New family support to help children’s behavioural problems

Monday 07 May 2018

Over 30 staff in the Education Department have been trained in specialist skills to help parents address behavioural and emotional problems in children and teenagers.

The new positive parenting programme called ‘Triple P’ is being rolled out to schools in Jersey as part of one of Education department key priorities to help families.

The staff delivering the programme include family support workers, education welfare officers, key workers and teachers who have been trained in 17 specialist parenting strategies, arming them with techniques to help families raise happy, confident children.

The programme will address behaviour management, help families with rules and routines that will encourage good behaviour, help parents look after themselves and give them more confidence in themselves. 

Debbie Key, the Head of Service for Parenting and Family Support, explains: “We all know there’s no such thing as a perfect parent so we have introduced Triple P as a way of helping Jersey families. By getting this right for parents we know children will benefit hugely. It’s a powerful tool in creating the kind of positive family environments where children can realise their potential.”

Pictured: The new 'Triple P' programme is aimed at helping parents who may need just some advice to those who are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. 

‘Triple P’ has been clinically trialled and tested in the UK and around the world, with evidence showing the positive parenting programme has been successful in improving behaviour through research in social learning, cognitive behavioural and developmental theory as well as risk factors associated with the development of children.

The Training and Implementation Consultant at Triple P UK, Dominic Weston, said: “Triple P is designed to help parents with the skills to raise confident, healthy children and teenagers and to build stronger family relationships. It aims to equip parents with the skills and confidence to be self-sufficient and to be able to manage family issues without ongoing support.

“We try to give parents just the right amount of help. Some may just need a small amount of advice or information, for example on getting the kids to bed, or managing siblings fighting. Other parents might be finding the job of parenting really exhausting and challenging. They might need a bit more help and support.”

Families can access the positive parenting programme through group or one-to-one sessions, with 90-minute parenting seminars starting this month.  

“If we help parents overcome difficulties, we automatically help our children. This is a proven approach to helping families and complements all the other early intervention initiatives being pioneered by the Education Department, including the introduction of our Family Support Workers,” said Deputy Rod Bryans, the outgoing Minister for Education.