About Parents Plus
Parents Plus is a charity on a mission to strengthen family relationships and achieve the best possible outcomes for children, young people, and parents. We develop evidence-based parenting and mental health programmes in collaboration with families and services. We train practitioners to deliver and evaluate these programmes in their organisations and communities, building the capacity of community, mental health, disability, and education services in Ireland and the UK.
Our approach embeds evidence-based practices in services, equips teams with solution-focused practice skills, reduces waiting lists, and improves parent engagement. The programmes create lasting, positive outcomes for families, communities, and services.
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.
As a charity, all profits from training and materials are reinvested into developing new programmes to meet evolving family needs and sponsoring training and mentoring for services with limited-funding supporting high-need families.
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.
About Parents Plus
Parents Plus mission is to improve the well-being of children and families by empowering professionals to deliver our evidence-based mental health and parenting programmes in their services.
Parents Plus provides an evidence-based service. We are committed to researching outcomes and developing effective programmes for services, as well as encouraging facilitators to continually evaluate their practice to ensure their groups meet their families’ needs.
Parents Plus encourages collaborative practice. We working closely with services and families to ensure the programmes meet their goals and to ensure their experience and knowledge is central to the content of the materials.
Parents Plus believes in empowering the professionals and families we work with. Our programmes are focused on encouraging children and parents to achieve their potential and our professional training, supervision and outcome tracking is focused on encouraging professionals to achieve the highest standards of excellence.
Annual Report 2022
The Parents Plus Annual Report for 2023 is available to read or download here – Annual Report 2023
Our Team and Board of Directors
Cherie Tyner is CEO of Parents Plus with responsibility for delivering the strategic plan, growing the impact of the charity to reach more beneficiaries, managing finance and governance, securing funding, overseeing largescale partnerships, and working with the Parents Plus team to ensure the continued quality delivery of all services to our stakeholders. Cherie first worked with Parents Plus as Business Development Manager and brings over 10 years senior management experience in the private healthcare sector, managing large scale evidence-based service delivery across teams to improve quality of life for individuals with cognitive impairments, as well as consulting to healthcare companies across Ireland in the areas of business development, service audits, expansion and communications. Cherie’s work in the charitable sector includes lobbying, awareness campaigns and securing investment to widen impact and improve outcomes for vulnerable groups. A qualified social worker, she also holds Postgraduate Diplomas in Communications and Public Relations, Internal Communications, and Leadership and Management. She is committed to scaling the impact of Parents Plus to equip services with the proven tools to strengthen families, and deliver sustainable change across communities both in Ireland and internationally.
Dr John Sharry is Clinical Director, co-founder and and co-developer of the eight evidence-based Parents Plus and Working Things Out Programmes. As Clinical Director, John is responsible for managing the Parents Plus expanding portfolio of research and programme development initiatives in response to the evolving needs of families and services working with them. He has 30 years experience as a mental health professional and was formerly Principal Social Worker at the Mater Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). John is an adjunct professor at the school of psychology in University College Dublin and has written 14 books, 10 intervention programmes and over 70 research papers and chapter. He also has a special interest in solution-focused and strengths-based practice and has written several books in this area. For more details see www.solutiontalk.ie.
Dr Eileen Brosnan is Head of Practice and Implementation at Parents Plus. Her professional background is in Social Work practice. She holds a PhD in the field of Adolescent Mental Health, a Master in Social Work and a Master in Multi Media. Prior to Parents Plus she worked as Senior Researcher and Project Leader role across a number of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Research collaborative initiatives with the School of Medicine, University College Dublin and the Mater Hospital CAMHS. During this period she co-developed the Parents Plus Working Things Out youth mental health programme and carried out programme evaluations within frontline mental health and education settings. She also worked on projects developing technology-based programmes to enhance engagement in mental health support for children and adolescents. As Head of Implementation and Practice Dr. Brosnan now leads the practice development and training agenda of the charity, widely engaging with practitioners, service managers and commissioners, and supporting them in building capacity and skills in implementing the suite of Parents Plus programmes. She has a keen interest in Implementation Science and Research and leads a number of research projects focused on empowering services to support the parenting journey and improve outcomes for families.
Professor Alan Carr sits as a Research Advisor to Parents Plus charity. Professor Carr trained as a clinical psychologist and family therapist in Ireland and Canada. He worked in the UK as a clinical psychologist in the 1980s before returning to Ireland in the 1990s to work at the UCD School of Psychology and Clanwilliam Institute. He specialises in helping individuals, couples and families across the lifespan with complex family difficulties and mental health problems. He has a personal chair in clinical psychology at UCD where he is director of the doctoral programme in clinical psychology. His research programme has focused on the evaluation of psychological interventions for a range of problems, including research on the Parents Plus programmes. He has produced over 20 volumes and 200 research papers and presentations in the areas of clinical psychology, family therapy and positive psychology. He has received a number of awards for his research from various professional associations including the Psychological Society of Ireland and the European Family Therapy Association. His UCD webpage is https://people.ucd.ie/alan.
Stuart Baldwin is Parents Plus Finance and Governance Manager, and brings over 25 years of experience in financial management and corporate governance to the charity. With a background as a chartered accountant in both the commercial and charity sectors, Stuart ensures Parents Plus financial health and compliance with all regulatory requirements, including those set by the Charities Regulator. Stuart works closely with the CEO and Board of Trustees, and is a member of the Finance and Governance Subcommittees. Stuart is responsible for financial strategy, overseeing budget reporting, financial audits, and day-to-day financial operations, as well ensuring the highest standards of governance.
Grainne Hampson is a Senior Speech and Language Therapist, co-developer of the Parents Plus Early Years Programme, the Special Needs Programme and the ADHD Programme, as well as author of the book ‘Parenting Preschoolers and Young Children.’ She also has a key role in the development of the manuals and parent books for all the Parents Plus programmes.
Breda Flood is Parents Plus Finance and Governance support, assisting in financial management and governance compliance to support the charity’s operations and regulatory obligations. Breda works closely with the Finance and Governance Manager, and Finance and Governance Subcommittees. Breda has worked with the charity in a number of roles since its inception in 2001, and has extensive experience in accountancy and administration.
Vicki Byrne is responsible for growing the impact of each of the Parents Plus programmes within the community, health, education and disability sectors. Vicki works closely with teams in these sectors to determine the Parents Plus programme training and supervision they need to improve outcomes for the families and children they support. She is enthusiastic, self-motivated, and passionate about improving the well-being of children, young people, and parents. Vicki made the move from sales and business development in the commercial sector, wanting to use her expertise to make a more meaningful impact and to be part of delivering real social change.
Ciara Ní Raghallaigh is Parents Plus Disability Programmes Lead, working with public and voluntary sector disability services in Ireland and the UK to build their capacity to improve outcomes for children with disability and their families. With over twenty years experience as a HSE Senior Speech and Language Therapist, Ciara first trained in the Parents Plus programmes so she could support families raising children with a disability more effectively on their journey from the early years right through to adolescence. Having extensive first hand experience of the success of the programmes in disability settings, Ciara now works with Parents Plus providing training and supervision to professionals in the Parents Plus Special Needs Programme (PPSN) and Early Years Programme (PPEY).
Claire Raftery is our Programmes Manager. She has 15 years’ financial and relationship management experience in Business Banking and she is responsible for the co-ordination and management of all of our training programmes. She also looks after our large customers to ensure the operational side of the delivery of our training programmes is managed in a professional and efficient manner.
Donna Kavanagh is our Office Manager. She has over 20 years administration experience in the areas of Learning and Development, and Law and Financial Services. Donna ensures the smooth running of the office on a day to day basis.
Parents Plus Trainers and Supervisors
Dr. Adele Keating is a Senior Clinical Psychologist working in Our Lady’s Children Hospital Crumlin in Dublin. Dr. Keating is co-developer of both the Parents Plus Parenting When Separated Programme and the Healthy Families Programme. She also works with Parents Plus providing training and supervision to professionals across the community, mental health, disability and education sectors.
Fiona Hughes is a Clinical Manager with Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health. Fiona is also a qualified Social Worker with extensive experience in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and the Irish Child Protection Services. She is a Parents Plus Programme Trainer and helps to co-ordinate our Accreditation process.
Fred Ehresmann has worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Children and Young People’s Mental Health since 1993. He currently lectures at the University of the West of England and is a Parents Plus Senior Trainer responsible for Parents Plus facilitator training, supervision and accreditation in the UK.
Geraldine Buckley is a Senior Speech and Language Therapist currently working in the area of child and adolescent mental health. Geraldine has also worked extensively in education and many local/community settings. She works with Parents Plus providing training and supervision to professionals in the Early Years Programme.
Matt McDermott is a Parents Plus trainer and an accredited child psychotherapist. He has been working for over 15 years as a Senior Social Worker on a multi-disciplinary team in a child and adolescent mental health service, where he works therapeutically with young people and their parents around a broad range of issues affecting them.
Michelle Choudhry is a Senior Social Worker with extensive experience working in the area of child and adolescent mental health. Michelle is co-developer of the Parents Plus Parenting When Separated programme. She works with Parents Plus providing training and supervision to professionals.
Wendy Taylor has thirty years’ experience in adult education and working with children and families. In addition to her role as ‘Family Services Manager’ in a Family Resource Centre she is also an Adult Educator with the Education Training Board, where she specialises in Early Childhood Care and Education. Wendy is a Parents Plus trainer and supervisor, with extensive experience in facilitating the Parents Plus Programmes.
Karin Todd is a Parents Plus trainer and supervisor and is an experienced facilitator of our evidence-based programmes. Her professional background includes youth and community work, service management and therapeutic family work. Karin has a special interest in adolescent psychotherapy and in the family experience of parental separation and loss. She currently works in a community based setting as a family support practitioner.
Parents Plus Board of Voluntary Directors
Dr Michael Drumm is a voluntary trustee on the Board of the Parents Plus charity and acts currently as chairperson. Dr Drumm is also a member of Parents Plus Finance Subcommittee and Remuneration Subcommittee. He is Principal Clinical Psychologist and Head of Psychology at the HSE Dublin North City and County Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street and a member of the Board of Management of St. Brigid’s Day Nursery, Mountjoy Square. As well as the above roles, he was Chairperson of the Heads of Psychology Services Ireland (HPSI) from 2010 to 2012 and President of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) from November 2011 to November 2012. He remains actively involved in research and continues to provide clinical and research supervision to post graduate students. He has a particular interest in early intervention, as well as promoting mental health and resilience in young people and the use of therapeutic technologies.
Adam O’Reilly is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) and the International Statutory Controller at Meta, overseeing a global team responsible for financial reporting and statutory compliance across multiple jurisdictions. Adam is a voluntary trustees, as well as a member of Parents Plus Finance Subcommittee and Remuneration Subcommittee. Adam has over 18 years of experience in finance and accounting, as well as extensive experience designing processes, controls, and systems for large infrastructure investment projects. Over the course of his 13 years in the tech industry, Adam also works with large cross functional teams and advises on the financial impact of strategic initiatives.
Professor Gary O’ Reilly is a voluntary trustee with Parents Plus, and Professor of Clinical Psychology at University College Dublin (UCD). He is the Director of the Doctoral Training Programme in Clinical Psychology at UCD and has a part-time appointment as Principal Clinical Psychologist at Children’s Health Ireland. He has over 30 years experience as a practicing clinician and academic researcher with a particular focus on mental well-being in young people.
Andrew Bourke is a voluntary trustee on Parents Plus board. Andrew is a global business and commercialisation expert with over 16 years experience in the healthcare space. Acquiring his MBA from UCD Smurfit Business School in 2014 and his Masters in BioInnovation from National University of Galway in 2016, Andrew has helped to generate a number of innovative medical device solutions which aim to positively impact millions of patients’ lives globally. Andrew has been co-founder and director of three successful companies to date and resides on a number of advisory boards across the areas of MedTech and philanthropy.
Clíodhna Reid is a voluntary trustee on Parents Plus board. Clíodhna is a programme manager with over 15 years experience in the consulting and IT sectors. She currently works for Meta, where she has led teams in Trust and Safety Operations and is most recently with the Global Revenue Operations Group. Clíodhna’s advisory experience spans the healthcare, technology, financial, and FMCG industries, where her focus has been on business transformation, process improvement, operational efficiency and outsourcing. She has a background in supply chain management, with a PhD and Masters from UCD.
Ciaran Hynes is a voluntary trustee and a member of Parents Plus Governance Subcommittee. Ciaran is a commercial and financially focused individual with extensive experience in strategic planning, business management controls, process excellence, KPI metric development and analysis. He began his career as an accountant rising to several financial director level positions, including Finance and Operations Director in HP Ireland. While there, he also ran commercial and sales functions as Business Unit Director and Channel Sales Director. Ciaran is currently the founder and CEO of an IT financial services company with a focus on putting laptops into classrooms. He is a member of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (C.I.M.A.) and also holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from U.C.D. Smurfit business school.
Jude Gordon sits as a voluntary trustee on Parents Plus board, and is a member of Parents Plus Remuneration Subcommittee. Jude is The Supporting Families Programme Manager at Relate. She has been the lead for supporting parents with conflict for the last five years and currently her role involves national and local contract management, creating new resources, including a digital project, and managing a dedicated team of practitioners who support families. Jude’s background is varied; she has experience as a probation officer, with children in care, teenage parents and with young people at risk of sexual exploitation. She has previously worked as Service Manager for The Children’s Society, a Trustee for her local Young Women’s Project and has experience of managing lots of competing demands.
Nicola Corrigan is a voluntary trustee on the board of Parents Plus, charity secretary and a member of the Governance Subcommittee and Remuneration Subcommittee. Nicola is a finance and commercially focused individual having spent 15+ years in senior management and on the board of start-up and early stage companies delivering IT solutions primarily to the sustainability and debt sectors. Nicola’s expertise is in customer and project management, solution selling on an international scale, raising of investment and grant financing, large project delivery as well as governance compliance and ongoing day to day financial management. Nicola trained in KPMG Corporate Finance and has a degree in International Business and Languages from DCU.
Funding
Parents Plus is primarily funded through the sale of programme training and materials and an SSNO grant for national organisations. The SSNO grant is the Scheme to Support National Organisations and is funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of Rural and Community Development. The SSNO grant is administered by An Pobal
Parents Plus is also funded by occasional project funding from non-profit and grant making organisations. Most recently Parents Plus received funding, as part of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs QCBI Scheme, to develop the Healthy Families Programme.
Announcing new charity partnerships – We’re honoured to be chosen by Rethink Ireland for the 2021 Social Enterprise Development Fund and Business Accelerator Programme to help bring our first in the world, evidence-based Parents Plus Special Needs Programme to disability services across Ireland, to strengthen families and improve outcomes for families rearing an adolescent or young adult with an intellectual disability. We are extremely grateful for this incredible opportunity to be afforded world class expertise, and to partner with Rethink Ireland to scale our impact, and make a lasting difference to marginalised families and the services who are set up to support them. Thank you to everyone in Rethink Ireland!!! #TheFutureIsSocial
Parents Plus was recently selected by Ecclesiastical for their Movement for Good partnership, from over 1,000 applications from the UK and Ireland. The partnership will see Ecclesiastical fund the training of fifty professionals working in disability settings in our new Special Needs programme. The fund will reach 1,500 vulnerable families in the U.K. and Ireland and equip parents to manage the significant challenges faced by adolescents and young adults with an Intellectual Disability.
Ecclesiastical are a specialist insurance and financial services company with over 130 years of experience offering advice, expertise and caring protection. Charitably owned, they exist to contribute to the greater good of society and do this by managing a successful, ethically-run portfolio of businesses. Through their Movement for Good £50,000 grants they actively champion innovation, giving charities the backing they need to propel their plans forward and helping to turn creative ideas into practical solutions that benefit society. We look forward to working with Ecclesiastical over the next three years.
Parents Plus have also been successful in securing a partnership with Sunbeam Trust, who are dedicated to supporting developments that enable people with disabilities to maintain full and meaningful lives in their communities. Sunbeam Trust will fund the roll out the new Parents Plus Special Needs Programme to professionals working in disability and education services, and to parent led support groups, across County Wicklow. We look forward to working together to make a difference to the lives of children and adolescent with special needs and their families in Wicklow.
Thank you to the Mater Hospital for their continued support of Parents Plus through the provision of accommodation, services for training and support of the Parents Plus programmes in general.
All profits from sales of Parents Plus programmes and training are re-invested in developing new materials and sponsoring facilitator training.
Parents Plus CLG is an Irish registered charity and complies with the Charity Act 2009. Parents Plus is constituted as a company limited by guarantee not having a share capital, registered with the company number 530105. Parents Plus CLG is registered with the Charities Regulatory Authority with registered charity number 20043124 and has been granted charitable tax exemption by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners with the CHY reference number 13664.
Governance Code and Compliance
Parents Plus complies with all of the core standards outlined in the Charities Governance Code for a Type C Organisation. Since 2020 in line with the Charity Act 2015, Parents Plus complete an annual governance code compliance form and annual report to the Charities Regulator. In 2018/2019, Parents Plus completed a review of our constitution to ensure it was fully in line with the governance code. The new constitution was formally adopted by the board in June 2019.
The Parents Plus Board has a Governance Subcommittee, which meets at least six times per year, to ensure the highest standards of Governance. The sub-committee reviews and keeps our Governance Manual and Charity Policies up to date, completes the annual Governance Compliance form and produces an action plan each year to maintain high standards of Governance and accountability.
Financial Reporting
Parents Plus follows strict financial procedures and complies fully with all reporting requirements as detailed by the Charities Regulatory Authority. Finances are carefully managed by our Finance Manager and reviewed at each board meeting. The Finance Subcommittee meet at least six times per year and their function is to keep under review the financial management of Parents Plus. Our accounts are independently audited and our current auditors are Robert J Kidney and Co.
Remuneration Subcommittee
The function of the Remuneration subcommittee is to consider the remuneration of Parents Plus team, as well as set the pay policy for all employees and agree the basis for any increases in pay. Parents Plus salaries are benchmarked with equivalent grades in the HSE and TUSLA.
Our work is guided by our Strategic Plan 2022 – 2025.
Parents Plus was founded by Professor Carol Fitzpatrick and Dr John Sharry in 1995 with their first professional training programme. Since then the charity has grown significantly and now offers 8 professional training programmes for those who work in Community, Health, Education, and Disability services, along with a whole host of supports and ongoing supervision to help improve outcomes for families and children.
For over 28 years, we have consistently committed to researching outcomes and developing effective programmes for professionals supporting families. Our programmes have proven benefits for families, including those dealing with disadvantages, disability, and mental health problems, as well as the normal ups and downs of family life.
Backed by over 26 years of research, we collaborate with families to ensure that each of our eight flagship programmes meets their goals and is focused on empowering children and parents to achieve their potential.
All profits from sales of programme training and supervision are re-invested in developing new evidence-based programmes to respond to the evolving needs of families and to sponsor facilitator training and support of services with limited budgets, who work with high-need families.
Testimonials
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I’m mum to one fabulous, fun, energetic and exhausting girl….
“I’m mum to one fabulous, fun, energetic and exhausting girl who’s turning five next week (Don’t know where that time has gone). Long journey to parenthood for us and we don’t take it for granted. We’re far from perfect but try our best everyday. Some days are wonderful – others not so much. I took the leap and signed up to a Parents Plus parenting course. The support, encouragement and skills shared and learned were so much more than I’d expected. For any parents out there who are struggling or want to do better, I’d encourage you to make the time to find a local resource that are there to help. Invest in your relationship with your child – you’ll both benefit.”
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I used to shout and nit pick daily…..
“I used to shout and nit pick daily. That’s all stopped now thanks to the course and excellent instructors and the open and honest environment created in the course”.
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Well, I knew I needed a parenting course …
“Well, I knew I needed a parenting course and at first I was very anxious going in on my own because I’m a widow with three young children and I’m …but the support was absolutely wonderful…”
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I found it very hard to come along …
“I found it very hard to come along to the parents’ class because I thought nobody was going to have a child like my child. It was absolutely great being able to say well my child has this bad behaviour and he wasn’t the only one with bad behaviour. Other children had done exactly same thing. As parents we benefited greatly from the clinic, we got a lot of emotions out – laughed, cried, and joked. It was time out.”
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I found the Parents Plus group absolutely helped …
“I found the Parents Plus group absolutely helped us as parents and it also definitely helped David. When we first came along to the group I honestly didn’t think that anybody could help us whatsoever. Because he was violent towards everybody, he was violent towards me and he’s called me all names under the sun but ever since I’ve done the sessions I’m a lot happier and I know David is a lot happier. He’s a lot calmer, he doesn’t harm his sister anymore, his sister is happier, his mother is happier. As Tina was saying, the house is just a lot calmer and he’s actually fun to be around now.”
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One of the key things that the Parents Plus …
“One of the key things that the Parents Plus course has given me is a sense of hope and a sense of understanding that there are other people in similar situations and I think that is very important for a parent because you do feel very lonely in the world that you have to deal with a child with these certain difficulties that other children and other parents don’t seem to experience so just that idea of meeting people who have gone through the same experiences and are dealing with the same problems as you are on a day to day basis as you are gives you an awful lot of strength and a lot of confidence to go on with your life and building that relationship with your child.”
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I found doing the Parents Plus course really very helpful …
“I found doing the Parents Plus course really very helpful, I must say I went in thinking ‘Everybody will think I’m here that I have a problem with parenting’ but I soon realised that the people coming were the people that were already good parents and that wanted to do the best for their children, who wanted to do a very important job even better. It really did help my life considerably and helped the way that we related to each other as a family.”
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Well it was an experience for me to understand …
“Well it was an experience for me to understand my son Anthony more than I used to before I went to the Parents Plus course as in not to think that he was just being bold or being a bully, but more to understand the pressures that he is under and what it is like to be out there today with friends and peer pressure and every thing else”
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I think the Parents Plus course was fantastic …
“I think the Parents Plus course was fantastic, you know I was lost before, I was really lost before I went into it, and then each time I went to the course, each day coming out of it I just felt more confident, you gave me the tools to do the things right, and the exercises at home. I just couldn’t wait to get back to do more because I knew by the end of the week I was kind of losing it again, you know. Everything you taught us to do we did at home and put into practice and they’ve really worked.”
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Really positive – I was very unsure about going …
“Really positive – I was very unsure about going to the Parents Plus group, I thought people were going to criticize me, but the course gave me the tools I needed in a friendly way…I just need to remember to press the pause button!”
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Overall the Parents Plus course was really helpful …
“Overall the Parents Plus course was really helpful and I’m so glad I did it, and, if my experience or any of my feelings can help anybody else, then it’s well worth it. There was a group of us, mothers and fathers, everyone of us had one or two children but we all had the common problem that we couldn’t manage our children. Today to be able to manage my children and feel that I am a good mother is worth everything to me and I think that the children have reaped the benefit of it too.”
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I think that when we started on the Parents Plus …
“I think that when we started on the Parents Plus course I thought maybe it would be, ‘this is what you’re doing wrong, that’s what you’re doing wrong,’ instead of that I found that it emphasised the positive aspects. We all felt that we were good parents that were doing a lot of things right.”
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Child Care Manager
“Excellent,very interesting,very relaxed,very informative, really beneficial, will be extremely useful to me in my role, very knowledgeable, has given me a lot to be a more positive manager, gave me a new perspective on how to handle staff issues. knowledgeable and professional, fun, excellent presentations, sense of humour.”
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Focus Ireland training
“Superb, Trainer is an excellent lecturer and kept me interested throughout. Highly recommend for all (my) staff.Delivered with great clarity and enthusiasm Excellent delivery, extremely interesting, definitely beneficial to my work practice. My expectations were more than met.Energy and knowledge has consistent high standard throughout the day”
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Wakefield UK Training, Decemeber 2007
“Delivery Fantastic, Trainer clearly experienced in and passionate about working with Parents, making his teaching clear, inspiring and motivating…Style and balance brilliant Style was relaxed with good injection of humour which helped group work well. Shifting ideas from problem focus to solution focus will be invaluable to me in my work Feel enthused about work again”
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Le Cheile Mentoring Project, April 2009
“Trainer was extremely knowledge and gave plenty of opportunity for questions and discussions…Added humour to the course, personal experiences…Used a lot of personal experience which made it more relevant. Also with relaxed atmosphere, which made it easier to learn, very knowledgeable”
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(Barnardos training, Summer 2009)
“Parents Plus trainer was very effective, humourous, knowledgeable and very good at involving everyone in the group…Questions were answered with full information and context…Made to feel relaxed and encouraged to participate, give views..Excellent Delivery”
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Clinical Psychologist 2010
“Use of humour, real world examples, depth of experience were excellent Trainer was very practical. Relevant and informative”
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Home-School Support Worker, South Gloucestershire
“The Parents Plus training was just great; the programme itself is well structured and Parentss Plus Ttrainer made the training fun and he was very supportive”.
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Rhonda Murphy, Service Manager Chance for Change, Derry
“The Parents Plus facilitator training was invaluable and a very positive experience. Staff felt a huge benefit from the training particularly on how to facilitate groups As a result of training I have observed changes in staff practices – they are more solution focused in their approach and more skilled at actually facilitating and able to get parents to help themselves more effectively. I believe training is essential in order to deliver effectively.”
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Squashy Couch, Adolescent Health & Information Project
“Our parents welcome the strengths-based, positive and practical approach of the Adolescents Programme. They report increased communication and positive relationships within their families. The adolescents who do the Working Things Our programme notice improvements in relationships with parents and some report, reduced need for outside supports after attendance”
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Family Support and Community Outreach Worker
“I run Parents Plus programmes all of the time in my work. The lasting message that parents take away is to ‘Press the Pause Button’. In our lives, we all need to press that button now and again. It’s ok to get frustrated. It’s how we deal with that frustration; whether as parents with their children, or humans with other humans”.
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Family Worker
“Working with the parents is the cornerstone of working with the children in our service”“Parents Plus programmes are very informative, whatever capacity in which you work with parents. The content of the programme materials are excellent”
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Community Facilitator, South Gloucestershire
“I really liked the solution oriented way of enabling parents to talk to each other…they said things to each other that I’d never have gotten away with, and really listened and took it on board.”
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Parenting Consultant, South Gloucestershire
“An incredibly valuable tool in the toolbox for enabling groups of parents to work collaboratively towards solutions that work for them in their real world situations.”
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Co-ordinator Special Needs Services
“Gave me lots of ideas on how to work effectively with parents. I liked the emphasis on strengths based approach. Parents Plus is a very valuable and practical tool for work with parents”
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Grainne Smith, Quality Specialist CDI, Tallaght
The materials used in the delivery of the Parents Plus course are very user friendly and relevant. Parents I have worked with have found the DVD, which has real parents and children, as relevant to their own situation.”
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Rhonda Murphy, Service Manager Chance for Change, Derry
“We have observed first hand the success of the programme for parents and how much they have enjoyed and benefitted from the experience. Many of the parents have attended many parenting programmes!…and all of them felt Parents Plus was different and they have learnt so much more. A lot of our parents are keen to attend due to other parents telling them of how it changed their lives.”
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National Parenting Academy UK
“The Parents Plus programme manuals are well detailed and include excellent DVD clips which support the programme materials.”
