Triple P’s lighter-touch programmes offer several important benefits. First, they help services engage families and communities who might not otherwise access parenting support. Second, they can act as a gateway to more intensive Triple P interventions or other local services when additional support is needed. Third, because these programmes are open and accessible to all, they can help reduce the stigma associated with seeking parenting support. Triple P polling found that 75% of parents believe there is a stigma attached to asking for help with parenting, making universal provision an important way to normalise access and encourage participation.

Triple P’s Level 2 Seminars provides a range of topics on common parenting themes such as Developing Healthy Screentime Habits and Raising Resilient Teens that can be delivered to a large group of parents. Level 3 Discussion Groups, offers stand-alone sessions delivered in small groups, topics include Being a Positive Parent and Cooperating with Instructions. Teen topics include Reducing Family Conflict and Coping with Teenagers Emotions.

Durham County Council

In County Durham, the Family Hubs team deliver 0-12 and Teen Triple P Discussion Groups to help provide initial support for parents. The sessions support parents learn practical, proven ways to help their children manage emotions and behaviour, while feeling more confident in their own parenting. They also provide immediate support for parents on the waiting list for neurodevelopmental pathway, which can be up to six years in the area, as part of their Waiting Well initiative.

The team also provide a range of other more intensive Level 4 Triple P programmes including, Triple P for Baby, Stepping Stones, Fear Less and Teen Triple P groups in addition to a range of Triple P Online programmes to help parent access support, particularly where the geography of the county, and other family commitments may prevent parents from attending Family Hubs in-person.

The team’s flexible approach, using a range of Triple P’s programmes, enables them to reach wider groups of parents and overcome the challenges of County Durham’s geography. The light touch programmes provide the opportunity to signpost to more intensive support where required, such as Triple P’s Stepping Stones programme for children who have a disability.

Salford City Council

Salford City Council had been delivering Triple P’s more intensive Level 4 programmes for many years and used the expansion of Family Hubs to provide a wider range of Triple P interventions. By combining existing support with Triple P Online, Level 2 Seminars and Level 3 Discussion Groups, the council created a universal support offer alongside a targeted offer for those who needed it. The universal programmes are delivered in community settings and Family Hubs, as well as delivered virtually to meet families individual needs.

To boost engagement and recognising that some families rarely travel beyond their local area, the council partnered with local schools to deliver Seminars and Discussion Groups. The council’s practitioners worked with schools to promote and deliver the sessions, including securing registrations from parents and linking to key transition points in the school year, such as September for families with children entering secondary school.

Interestingly, the council found that 82% of parents who engaged with their activity on a school site had never attended a Family Hub, demonstrating the importance of integrating and locating services within areas which families are already familiar with. After these initial sessions, 31% of families went on to access further services within a Family Hub, with the brief interventions easing step-up to targeted Early Help support.

Sheffield City Council

As part of Sheffield City Council’s Evidence Based Parenting Hub, a range of lighter touch Triple P programmes are delivered to boost engagement and ensured more parents received earlier support.

To increase parental engagement, Sheffield City Council delivers a pyramid of evidence-based parenting programmes starting with universal public information and then moving into Level 2 Seminars and Level 3 Discussion Groups. Seminars are delivered to larger groups, in collaboration with local agencies including school and VCFA partners to support engagement families across in the many diverse communities of Sheffield.

These large group sessions provide practical and actionable support whilst also introducing parents to the wider set of more intensive programmes suitable for some parents or families with further complexity of need. All ten Level 2 Triple P seminars are delivered along with eight of the Level 3 Triple P discussion groups and Triple P Level 4 Group Programmes such as 0-12, Teen and Fear-less.

Parents in Sheffield who attended the seminar sessions shared lots of positive feedback saying they came away with some more knowledge to help me communicate better with my family and that they would come back to the parent’s hub to find out more. Others mentioned that it was useful that there is time for others to share their experiences. These brief interventions provided opportunities for practitioners to engage with parents and signpost to further support or more intensive interventions where required.

To find out more watch these lunch & learn sessions:

Using light touch interventions increase reach and support step up/step down - with case studies from Sheffield Family Intervention Service; Durham Family Hubs, and Salford Family Relationships.

Increasing reach and engagement – with case studies from Sandwell Family Hubs, Birmingham Children’s Trust and Peterborough City Council.

For more information or to set up a free design session, please speak to your IC or contact TPUKImplementationSupport@triplep.uk.net