The Parents Plus Parenting When Separated Programme Training for Professionals
Supporting parents who are preparing for, going through or have gone through a separation or divorce.
Parenting When Separated
The Parents Plus Parenting when Separated programme is a practical, solution-focused and evidence-based course that builds on parent strengths. It can be delivered over six sessions, to groups of parents or to individual parents.
The Parenting When Separated Programme is suitable for fathers and mothers as well as residential and non-residential parents.
Supporting Parents
By attending
our training to become a facilitator for this programme, you will learn how to support parents to:
- co-parent effectively, to ensure their children cope and thrive
- manage stress and to personally cope post-separation
- reach out for support to reduce isolation
- create practical arrangements for children that minimise stress and conflict
- improve communication with their children and with their children’s other parent
- help their children cope and thrive post-separation
- maintain warm and connected relationships with their children
- deal with the challenges of lone parenting or being a ‘live away’ parent
Making an Impact
In a large study of primary care, mental health and community settings families who completed our Parenting When Separated programme reported:
- Reduction in inter-parental conflict
- Decrease in child behaviour problems
- Decrease in parental adjustment problems
- Increase in parental satisfaction
- Increase in goal attainment for parents and children
You can learn more about the impact of this programme, and all our other programmes here.
Parents Plus are amazing to work with and supportive from training to mobilisation and evaluation. We have built a good relationship with them, which has been essential for supporting the roll-out of Parenting When Separated in Hertfordshire. This supportive relationship with commissioners allows for successful implementation of the training that is outcome-focused.”
Development and Commissioning Officer, Hertfordshire Council, Nicola Wilder
Train as a Parents Plus PWS Programme Facilitator
What will you learn?
Our Parenting When Separated facilitator training is practical and solution-focused and will provide you with the essential skills and learning to achieve the best outcomes for the parents and families who attend your service. The training focuses on:
- Developing an in-depth understanding of this programme
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
Introduction Workshop
We deliver regular free online introduction sessions where you can learn more about this programme. Keep an eye on our website for details of our next introduction session.
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
The next facilitator training for our Parenting When Separated programme starts on 6th February 2025 and consists of three online workshops, delivered via Zoom. Participants are also invited to complete a short assignment between workshops. The training schedule is below and further details are available here!
A summary of the training schedule is provided below and a more detailed breakdown can be accessed here:
| 6th Feb | 9.15am – 1.30pm Goals, Background, Evidence-base, Course Content |
| 7th Feb | 9.15am – 1.30pm Groupwork and Session Delivery Practice |
| 13th Feb | 9.15am – 1.30pm Individual Sessions, Getting Groups Started, Dealing with Challenges |
Parents Plus offer a small number of part-sponsored places on the training when accessing finance is difficult.
Programme Materials
Our Parenting When Separated programme package includes a range of materials to ensure it’s effective delivery.
- A comprehensive facilitator’s manual, with detailed guides to plan and deliver each session, including how to structure group discussion and exercises
- Two colourful parent books, containing all the programme handouts and worksheets for participants*
- A copy of the book ‘Parenting when Separated ‘ by John Sharry
- Posters to highlight key programme concepts
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 Parenting When Separated 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
- 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
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.
