Lisburn parents take part in groundbreaking parenting programme

Independent research commissioned by the voluntary organisation has revealed that its ‘Parenting UR Teen Programme’ is one of the most effective anywhere in the UK. The research surveyed parents who took part in the programme from nine locations across Northern Ireland, including parents from Lisburn.

The ‘Parenting UR Teen Programme’ is designed to give parents more knowledge and understanding about how to manage their relationship with their teenager.

A parent from Lisburn who took part in the programme said: “The ‘Parenting Ur Teen Programme’ made me look at things in a more positive light. It encouraged me to look outside the box and definitely helped me change routines at home. The programme restored my self confidence and let me see what I was doing was right.”

Pip Jaffa, Chief Executive of Parenting NI explained: “The results of the research show that this is an extremely effective programme for parents of teenagers and according to the researchers, there is no comparable parenting programme in the UK.”

The ‘Parenting UR Teen Programme’ promotes an authoritative parenting style, which has been proven to enable teenagers to comply with rules and to make them less likely to become involved in risky behaviour.

Parenting NI hopes that the results of this research will influence policy so that the ‘Parenting UR Teen Programme’ can be made available to more parents of teens across Northern Ireland who need support. Parenting NI plans to meet with commissioners to request that funding is made available for the programme as part of the family support agenda.

Parenting NI offers support to parents through the Parents Helpline (Freephone 0808 8010 722), by appointment at eleven sites across Northern Ireland and through Parenting Education Programmes (for details visit www.parentingni.org).