HSE Children’s Disability Services

Parents Plus and the HSE Children’s Disability Services launched a two year partnership, from December 2023 to December 2025, to strengthen parent support within CDNT services through the implementation of Parents Plus evidence-based, solution-focused parenting programmes, alongside a comprehensive programme of workforce training, capacity building, and implementation support. The project sought not only to increase proven parenting programme availability for families but also to embed sustainable, high-quality parent support within CDNT service provision nationally.

Through this partnership, Parents Plus trained multidisciplinary CDNT clinicians to deliver two core interventions: The Parents Plus Special Needs (PPSN) programme and the Parents Plus Early Years (PPEY) CORE programme. Both programmes are grounded in a solution-focused model of practice that positions parents as experts in their own lives, builds on existing strengths, and supports families to manage challenges associated with raising children and young people with additional needs. The project sought not only to increase programme availability for families but also to embed sustainable, high-quality parent support within CDNT service provision nationally.

The scale of the project was significant. A total of 82 CDNTs participated, with 210 practitioner training places completed (126 PPSN and 84 PPEY). In addition to facilitator training, the project provided extensive wraparound supports to each of the CDNT teams, including Communities of Practice, individual coaching and supervision, accreditation workshops, and specialist training in solution-focused and neurodiversity-affirming practice. These supports were designed to enhance skills further, promote confidence, consistency, and fidelity in programme delivery, and to build a sustainable network of skilled facilitators across regions. Teams were encouraged to tailor the programme delivery and model of practice to the needs of individual families, which includes running group-based programmes over 6 -12 weeks, and providing tailored individual support to parents as they need. For example, using the Core Delivery format of the Early Years programme, a parent can receive a mix of group and individual sessions, with the option, where appropriate, of having strengths-based video feedback sessions specific to their child’s needs.

Project Progress

Ongoing schedule of Community of Practice sessions were very popular and provided a forum for professionals to share practice tips and ideas on topics such as ‘Recruiting parents to attend programmes,’ ‘Core skills in group facilitation,’ ‘The power of solution-focused language,’ and more. A further CPD accreditation level is also built into this project, which is aimed at helping facilitators develop further a high standard in the core competencies of programme delivery.

Further workshops were delivered to team managers on using the Solution Focused model to enhance their leadership and teams, including ‘Leading from One Step Behind – A Solution Focused Approach to Leadership.’ The feedback was extremely positive with CDNMs requesting further opportunities to continue their learning on the Parents Plus Solution Focused approach.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Over the two year project, CDNTs delivered 76 Parents Plus programmes to families (56 PPSN and 20 PPEY), with a further nine programmes planned for 2026.  A study was conducted with evaluation data collected from 232 parents and caregivers using a mixed-methods design.  Quantitative data was gathered at three time points (pre-programme, post-programme, and follow-up), while qualitative feedback captured parents’ and facilitators’ experiences of programme participation and delivery.

Impact

Quantitative findings demonstrated strong and consistent positive outcomes.  For the PPSN programme, statistically significant improvements were observed over time in parental satisfaction, bespoke learning outcomes, and achievement of both parent and child goals. Importantly, these gains were maintained at follow-up, indicating sustained impact beyond programme completion.  Those attending PPEY also showed significant improvements in parental learning and goal attainment for both parents and children. 

Qualitative findings strongly reinforced the quantitative results, with parents reporting increased confidence, practical parenting strategies, improved understanding of their child’s needs, and greater awareness of self-care. Furthermore, parents consistently identified peer connection as a valuable aspect of the programmes, highlighting the importance of meeting other parents with shared experiences in a safe, respectful, and supportive environment.  For parents of adolescents and young adults, support with future planning and transitions was particularly valued.

Feedback from CDNT clinicians trained as facilitators to deliver the programmes indicated high levels of acceptability and professional learning.  Clinicians reported that the Parents Plus model enhanced their listening skills, strengthened therapeutic relationships with families, and supported a shift towards more collaborative, parent-led practice.  Key enablers of successful delivery included preparation, supervision, and access to peer support through Communities of Practice.  Identified challenges were primarily practical in nature, such as time management within sessions, recruitment of parents, and supporting engagement with self-care content.

Importantly, the partnership and evaluation demonstrates that Parents Plus empowered HSE Children’s Disability Network Teams to provide proven and effective parenting support to families raising a child with a disability in Ireland, and through working together at national level, delivered meaningful benefits for parents, children, families, and practitioners across the country. The project has strengthened the capacity of CDNTs to offer structured, evidence-based parent programmes and has established a strong foundation for the continued integration of solution-focused, parent-centred interventions within disability services that improve outcomes for children, parents and families.  

Parentline Partnership – Delivering Parents Plus Programmes Online through Parentline

Since Autumn 2021, Parents Plus have supported Parentline in their work supporting parents across Ireland through delivery of online Parents Plus programmes. This project began during COVID as a response to the high volume of parents reaching out to Parentline for support for themselves, and their children, who were struggling with mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression, behavioural challenges, additional needs and a range of other stressful issues affecting them, including separation and divorce.

For Parentline, having online and evidence-based parenting programmes available to parents provides an important addition to the support they provide. For Parent Plus, delivering our parenting programmes online and through Parentline, which parents can book onto directly (no referral pathway), further delivers our mission to ensure that parents have access to proven parenting tools and programmes at their point of need, achieving positive outcomes for children, young people and families.

The programmes are delivered by accredited Parents Plus Facilitators, using the solution-focused practice model, with 12 – 14 parents in each group, over six 2 – 2.5 hour sessions. A pre-programme individual goal-setting session is conducted with each parent before starting to help parents understand the content of the programmes, and to consider what change they want for themselves and their children.

An initial examination of the impact of the online programmes showed a range of positive outcomes for the families attending. The parents valued the strategies that they learnt during the particular programme they attended, such as parent self-regulation, co-regulating with their child, using the ‘pause button’, the power of encouragement, the positive communication techniques and parent self-care. Parents also highlighted connecting with parents and sharing with each other, as well as getting and giving advice and support from other parents as a valuable part of the groups. In line with international research, the findings confirm that delivery of evidence-based parenting programmes online is a valuable method of support for parents (Florean et al., 2020). Furthermore, aA recent 2025 report further highlighted the benefits for participants and is available to read in full here.

With funding from The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal Transformative Grant and Community Foundation Ireland, the project scaled further to include partners such as ADHD Ireland, Family Carers Ireland, the Limerick Northside Family Resource Centre and the Mid-West Family Resource Centre Network, and a further 69 further Parents Plus programmes were delivered to 848 parents between June 2022 and June 2024.

As the number of parents seeking access to evidence-based parenting programmes across the country increases year on year, Parents Plus continues to support Parentline through delivery of our suite of parenting programmes online to parents. Speaking of the partnerhsip, CEO of Parentline Aileen Hickie, explains, “Parentline was delighted in 2021 to be given the opportunity to partner with Parents Plus in offering online parenting courses to the parenting community in Ireland, providing valuable support for parents dealing with challenges such as parenting adolescents, parenting in the early years and parenting when separated along with parenting children of all ages.

Parentline would highly recommend Parents Plus and their programmes to any and all organisations supporting families as they offer the opportunity to offer parents a chance to improve their parenting skills, confidence and learn how to deal positively with difficult behaviours and to communicate better. They give parents the strategies to handle challenges and see corresponding improvements in children’s social skills and emotional regulation. A huge advantage of the group setting is that parents realise they are not alone and they connect with other parents which reduces feelings of isolation.

The Parents Plus parenting programmes offered via the collaboration between Parentline and Parents Plus benefit the parents ringing Parentline helplines who are looking for support with structured parenting programmes, and at no cost. This contributes to the goal of helping parents to achieve the best possible outcomes for their children, young people and their families. There is a huge demand for the parenting courses and each time they open for registration on the Parentline website they are booked out almost immediately with long waiting lists. Parents are now aware of the programmes on offer and when they are coming on stream and they constantly contact the helplines seeking to go on a Parents Plus parenting programme.

Parentline has received wonderful feedback on the parenting courses. For example, one family highlighted how doing the programme had reduced stress and fostered a stronger parent-child relationship. Parents regularly mention how doing the programmes help them to manage difficult behaviours and understand child development, whilst also feeling less alone, as they are connecting with parents who are facing similar challenges.”

TUSLA and Parents Plus Traveller Project

Since 2023, the Tusla-funded Traveller Project has supported the roll out the Parents Plus Early Years Programme to Traveller families in their communities.

In 2024, Parents Plus engaged a Parents Plus Early Years Mentor to support the project. Tusla identified early intervention during the early years as beneficial to achieve the best outcomes for children and families. Traveller families are some of the most vulnerable in society, and therefore this was prioritised as a necessary and important project.

Phase 1 included funding six Link Workers in Cavan, Kerry, North West Clare, Tallaght, Donegal and Kilkenny. Phase 2 followed, funding a further five Link Workers in Meath, Ballyfermot, Wexford, North Tipperary and Sligo/Leitrim. These positions are funded through the ‘Parenting Support Unit of Tusla’. A further six areas are being funded through the Equal Start Model, bringing the total to 16 areas. These include Mayo, Galway, Cork, Offaly, Wicklow and Ballymun. All of the Link Workers are trained in the Parents Plus Early Years (PPEY) Core Delivery Programme and are offered ongoing support and supervision. 

Many Link Workers recruited are Traveller parents themselves, who already have an established and trusting relationship with other traveller parents in their community. These funded positions mean that the Parents Plus Early Years Core Programme can be delivered to every parent in their community on a regular basis. This is complemented by other training programmes such as Baby Massage, etc. Approximately 15 groups were facilitated in 2024 with a number of one to one parenting interventions.

Strengthening Community Support: Launch of Traveller-Specific Videos to Enhance Parents Plus Early Years Programme (PPEY)

In Autumn 2025 we launched a series of Traveller Specific Videos developed to complement the Parents Plus Early Years Programme (PPEY) as part of our Tusla Traveller Project. This important development represents a collaborative effort to better engage and support parents from the Traveller community through culturally relevant and empowering resources.  

The Parents Plus Early Years Programme offers practical and positive parenting support to families with young children. Delivered through a strengths-based facilitative model, the programme equips parents with skills to support their child’s development while recognising their unique strengths and challenges. As part of a Tusla-funded project, the programme is delivered in local areas by trained Family Link Workers, many of whom come from within the Traveller community themselves, and who are further supported through mentoring and training. 

The PPEY programme, which comprises fourteen individual topics, was praised at the launch for its flexibility, where the delivery format can be in a group setting or individually delivered to parents in their homes.

To enhance the accessibility and relatability of the PPEY programme for Traveller families, four powerful new videoshave been created by the Donegal Traveller Project, with input from Tuslaand Parents Plus. These videos offer a deep and authentic insight into the lived experiences of Traveller parents, as well as the strength and resilience that exist within Traveller families.

The videos include:

1. A parent testimonial video, where Traveller parents share their experiences and the real benefits they gained from attending the programme.
2. A video that highlights both the strengths of Traveller families and the specific challenges and needs faced by Traveller parents.
3. A professionals video, featuring contributions from Tusla, Parents Plus, and Traveller parent and family link worker advocates.
4. A facilitation video, showcasing Traveller Family Link Workers delivering the PPEY programme in their communities.

The online launch event in October 2025 was well attended by a broad mix of stakeholders — Traveller parents, Family Link Workers, service managers, and representatives from Tusla and Parents Plus. The enthusiasm and engagement at the event reflected the strong commitment to improving outcomes for Traveller children and families through culturally sensitive and inclusive approaches.

These new videos serve several important purposes:

• Training Tool: They provide invaluable resources for Family Link Workers and professionals in understanding culturally appropriate delivery methods and the unique context of Traveller families.
• Promotional Resource: The testimonial and facilitation videos can be used to promote the programme to prospective parents, offering reassurance and encouragement from voices within their own community.
• Empowerment and Representation: By showcasing Traveller families in a positive, strengths-based light, the videos help challenge stereotypes and foster pride and self-belief among parents.
• Sustainability and Accessibility: As digital resources, these videos can be easily accessed and integrated into ongoing training and delivery efforts, ensuring the programme remains dynamic and responsive to the community’s needs.

At its core, Parents Plus champions a strengths-based approach, aiming to empower parents in their roles and create supportive environments for young children to thrive. These Traveller-specific videos not only align with that mission, but they elevate it—by ensuring Traveller parents are seen, heard, and supported in a meaningful way.

This launch marks a significant step forward in inclusive practice, community-led delivery, and building trust within the Traveller community.

The videos are available to all trained PPEY facilitators in the members area of the Parents Plus website.

Watch a section of our video for professionals to find out more about the project from Tusla’s Bernie Laverty, Parents Plus Clinical Director, John Sharry, and some of the Link workers involved in delivering the programme in Traveller communities.

The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal Transformative Grant with Community Foundation Ireland

From June 2022 to June 2024, Parents Plus were delighted to gain funding from a Transformative Grant through Community Foundation of Ireland via the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal. This funding allowed us to build on an existing pilot project and scale up delivery of online Parents Plus programmes with partners Parentline, ADHD Ireland and Family Carers Ireland, the Limerick Northside Family Resource Centre with the Mid-West Family Resource Centre Network.

The work plan over the 2 years was to run 50 evidence-based Parents Plus programmes with our service partners and track the outcomes to improve wellbeing for the families participating. By the end of 2024, we had exceeded this and provided 69 programmes across the Parents Plus programme suite, reaching 866 parents and 2,544 children.

This project represents a successful collaborative approach to providing accessible high-quality parent programmes to families online. The project tapped into a demand and found that as more programmes were opened for registration they booked up very quickly. A core aim of the project was to increase capacity within Parents Plus Charity, Parentline, ADHD Ireland, Family Carers Ireland and the partner organisations throughout Ireland, to meet demand for this support.

The evaluation studies conducted on the Parentline delivery, in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin Psychology Department and the ADHD Ireland delivery in collaboration with the School of Medicine UCD have gathered robust data on the effectiveness of the online Parents Plus programmes and their positive impacts for families.  You can find a summary of the evaluation findings here.

Rethink Ireland Entrepreneurship Impact Fund

In Autumn 2024, Rethink Ireland announced Parents Plus as one of two awardees for the Growth strand of their Entrepreneurship Impact Fund. The aim of the fund is to support social organisations to achieve higher levels of impact by scaling their innovations and reaching their next stage of growth. This multi-year funding will provide Parents Plus with targeted support in areas such as building organisational resilience and investment and procurement readiness. By working in partnership with Rethink Ireland over the course of three years, and investing in the infrastructure Parents Plus needs to scale deeply, together we will create lasting, positive outcomes for thousands more families and communities, and the services set up to support them.

We are extremely grateful to Rethink Ireland and the private donor for selecting Parents Plus to work with and invest in.

JP McManus Benevolent Fund Sponsored Training

Since December 2020 Parents Plus has been kindly funded by JP McManus Benevolent Fund to build the capacity of services supporting families raising a child in Limerick and Claire to improve outcomes for families raising a child with a disability through training and supervising practitioners to deliver the Parents Plus Special Needs Programme and Early Years Programme to parents in their local communities.

Speaking of the impact of this sponsorship, Chairperson of Down Syndrome Ireland’s Limerick Branch Ellen Tuffy explains, ““The networking aspect of The Parents Plus Special Needs Programme was very important for parents of children with Down Syndrome. Parents came together online and found comfort in knowing they weren’t alone. They could see for themselves that others were facing similar experiences in their own families. They could also discuss issues and challenges facing all their children, not just those with Down Syndrome.”

With this funding, our own resources and funding from the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, Parents Plus continues to sponsor training and supervision places of professionals from the community, education, health and disability sectors in the Midwest region. Agencies benefitting from this important partnership include:

• Enable Ireland CDNT in Limerick
• Down Syndrome Limerick Branch
• Clare Children’s Services (CDNT)
• West Limerick Children’s Services (CDNT)
• St Gabriel’s Treehouse Limerick (CDNT)
• Hospital FRC in Limerick
• Family Carers Ireland-Limerick & Clare branch
• Dóchas Charity for Autism, Limerick
• Acquired Brain Injury Ireland-Limerick/Clare
• Extern Services Ireland-Limerick/Clare
• Education and Training Board-Limerick/Clare

We are incredibly grateful to receive this funding to support services who work with high need families, and who have limited funding, to train in and deliver our programmes in their communities.

Filos Community Services, Singapore

Filos Community Services has been facilitating the Parent Plus Programmes since 2018. Their practitioners originally trained in the Parents Plus Early Years Programme and since then have also trained in the Parents Plus Children’s, Adolescent, Healthy Families and Special Needs Programmes. The programmes are open to parents attending Filos Community Services as well as from other social service agencies and are also universally accessible to parents who self refer. Many of the parents attending the programmes experience disadvantage. The programmes have also been available to teachers who work in childcare centres who use the principles of the strengths-based approach and strategies to support the children attending their childcare settings.

To draw in parents, Filos publicise the programmes across their social media platforms and word of mouth, with parents from Indonesia and Laos joining in for the online Parents Plus programmes. To date, Filos has had over 700 participants who have benefited from Parents Plus programmes.

Filos embarked on a nationwide initiative called Movements for Health in 2024. The aim of this initiative (‘aware, adopt and advocate’) is to activate communities to strive towards a healthy lifestyle. Filos run a project called P.E.E.R (Play, Eat, Exercise, Rest). One of the programmes that they facilitate under Project P.E.E.R is the Parents Plus Healthy Families. They conducted eight PP Healthy Families sessions last year, with the group of mothers creating a ‘Recipe Book’ of the healthy meals they now cook for their families.

Bristol City Council Families in Focus

Parents Plus has been working in partnership with Bristol City Council for over a decade to successfully deliver Parents Plus programmes to parents and carers across Bristol. In 2024, we were excited to work with the council’s Families in Focus Parenting Team to deliver our first ever scheduled in-person training open to any education, mental health and community professionals ever in the UK.

More than 20 practitioners attended the face-to-face training in the Parents Plus ADHD Programme (PP-ADHD) at Lockleaze Sports Centre, Bristol, from 6-8 May 2024.  The training was led by Parents Plus senior trainer Fred Ehresmann and ADHD Project Lead Lisa Whitlock, and offered information and materials to enhance neuro affirming practice and support parents and carers. The three day event offered participants a rare opportunity to meet and share expertise with other practitioners from other agencies and authorities.

We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the Families in Focus team on future training events for professionals in the Bristol area, as well as ongoing support for trained facilitators.

You’ll find more information and photos from this event here.