The Incredible Years Parenting Programme
What is The Incredible Years Programme about?
The Incredible Years parenting programme aims to reduce challenging behaviours in
children and increase their social and self-control skills.
The programme is evidenced based meaning that it has been evaluated by the
developer and independent organisations and has also undergone randomised
control group research studies.
These studies have found that the Incredible Years programme is effective in
strengthening parent’s management skills, improving children’s social competences
and reducing behaviour problems.
What will Incredible Years do for my children?
Incredible Years helps children to:
1. Strengthen their social skills and appropriate play skills (turn taking, waiting,
asking, sharing, helping, complimenting).
2. Promote their use of self-control strategies such as effective problem solving
steps
3. Increase their emotional awareness by labelling feelings, recognising the
differing views of oneself and others and enhancing perspective taking.
4. Boost their success in school e.g. reading and school readiness.
5. Reduces defiance, aggressive behaviour, and related conduct problems such
as noncompliance, peer aggression and rejection, bullying, stealing and lying.
6. Increase their self-esteem and self-confidence.
What will Incredible Years do for me?
Incredible Years will help you to:
1. Increases positive nurturing parenting strategies.
2. Reduces critical and violent discipline approaches by replacing shouting and
smacking with positive strategies such as ignoring, using logical and natural
consequences, redirecting, adequate monitoring, and problem-solving.
3. Improve your problem-solving skills, anger management, and communication
skills.
4. Increase family support networks and school involvement.
5. Work collaboratively with your child’s childcare setting / school to ensure a
consistent approach to behaviour management.
6. Increase parents' involvement in children's academic-related activities at
home.
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Who will be there?
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Incredible Years is a group- based programme and you will usually take part
alongside 8–-12 other parents.
The programme will run by two ‘facilitators’, who have undergone extensive
training to ensure that everyone gets the most out of the programme.
How long is the programme?
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The programme lasts for 12 weeks, and each week you will attend a 2 – 2 ½
hour session.
Many groups will also provide refreshments and where possible childcare to
make it easier to attend– there is no charge for this.
What do I have to do?
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Get involved! Although the facilitators will give information and techniques to
help you, Incredible Years works best when everyone takes part fully.
The programme will help you to think about your own experiences, and about
how your culture and family background have shaped your parenting style.
Each week you will also be given activities to do at home. Previous attendees
have found that if they do these, they get more out of the programme.
The course includes role plays, setting personal goals and feedback.
Each week DVD scenes will be shown to encourage group discussion, problem
solving and sharing of ideas.
Incredible Years will help you to answer these important parenting
questions:
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How do I build a better relationship with my child?
How do I put boundaries in place with my child?
How do I encourage my partner to participate in my child’s life?
How can I motivate my child to try their best at school?
What support services are available in my community?
The programme will provide:
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a safe space to share your views and be listened to
an opportunity to get information and ideas to help with decisions about
bringing up your children
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new skills, and support in developing your confidence
connections with the wider communities and services in your area.
Who is Incredible Years for?
Incredible Years is for all parents. The programme is run in all communities with
parents from lots of different backgrounds, including:
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mums and dads, grandparents, foster carers, and teen parents
parents from different ethnic minority communities and faith backgrounds
parents with disabilities or learning difficulties
individuals with very different qualifications, jobs and skills…people like you
What have other parents said about Incredible Years?
"This course is fantastic it has really helped me to work with my children in a
positive way.”
"Since doing this course my children’s behaviour does not irritate me so much.
They are able to tell me about their feelings and I definitely shout less.”
"Great course, great tips and invaluable information; thank you”
"I feel more encouraged that I am a better parent than I thought I was."
"I think more about my behaviour and when I have behaved inappropriately e.g.
shouted at my kids. Now I think about what I could have done to avoid the
situation next time. Coming here has made me think about what I can do
differently / better after the fact.”
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