Wexford Parents Hub Programmes

The Circle of Security Parenting programme is based on decades of research about how secure parent-child relationships can be supported and strengthened. Circle of Security is aimed at parents with children aged from 6 months to 6 years old. It is an 8-week programme.

Learning objectives of the Programme include:

• Understand your child’s emotional world by learning to read the emotional needs

• Support your child’s ability to successfully manage emotions

• Enhance the development of your child's self esteem

• Honour your innate wisdom and desire for your child to be secure

Barnardos will run the six-week programme which  will introduce mindfulness to children in a fun and creative way.

Children will learn how to calm and relax their minds, to focus and pay attention, to understand and express their thoughts and feelings and cultivate kindness for themselves and others through creativity, art, craft, stories, meditation and discussion.

Tusla, Barnardos, Youth New Ross, Gorey Youth Needs and Family Resource Centres across the county provide a free, confidential drop in support service for parents and carers where they can discuss a concern they have about their child. Help and support can be provided on a range of issues affecting children from 0-18years. This could include baby basics, behavioural difficulties, parenting dilemmas, issues in school, relationships, concerns around drugs or alcohol etc.

Trained staff will provide help and support or signpost you to the most appropriate service for your family.

The aim of Triple P is to increase parental competence and confidence in raising children by:
- Increasing parents confidence and competence in managing common behaviour and development issues
- Improving parents communication
- Reducing parents stress associated with raising children

Overall, Triple P aims to promote positive caring relationships between children, teenagers and their parents through enhancing parents’ knowledge, skills and confidence.

The programme is conducted as an 8-session training programme for parents of children between 2-12years. This includes 5 x 2hour group sessions and 3 x 30minute individual sessions.

The goal of the Non Violent Resistance Programme (NVR) is to provide parents with the skills to use when they experience child to parent violence in their home.

It is an evidence supported, brief, structured and respectful response to the problem of child to parent violence. It aims to empower and support parents/carers in preventing and responding to the controlling and violent behaviour of children and teenagers.

Course Duration: 8-12 weeks, Groups or one to one

The Adolescents Programme considers how parents can connect with and build good relationships with their teenage children, while also being firm and influential in their lives.

Topics Covered:

• Getting to know and connecting with your teenager

• Communicating positively and effectively

• Building your teenager’s self-esteem and confidence

• Negotiating rules and boundaries

• Teaching teenagers responsibility

• Positive discipline for teenagers

• Managing conflict

• Solving problems together

Course Duration: 12 Weeks

Targeting the needs of primary school children, the Parents Plus Children’s Programme shows parents how to communicate positively with children by illustrating ways to encourage good social skills as well as well-researched methods to tackle behaviour problems.

The aims of the course are to help parents not only solve discipline and other childhood problems, but also for parents to develop closer and more satisfying relationships with their children.

Topics Covered:

• Solving childhood problems

• Play and special time with children

• Building children’s self-esteem and confidence

• Encouraging children’s learning/supporting homework

• Setting rules and helping children keep them

• Establishing daily routines

• Managing misbehaviour using consequences and sanctions

• Problem solving/talking problems through with children

Course Duration: 8 Weeks

This programme is ideal for parents who want to maximise their children’s learning, language, and social development as well as reduce behaviour problems while ensuring their children can grow up happy and emotionally secure. The programme is suitable both for children within the normal range of development as well as children with special needs such as ADHD, speech and language and other developmental difficulties.

Topics Covered:

• Being a responsive parent

• Child-centered play and communication

• Supporting children’s self-esteem and confidence

• Promoting children’s language and development

• Helping children concentrate and learn

• Building cooperation in young children

• Establishing daily routines

• Managing tantrums, misbehavior and problems

Course Duration: 7 Weeks

Parents Plus Special Needs Programme is a practical, solution-focused programme which draws on parents strengths. It is suitable for parents who are raising an older child or adolescent with a mild, moderate or severe intellectual disability, and who may also have an additional diagnosis, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or a physical disability.

This programme will help parents to learn how to:

- personally cope and manage stress

- deal with the challenges of adolescence

- support the needs of your other children

- manage challenging behaviour

It will also help parents to  support their child to:

- learn social skills and build friendships

- deal with puberty and sexuality

- gain confidence and self esteem

- be more independent

Family separation can put extra stress on both parents and children and brings new challenges. Drawing on international long-term evidence, the Parenting when Separated Programme is a six week course that highlights practical steps parents can take to help their children cope and thrive as well as coping successfully themselves

Topics Covered:

• Solving co-parenting problems in a positive way that focus on the needs of children

• Cope with the emotional impact of separation and learn stress management techniques

• Help your children cope with the impact of the separation both emotionally and practically

• Enhance communication with their children and with their children’s other parent

Course Duration: 6 Weeks