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Tag: Frontline Worker Support

  • A Balancing Act: Navigating Children’s Technology Use in the UK and Ireland

    A Balancing Act: Navigating Children’s Technology Use in the UK and Ireland

    As the world becomes increasingly digitized, children’s use of technology is on the rise.

    However, this trend raises concerns about the potential impact on children’s development and well-being.

    According to a report by Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, children aged 5 to 15 spend an average of 2 hours and 11 minutes per day online. This figure increases to 3 hours and 32 minutes for children aged 12 to 15. Furthermore, a recent survey by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) found that 9 out of 10 children in the UK own a smartphone by the age of 12.

    In Ireland, research by CyberSafeKids found that 95% of 8-12 year-olds have their own smartphone and 87% of 8-12 year olds had their own social media account. Furthermore, the research showed that 15% reported having ‘no rules’ around usage and 34% said they could go online ‘whenever they want’.

    95% of 8-12 year-olds have their own smartphone and 87% of 8-12 year olds had their own social media account

    These statistics highlight the extent to which children are using technology in the UK and Ireland. While there are undoubtedly benefits to technology use, such as access to educational resources and the ability to stay connected with friends and family, there are also concerns about the potential risks. For example, excessive screen time has been linked to a range of negative outcomes, including poor sleep quality, reduced physical activity, and increased risk of obesity.

    As professionals working in the community, health, education and disability services, it is important to ensure that parents understand that children’s use of technology is balanced and appropriate. This includes giving parents the tools to be able to set limits on screen time and encourage their children to engage in other activities, such as outdoor play and face-to-face social interaction. It also means providing the knowledge and support to make them vigilant about the content that their children are accessing online and how to take steps to protect their privacy and security.

    This programme covers a wide range of topics important to parents including setting up rules around technology use at home

    The Parents Plus Healthy Families Programme is a highly effective evidence-based programme that has been specifically designed to support families in improving their relationships, communication, and overall well-being. As a professional, attending the training for this programme can equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively deliver this programme to families in your community and covers a wide range of topics important to parents including setting up rules around technology use at home.

    With our Healthy Families Programme, you can empower parents to create healthy and connected families and improve the well-being of everyone. Learn more about this unique programme training here.

    In conclusion, while technology is an increasingly important part of children’s lives, it is important to approach it with caution and care. By setting appropriate limits and ensuring that children’s technology use is balanced with other activities, we can help to promote their development and well-being in the digital age.

    For all our latest programme training dates you can visiting our booking calendar here.

  • Learn More About Our On Going Support For Professionals Working in Community, Health, Education and Disability Services

    Learn More About Our On Going Support For Professionals Working in Community, Health, Education and Disability Services

    We provide a range of post-training supports for facilitators and agencies who want to ensure sustainable and effective delivery of the programmes within their services.

     

    Our training and supports are designed to improve outcomes for families, through our evidence-based parenting and mental health programmes.

    Research shows that families achieve the best outcomes when facilitators and their managers are supported pre and post-training when delivering programmes or education. This is why we provide an extensive 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 or service.
     

    Our comprehensive package of support for professionals and managers working in Community, Health, Education and Disability Services includes –

    • 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, and 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.
    • healthy families collection

    The Parents Plus Programmes are robustly evidence-based and currently over 25 studies conducted in clinical, community and disability settings attest to their effectiveness for families with children and adolescents of all ages, dealing with a variety of challenges and issues. Our Programs are systemic, solution-focused, group-based interventions designed for delivery in clinical and community settings as treatment programs.  

    These programmes are designed for families with child-focused problems, such as behavioural difficulties, disruptive behaviour disorders, and emotional disorders in young people with and without developmental
    disabilities.  

    Our programmes have been developed for families of pre-schoolers, preadolescent children, and teenagers, as well as for separated or divorced families. Studies involving over 1,000 families have shown that our programs have a significant impact on child behaviour problems, goal attainment, and parental satisfaction and stress.

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

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    All profits from Parents Plus sales of programme training and supervision is re-invested in developing new evidence-based programmes to respond to the evolving needs of families, and to sponsor facilitator training and supports of services with limited budgets, who work with high need families.