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Evidence-Based Parenting Programs: Integrating Science into School-Based Practice

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Handbook of Australian School Psychology

Abstract

The quality of parenting children receive has a pervasive impact on children’s development including how well they do at school academically and socially. This chapter explores how schools can assist parents to support their children’s academic and social development at school and at home. After reviewing literature that shows that parenting influences social and emotional problems, classroom behaviour, academic attainment, and peer relationships at school, we argue that a multilevel system of parenting support is needed that blends universal and targeted parenting programs. Schools can be an ideal setting for normalizing and destigmatizing parenting programs. A case example is used to illustrate the application of Resilience Triple P, a parenting program that targets children’s peer relationships at school. Schools have great potential to enhance the wellbeing and academic success of children by encouraging parental involvement in evidence-based parenting programs.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Assessed by scales including Things Kids Do, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1999) and the Preschool Feeling Checklist (Luby, Heffelfinger, Mrakotsky, & Hildebrand, 1999).

  2. 2.

    Depressive symptoms following bullying can continue for months or years afterwards, and children who are depressed are at heightened risk for being bullied. Therefore, it is important to continue monitoring depressive symptoms if they continue to be elevated following an intervention like Resilience Triple P .

  3. 3.

    Training in Group Triple P takes three days including accreditation.

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Conflict of Interest Statement

The Triple P -Positive Parenting Program is owned by the University of Queensland. The University through its main technology transfer company, UniQuest Pty Ltd, has licensed Triple P International Pty Ltd to publish and disseminate the program worldwide. Royalties stemming from published Triple P resources are distributed to the Parenting and Family Support Centre; School of Psychology; Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences; and contributory authors. No author has any share or ownership in Triple P International Pty Ltd. Matthew R Sanders is the founder and an author on various Triple P programs and a consultant to Triple P International. Karyn L. Healy is co-author of Resilience Triple P and a contract trainer for Triple P International.

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Sanders, M.R., Healy, K.L., Grice, C., Del Vecchio, T. (2017). Evidence-Based Parenting Programs: Integrating Science into School-Based Practice. In: Thielking, M., Terjesen, M. (eds) Handbook of Australian School Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45166-4_27

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