TY - BOOK
T1 - Insider's guide to brining up children with special needs: evaluation of the Amaze parent support course
AU - Hart, Angela
AU - Virgo, S.
PY - 2006/6
Y1 - 2006/6
N2 - Summary of key findings
What do we already know about this topic? Over the past decade, parent support courses have gained a very positive reputation in policy, practice and research. They are generally considered helpful by parents, and objective studies report that in many different situations such courses have a positive effect on parenting.
o Parents of children with special needs face particular challenges.
o There are hardly any support courses that specifically target parents of children with special needs.
o In children’s services work with parents more widely there is a growing emphasis on parent-professional partnerships. Most parenting support courses however, are facilitated by professionals.
What does this project add?
o The Insiders’ Guide parent support course is aimed specifically at parents of children with special needs.
o The course goes a long way to meeting their learning and support needs.
o It facilitated positive changes in parental confidence and competence (especially for those parents starting off feeling very unconfident).
o The course was oversubscribed, popular with parents (including parents who would not normally attend such courses), and had a very low drop out rate.
o The Insiders’ Guide course is co-facilitated by parents and professionals.
o Course facilitators valued the experience and most felt that it improved their parenting and/or practice.
o The evaluation provides evidence to suggest that the parent-professional facilitator partnership model is effective.
o What do we still need to find out?
o How the Insiders’ Guide matches up when directly compared to other forms of parenting support.
o Whether or not the positive effect of the course is sustained over time.
o Whether a group of entirely unconfident parents would find the course helpful.
What aspects of the course would it be most worth taking away and copying in other contexts?
o Parent support course planners might usefully note that the combination of support, psychological reflection, information and education worked well.
o It is worth investing in the detail. Pre-visiting prospective course participants in their own homes prior to them signing up is particularly helpful for getting less confident parents along to the course. Providing nice refreshments, a pleasant environment and a take home gift were highly appreciated.
o The co-delivery model of the course (by a professional and a parent facilitator) was very effective and popular with participants and facilitators. It could be harnessed by children’s services to meet policy and practice objectives of partnership working in other contexts.
o Intensive co-training of facilitators appears to be crucial in ensuring this success.
AB - Summary of key findings
What do we already know about this topic? Over the past decade, parent support courses have gained a very positive reputation in policy, practice and research. They are generally considered helpful by parents, and objective studies report that in many different situations such courses have a positive effect on parenting.
o Parents of children with special needs face particular challenges.
o There are hardly any support courses that specifically target parents of children with special needs.
o In children’s services work with parents more widely there is a growing emphasis on parent-professional partnerships. Most parenting support courses however, are facilitated by professionals.
What does this project add?
o The Insiders’ Guide parent support course is aimed specifically at parents of children with special needs.
o The course goes a long way to meeting their learning and support needs.
o It facilitated positive changes in parental confidence and competence (especially for those parents starting off feeling very unconfident).
o The course was oversubscribed, popular with parents (including parents who would not normally attend such courses), and had a very low drop out rate.
o The Insiders’ Guide course is co-facilitated by parents and professionals.
o Course facilitators valued the experience and most felt that it improved their parenting and/or practice.
o The evaluation provides evidence to suggest that the parent-professional facilitator partnership model is effective.
o What do we still need to find out?
o How the Insiders’ Guide matches up when directly compared to other forms of parenting support.
o Whether or not the positive effect of the course is sustained over time.
o Whether a group of entirely unconfident parents would find the course helpful.
What aspects of the course would it be most worth taking away and copying in other contexts?
o Parent support course planners might usefully note that the combination of support, psychological reflection, information and education worked well.
o It is worth investing in the detail. Pre-visiting prospective course participants in their own homes prior to them signing up is particularly helpful for getting less confident parents along to the course. Providing nice refreshments, a pleasant environment and a take home gift were highly appreciated.
o The co-delivery model of the course (by a professional and a parent facilitator) was very effective and popular with participants and facilitators. It could be harnessed by children’s services to meet policy and practice objectives of partnership working in other contexts.
o Intensive co-training of facilitators appears to be crucial in ensuring this success.
M3 - Commissioned report
BT - Insider's guide to brining up children with special needs: evaluation of the Amaze parent support course
PB - Amaze
CY - Brighton, UK
ER -