groups effectively.
2. Quality Protocol and Accreditation:
Our evidence-based quality protocol is designed to reinforce the effective delivery of Parents Plus Programmes after training.
The Quality Protocol is an integral part of our facilitator training. It emphasizes establishing client-centred goals, adhering to the core principles of the programmes, obtaining session-by-session client feedback, and incorporating a weekly reflective space in supervision.
Checklists are provided to rate practice development and set specific goals for facilitator development.
We encourage professionals to explore our Parents Plus Quality Protocol and our Facilitator Accreditation process in the Programme Resources section (Note: Access requires trained facilitator login).
3. Exclusive Resources:
As a trained Parents Plus Facilitator, you gain unrestricted access to a plethora of resources, including promotional materials, expert articles, programme presentations, a Q&A forum, newsletters, extra handouts, printable certificates, and insightful parenting articles and links.
4. Marketing Support:
We recognize that reaching out to parents and referrers can be challenging due to constraints in time and resources. Hence, we provide tailored marketing support:Issuing press releases to local media outlets.Promoting upcoming groups on our digital platforms.Offering PowerPoint presentations for referrers.Supplying custom posters and fliers for recruitment purposes.
Our core belief is in empowering professionals to profoundly impact families. We are steadfast in our commitment to providing professionals with the support, resources, and tools they need to deliver our programmes effectively and make a lasting difference in the communities they serve.
Do Parents Plus offer programmes to parents? Our mission is to empower professionals to support families and we do this by providing evidence-based programmes to those working in the community, education health and disability services. So although we don’t regularly offer programmes to parents we do however provide some resources for them and updates on courses for parents that are available through our partners. You can find out more on our website at – https://www.parentsplus.ie/parents/
At Parents Plus, our team works tirelessly with various services spanning Community, Mental Health, Disability, and Education.
Our primary objective is to enhance their capacity and skills to not only deliver our interventions but to also evaluate them effectively, ensuring they are tailored to the needs of local communities.
For professionals eager to elevate their impact and enrich their communities, we offer a beacon of support and expertise.
If you’re interested in onsite training, supervision for your teams, or tailored assistance in rolling out and evaluating our proven programmes for maximum community impact, please don’t hesitate. Reach out to our Impact Lead, Vicki Byrne, at vicki@parentsplus.ie.
Let’s foster meaningful change together.
Do you want to develop your professional skills and improve outcomes for children, adolescents, and families?
Look no further than the Parents Plus suite of trainings, offered this Autumn. From the early years to adult, and also supporting complex needs, each programme will equip you with the evidence based skills, practical strategies, and ongoing support, to improve outcomes for the families and children you work with. Download or view our brochure below.
Why Choose to Train in The Parents Plus Special Needs Programme?
Professionals working in the field of intellectual disability understand the unique challenges and complexities involved in supporting children and families. The Special Needs Programme Training for Professionals. Below, we will explore the compelling reasons why professionals should consider engaging in this valuable training opportunity.
Evidence-Based Approach: The Special Needs Programme Training for Professionals is rooted in evidence-based practices, ensuring that professionals gain access to the most effective strategies and interventions in the field of special needs. The program incorporates the latest research and expertise, providing professionals with a solid foundation to enhance their practice and positively impact the lives of children and families they work with.
Comprehensive Skill Development: Through the training program, professionals have the opportunity to develop a wide range of essential skills. These skills include effective communication techniques, relationship-building strategies, behavior management approaches, and empowering parents to become advocates for their children. By honing these skills, professionals can create a supportive and collaborative environment that maximizes positive outcomes for children with special needs.
Practical and Solution-Focused Approach: The Parents Plus Special Needs Programme emphasizes a practical and solution-focused approach that professionals can readily apply in their work. Professionals will learn practical strategies and interventions that address common challenges faced by children with special needs and their families. By focusing on strengths and building on existing resources, professionals can help families develop practical solutions tailored to their unique circumstances.
Collaboration and Networking Opportunities: Engaging in the Special Needs Programme Training for Professionals opens doors to collaboration and networking opportunities. Professionals from various backgrounds and disciplines come together to learn and share experiences. This collaborative environment fosters peer support, knowledge exchange, and the potential for future professional partnerships, creating a community of professionals dedicated to improving the lives of children with special needs.
Accreditation and Professional Development: Successful completion of the Special Needs Programme Training for Professionals grants participants accreditation as a Parents Plus Special Needs Programme facilitator. This accreditation serves as a recognized credential, validating the professional’s expertise and commitment to delivering high-quality interventions. Additionally, the training program contributes to ongoing professional development, ensuring professionals stay up to date with the latest best practices and advancements in the field.
The Parents Plus Special Needs Programme Training for Professionals offers a valuable opportunity for professionals working with children and families with an intellectual disability to enhance their skills, knowledge, and practice. With an evidence-based and practical approach, the program equips professionals with the tools and strategies necessary to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the families they serve.
By engaging in this training, professionals can strengthen their professional practice, contribute to positive outcomes for children with special needs, and foster collaborative partnerships within the professional community.
Navigating the intersection of an intellectual disability and adolescence can be a challenging journey for families. At Parents Plus, we are committed to providing support and resources that address these challenges head-on.
learn more about this unique training programme below –
Working Things Out Workshop Format, Advanced Facilitator Training, The Lucan Spa Hotel, Co. Dublin, 01/05/2020. Cost: €60.
Are you already trained in the Working Things Out programme? You may be interested in using the programme material to deliver “Mental Health and Wellbeing” workshops within your service, school or youthwork setting. This half-day advanced training will provide you with the skills, structure and material to engage young people in the brief workshop format. It will also focus on creative engagement skills and how best to get your young people talking about mental health topics and reaching out for help when they need it.
The session will be facilitated by Eileen Brosnan (Parentsplus), along with Sinead Corbett and Michelle Reilly who are both experienced facilitators having delivered Working Things Out workshops to over 1000 teenagers in County Clare since 2017.
There are limited places so we are advising early booking. Please click here to book. If you have any specific queries on it please email Eileen Brosnan at eileen@parentsplus.ie
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