Positive Parenting in Lanark County

May 31, 2016

Local Agencies Working Together to Bring Positive Parenting to Lanark County Communities

Those who work with families on a variety of levels recognize that as rewarding as parenting is, most parents experience minor problems and seek additional parenting strategies. Local agencies recently worked together to offer the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program to provide Lanark County parents with additional “tools for their parenting toolkit” regardless of where they are at in their parenting journey.

When Family and Children Services contacted the Health Unit wanting to partner together to offer the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program to parents in Smiths Falls, it seemed an opportune time to bring the initiative forward in a collaborative manner with other partners such as CROW and Connections.

“The challenge was coordinating schedules that allowed 7 people from 4 different agencies to meet and plan together,” said Gwendy Lapp, Triple P Community Outreach Practitioner. “The benefit of coming together as agencies was being able to reduce barriers for parents such as transportation and child care costs in having the Group offered through the Connections program.”

The parenting group ran primarily with 15–25 parents from the Connections program in Smiths Falls. Many of these parents had children between the ages of 2–5 which allowed for very similar learnings to occur and stories shared. Facilitated by Andrea Halliday, Child Protection Support Worker of Family and Children Services, this group started the end of March and just wrapped up on May 19. The eight weekly parenting sessions provided parents with positive parenting strategies to use at home as well as parent-led discussion on what was working well.

“it’s so simple and straightforward! it’s wonderful!” said one parent participant. “I’ve already noticed how when I am more positive, my children are more positive! I love this program!” said another. “I learned to be more patient”.

“We were proud to host this wonderful opportunity and look forward to continued partnerships with FCS, the Health Unit and CROW,” said Eliisa Bruder from Connections.

The agencies anticipate working together again to offer another Triple P group session; details have yet to be finalized but will be posted on the website. The collaboration also initiated the idea to facilitate Café nights – small parenting group discussion events. That would allow for parents to make a one-time commitment rather than 8 weeks and are based on a single topic. These have been started in Smiths Falls, Carleton Place and Perth and are facilitated by the Health Unit.

For more information on Triple P – Positive Parenting, call 1-800-660-5853 or visit the Parenting section of our website or www.triplepontario.ca.

Contact

Gwendy Lapp, Triple P Community Outreach Practitioner 613-345-5685
or Susan Healey, Communications Co-ordinator 613-802-0550