The Parents Plus ADHD Programme Training for Professionals
Addressing the particular needs of parents of children with ADHD aged 6 to 12 years
About PP-ADHD
The Parents Plus ADHD Children’s programme (PP-ADHD) is a practical, solution-focused and evidence-based course that builds on parent strengths.
It can be delivered over 8 sessions to groups of parents or to individual families.
The PP ADHD programme was launched at a special seminar on the 20/10/2022. See recording and slides
Supporting Parents
By attending our training to become a facilitator for this programme, you will learn how to support parents 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 their child’s learning and education
- help their child talk about and understand ADHD
- reduce their own stress as parents
- support children’s friendships
- build their children’s self-esteem and confidence
- solve problems together with their child
Making and Impact
Studies in primary schools, mental health and disability settings have shown that parents of children with ADHD who complete the Parents Plus Children’s programme report:
- Increased child positive social behaviour
- Reduced behaviour problems
- Reduced emotional problems
- Decreased parental stress
- Increased parental confidence
A controlled study with 46 parents of children diagnosed with ADHD in Turkey showed that those who attended the Parents Plus group improved significantly more over time on Conners’ Parent Rating Scale-Revised, Family Assessment Device, and Parent Stress Index than those in the control condition (Turan et al, 2021).
Learn more about the researched impact of the ADHD programme, and all our other programmes here.
“The Parents Plus ADHD Programme is a fundamental tool to effective ADHD care. Professionals develop a greater understanding of ADHD, the real-life challenges of parents and how to most effectively use helpful solution focused therapeutic strategies to enable positive behaviours.”
Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Train as a Parents Plus ADHD Programme Facilitator
What will you learn?
We provide a five module training to equip you to deliver the ADHD programme.
The training focuses on:
- Gain a broad understanding of ADHD and its impact for families.
- Delivering the programme via face-to-face and online sessions, to groups and individual families
- Providing opportunities to observe and practise the skills to become a solution-focused facilitator
- Building on parents strengths as a basis for ongoing change
- Strengthening inter-agency and community partnerships.
By the end of the training, you will:
- Understand the core components of the ADHD Programme and be ready to use the programme with parents and children, both in groups and individually.
- Demonstrate key skills in solution-focused group facilitation including engagement, retention and responding constructively to challenges; strengthening inter-agency and community partnerships; and using solution focused video feedback with parents.
The training is interactive with lots of opportunities for participation and group learning.
Read the module training description for more information.
Who is the training for?
Training as a Parents Plus facilitator is open to qualified education, mental health and community professionals who work with families.
Parents Plus programmes are successfully delivered with impressive outcomes in a variety of Primary Care, School, Health, Disability and Mental Health settings.
Attendance at our facilitator training for this programme is compulsory prior to delivering it to families attending your service.
Parents Plus programmes must be co-facilitated, therefore, at least two facilitators need to be trained before a programme can be delivered to families in your agency.
Facilitators who go on to complete our accreditation process are licensed to run the programme without a co-facilitator.
Tailored Facilitator Training
Tailored for services and agencies, this option allows us to deliver the training directly to your team online or at your chosen location. It includes the same comprehensive content as our scheduled training but can be customised to meet the specific needs of your team.
Prior to training we can work with you to:
- Identify the specific outcomes that you want to achieve within your service or community
- Identify the target families you wish to deliver the Parents Plus programmes to
- Conduct an assessment of family needs and goals
- Match specific Parents Plus programmes for target groups to achieve best outcomes
- Plan training for facilitators in the relevant programmes
- Avail of post-training support to implement your programmes and ensure sustainability
- Follow the Parents Plus quality protocol as you deliver the groups to guarantee the best results
- Support your facilitators through the accreditation process to ensure that your programmes are run consistently in your agency
Both tailored facilitator training and scheduled facilitator training include access to the full suite of Parents Plus resources, ongoing implementation support, and an opportunity to join the Parents Plus Community of Practice.
If you are a manager, service commissioner, or a lead facilitator and you would like to avail of our tailored training or discuss your service needs and programme implementation, please contact our Impact Lead, Vicki Byrne at vicki@parentsplus.ie.
Scheduled Facilitator Training
Our next scheduled training starts on 26th November 2024. please contact Programme Manager Claire Raftery at claire@parentsplus.ie
It will consist of five online workshops via Zoom. Participants are also invited to complete a short assignment between workshops.
A detailed breakdown of our ADHD Children’s Programme training can be viewed here
Parents Plus offer a small number of part-sponsored places on the training when accessing finance is difficult.
Programme Materials
During the ADHD training you will receive:
- A comprehensive facilitator’s manual which contains background information as well as detailed guides on delivering each session to the group, plus additional practice input on supporting families where a child has ADHD
- Two colourful Parenting ADHD books, which contain all the programme handouts and worksheets for participants.
When running subsequent courses, trained facilitators can purchase additional parent books at cost price. Trained facilitators are also licensed to copy worksheets and handouts from the parent books, as an alternative.
The Parents Plus Support Package
Research shows that families achieve the best outcomes when facilitators and their managers are supported pre and post-training to deliver programmes. We provide a comprehensive 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.
After training, practitioners join our Community of Practice, where they receive ongoing mentoring and support with 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. The Parents Plus Community of Practice is highly-valued by practitioners once they train.
Read on to learn about the supports that we offer and our accreditation process.
What supports do Parents Plus offer?
Parents Plus provide a comprehensive package of supports to our facilitators, including:
- 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, 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.
Sponsorship for further supervision is available on application.
How do I become an accredited facilitator?
For facilitators who want to take their practice to a higher level, Parents Plus also has an established accreditation process which supports you to refine your facilitation skills and professional practice and reach a high standard of delivery.
Representing a major CPD achievement, accreditation allows you to deliver our programmes independently and to work towards becoming a Parents Plus supervisor. You can read more about our accreditation process in the resources section.
The Parents Plus Quality Protocol is the basis of becoming an Accredited Facilitator. We recommend that facilitators continue to follow the Quality Protocol post-training and post accreditation to ensure fidelity to the principles.
Who Will Benefit from Parents Plus Facilitator Training?
The Parents Plus Early Years Programme facilitator training is suitable for a range of professionals.
- NHS and HSE Primary Care Teams (e.g., Psychologists, Public Health Nurses)
- Family Resource Centres
- UK Family Hubs
- UK Family Support Workers
- Family Practitioners
- Early Years Educators
- Parenting Leads/Teams
- Early Help Hub Teams/Coordinators
- Family Hubs Teams/Managers
- Parenting Support Teams/Team Managers
- Teachers/Educators
- Early Intervention Coordinators
- TUSLA Parenting Support Champions Project
- Social Care Workers
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- TUSLA Child and Family Agency Child Protection Teams
- Progressing Disability Teams
- Area Based Childhood Programme (ABC)
- HSE Sláintecare Healthy Communities
- GP Services
- Children and Young People’s Services Committees
- Family-focused Charities (e.g., Barnardos, Focus Ireland)
- Regional Parent Support Networks
- County Childcare Committees
- Family Liaison Officers
- Preschool Teachers
Contact Us
Parents Plus are here to support you every step of the way in your implementation process.
We provide coaching to managers and project leads, and can facilitate planning workshops for large multi-agency community roll outs.
If you are a manager, service commissioner, or a lead facilitator and you would like to avail of our tailored training or discuss your service needs and programme implementation, please contact our Impact Lead, Vicki Byrne at vicki@parentsplus.ie.
