Triple P now well established in New Zealand

Suzanne Hall, one of the directors at HMA, has been a trainer for Triple P International for the past three years. In that time Suzanne has delivered Triple P training and accreditation in Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

HMA is fully supportive of the work that Triple P provides in supporting parents, practitioners or organisations working with parents. We are of the opinion that parenting is one of the toughest jobs, for which people often have the least preparation. My son spent more time learning the road code, having driving lessons, and defensive driving, than I certainly received in preparation to be a parent.

What we value most about the Triple P approach is that it is backed by over 25 years of clinically proven, world-wide research. It therefore has the knowledge and evidence base to prove that Triple P works for many different families, in many different circumstances, with many different problems, in many different places! It provides a range of programmes assisting parents with tantrum throwing toddlers through to truanting teenagers. As they say, “parenting now comes with an instruction manual”.

The Parenting and Family Support Centre (PFSC) was established in 1996 as a specialist family intervention research and training facility within the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland. The mission is to promote the health and wellbeing of families and children by conducting research and training, and by providing clinical services based on scientifically validated methods of family intervention.

The primary aim of the PFSC is to prevent behavioural and emotional problems in children by enhancing the skills and confidence of parents and by addressing family risk factors known to contribute to adverse developmental outcomes in children. The PFSC’s primary research and clinical activities revolve around its Triple P – Positive Parenting Program.

Triple P is now also operating The Triple P Research Group (TPRG) which was formed in late 2008 within the Faculty of Education’s School of Teaching, Learning and Development, Auckland University. The TPRG brings together researchers with specialties in parenting and family psychology, child behavioural problems, child and adolescent development, child maltreatment and neglect, and behavioural intervention to conduct family intervention research aimed at preventing behavioural and emotional problems in children.

The TPRG’s research activities revolve around evaluating the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program within a New Zealand context and as part of an international research network. The primary goal of the TPRG is to conduct research that adds to the scientific basis of all aspects of Triple P intervention and dissemination. In particular, the TPRG engages in research that involves rigorous evaluation of new program variants and identification of factors and strategies that improve the population spread of parenting interventions. The TPRG collaborates with research groups around the world, remains informed of research developments elsewhere, and disseminates research findings from current TPRG projects internationally. This process ensures that Triple P continues to evolve, responds to data about the impact of the intervention and incorporates new knowledge about how to best assist families. This has been its history for the past 25 years.

Another focus of the TPRG is to contribute to policy development that may affect the family. This is achieved by consultation with government ministers and policy advisers, and by dissemination of research findings. Given the pressure on families/whanau within New Zealand, any information and strategies that assist parents to do their role better and more effectively, has got to be encouraged.

For more information about how Triple P could assist your organisation, you as a parent or someone you know go to http://www.triplep.net

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