1. Strength based approaches to working with children and families
Paula Milanesi– Specialist Research & Training Lead, PoPP team NES
Dr Donna Paxton– Principal Educator, PoPP team NES

2. Learning Objectives
To be aware of the different factors that contribute to behavioural problems
Consider what factors to focus on when starting conversations with parents
Increasing the use of MI skill open-ended questions

3. Outline for Session How behaviour problems develop
Watch video clip – Driving mum & dad mad
Exercise – Doors
Using strength based communication and MI skills
Open Ended Questions
Take home messages

4. Understanding Preschool Behaviour Problems
Young children who in multiple settings
are persistently non-compliant
display high levels of aggression
display regular temper tantrums and poor emotional control
Approximately 10% of preschool children display atypical and persisting high levels of behaviour problems

5. How do behaviour problems develop?
Parent factor - Difficult relationships with parent/primary care giver, perhaps due to poor parental mental health, parents own experience of being parented
Child factors – temperament – some children are more difficult to parent than others, neurodevelopmental disorders, health, experiences, trauma
Environmental – Poverty, stress, poor housing, isolation, lack of support

6. Video Clip –
Driving mum & dad mad

7. Doors Exercise
Open Group Exercise

8. What can we do about Behaviour Problems?
Work with their parents
Because children grow, socially and emotionally through the quality of the relationship they experience with their primary care giver (s)
(Evidence Based Parenting Programmes)

9. ‘If a community values its children it must cherish its parents’
Quote from John Bowlby

10. PoPP Outcomes Independent analysis of data: 80% improvement 60% of children in the clinical range at the start of the PoPP group moved out of this high risk range when their parents finished the group as measured on the SDQ (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire)
PoPP animation

11. Connecting with Parents’ Motivations
We’ve developed a Train the Trainer Model –Connecting with Parents’ Motivations and have trained 68 trainers across Scotland (17 in training).
Our aim is to improve parental engagement to PoPP groups so that more parents would access/more children would benefit from PoPP groups

12. Strength-based communication
using respectful, non-judgemental language
understanding and expressing empathy for the reality of the parents situation
establishing a spirit of collaboration and partnership
understanding what works best for each particular parent (and how )
highlighting areas of success
affirming parents’ strengths and the resources from which they can draw support
tuning into the parents’ values and high-level motivations to bring about positive outcomes for their children
helping parents to identify their own goals, and the small steps towards them
empowering parents to address barriers that stop them achieving their goals
promoting a realistically positive and hopeful outlook
working with the ambivalence that typically influences a parent’s readiness to change

13. Why use a strength based approach?
Forming a good relationship with our clients/service users – is the starting point for getting ready for change
Parent and other service user feedback has identified that people want to be treated with empathy, warmth, respect, actively & genuinely listened to, not judged, empowered, and supported to think through decision making conversations with professionals whom they trust

14. Motivational Interviewing
a collaborative, person-centered form of guiding to elicit or strengthen motivation for change
believes that how one interacts with people has significant effects on their intrinsic motivation and can lead to better change outcomes for them

15. What Strength-based Communication Skills are introduced in CwPM?
Understanding and working with ambivalence
Active Listening
O.A.R.S.
Open-ended questions
Affirmations
Reflections
Summaries
Eliciting and Responding to change Talk

16. O.A.R.S.
Open/Closed Questions
Affirmations
Reflections
Summaries 16

17. Open Questions
Helps to make sure a parent does most of the talking and has a good opportunity to explore and develop their own ideas
Provides opportunity to work collaboratively with a parent by allowing them to give you information about where they are currently along the process of change
Encourages a curious position

18. Open Questions
Open questions - allow a range of possible answers, typically commencing with, how, what, why, when, where etc.
Closed questions – Elicit short answers such as yes or no or factual brief information

19. example

20. Examples of open-ended questions
What helps you to manage your child’s behaviour?
How does it make you feel when…
What things have you noticed can help….

21. Activity Re-watch Cameron (2.18-3.30)
What door would you knock on first?
What open ended questions would you use to start the conversations?

22. Take Home Messages
There are different factors that contribute to behavioural problems in young children
Using strength based communication and meeting a parent where they are at builds strong relationships with parents
The way in which we communicate with parents influences their motivation to change

23. Thank you for listening