Parents Plus Early Years
Parents Plus Early Years (PPEY) is for parents with concerns about a child between the ages of one and six.
Parents attend between eight and 10 weekly sessions, where they learn positive parenting strategies and effective discipline.
The group sessions involve eight to 12 parents and last approximately two hours. The session topics are drawn from two teaching DVDs of videotaped scenes of real parent-child interactions that were filmed both at home and in the clinic. The video input is backed up by group discussion, practice exercises, skills role play, homework activities and handouts.
EIF Programme Assessment
Child outcomes
This programme can affect outcomes for children in Active and healthy, physical and mental wellbeing.
According to the best available evidence for this programme's impact, it can achieve the following positive outcomes for children:
Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour
Improved behaviour
based on study 1
Reduced hyperactivity
based on study 1
This programme also has evidence of supporting positive outcomes for couples, parents or families that may be relevant to a commissioning decision. Please see About the evidence for more detail.
Who is it for?
The best available evidence for this programme relates to the following age-groups:
Toddlers Preschool
How is it delivered?
The best available evidence for this programme relates to implementation through these delivery models:
- Group
Where is it delivered?
The best available evidence for this programme relates to its implementation in these settings:
- Home
- Children's centre or early-years setting
- Primary school
- Community centre
- Out-patient health setting
How is it targeted?
The best available evidence for this programme relates to its implementation as:
- Universal
Where has it been implemented?
- Ireland
- United Kingdom
Ireland provision
Ireland evaluation
About the programme
What happens during the delivery?
How is it delivered?
- Parents Plus Early Years is delivered in nine sessions of 2.5 hours duration by two mental-health professionals to groups of parents.
What happens during the intervention?
- Parents attend a combination of group and individual sessions.
- The individual sessions, which include parent, child and therapist, are designed to give parents an opportunity to ‘try out’ the ideas in the course and raise specific concerns, as well as tailor aspects of the course to an individual child’s needs. Videos of parent-child interaction are created and then replayed and discussed in the individual sessions. The use of video feedback is central to these sessions.
- The group sessions involve eight to 12 parents and last approximately two hours. The session topics are drawn from two teaching DVDs of videotaped scenes of real parent-child interactions that were filmed both at home and in the clinic. The video input is backed up by group discussion, practice exercises, skills role play, homework activities and handouts.
What are the implementation requirements?
Who can deliver it?
- Two practitioners deliver this programme. Both are mental-health professionals with NFQ-7/8 level qualifications.
What are the training requirements?
- The practitioners have 21 hours of programme training each. Booster training of practitioners is recommended.
How are the practitioners supervised?
- It is recommended that practitioners supervised by one programme developer supervisor (qualified to NFQ-9/10 level), and one host-agency supervisor (qualified to NFQ-7/8 level).
What are the systems for maintaining fidelity?
- Supervision
- Booster training
- A ‘Parent Plus quality protocol’ checklist for practitioners to complete after every session
Is there a licensing requirement?
There is no licence required to run this programme.
How does it work? (Theory of Change)
How does it work?
- Developing and maintaining warm, positive, and enjoyable relationships with children is central to changing their behaviour.
- Once parents ‘tune into’ and understand their children, they are in a better position to learn more effective parenting strategies.
- Parents unintentionally reinforce unwanted child behaviours through ineffective parenting strategies.
- PPEY assumes that when parents have the opportunity to reflect on the reasons underpinning their child’s behaviour they will understand how to encourage children’s positive behaviours rather than inadvertently reward negative child behaviours.
- More effective parenting strategies lead to short-term improvements in children’s behaviour and reduced parenting stress.
- In the longer term, children will be less likely to engage in antisocial behaviour, have an improved sense of self and perform better in school.
Intended outcomes
- Safe and protected from harm
Contact details
John Sharry
Parents Plus
admin@parentsplus.ie
About the evidence
Parents Plus Early Years’ (PPEY) most rigorous evidence comes from a QED which was conducted in Ireland.
This study identified statistically significant positive impact on a number of child outcomes.
This programme is underpinned by one study with a Level 2+, hence the programme receives a Level 2+ rating overall.
Study 1
| Citation: | Griffen et al (2010) |
| Design: | QED |
| Country: | Ireland |
| Sample: | 117 parents and their children attending mental health services in Dublin |
| Timing: | Post-test; five-month follow-up |
| Child outcomes: |
|
| Other outcomes: | |
| Study rating: | 2+ |
Griffin, C., Guerin, S., Sharry, J. & Drumm, M. (2010). A multicentre controlled study of an early intervention parenting programme for young children with behavioural and developmental difficulties. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 10, 279-294.
Available at
http://www.aepc.es/ijchp/articulos_pdf/ijchp-351.pdf
Study design and sample
The first study is a QED.
This study involved parents and children recruited from mental health services in Dublin, Ireland. A sequential block design was used to assign families to PPEY treatment group and a wait-list control group.
This study was conducted in Ireland, with a sample of 117 children aged 3 years to 6 years and 8 months.
Measures
Child behaviour (hyperactivity, conduct problems, emotional symptoms, prosocial behaviour) was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (parent report). Parent defined problems and goals were measured using the Parent Defined Problems and Goals Form (parent report).
Parental stress was measured using the Parental Stress Scale (parent report).
Findings
This study identified statistically significant positive impact on a number of child outcomes.
This includes:
- Improved behaviour
- Reduced hyperactivity
The conclusions that can be drawn from this study are limited by methodological issues pertaining to the treatment and comparison groups not being generated by sufficiently robust methods, hence why a higher rating is not achieved.