Positive parenting support parents

Emeritus Professor Bruce Tonge
with parents at the seminars

‘Positive parenting for children with a disability’ was the theme of a recent seminar series held by Stepping Stones, a free parenting support program at Monash University’s Clayton campus.

The 90-minute evening seminars focussed on teaching evidence-based parenting strategies to manage and prevent child behaviour problems, develop skills, and improve parental and family wellbeing. 

The Stepping Stones program offers two years of free group, individual and online parenting support to help reduce child behavioural problems and build parental resilience. 

Monash University’s Emeritus Professor Bruce Tonge and Associate Professor Kylie Gray head the Victorian project team and have encouraged parents to take up the support on offer through the Stepping Stones Triple P (SSTP) Project. 

Under the project, parents of children with a disability aged two to 12 have two years of free access to the specialised parenting program called Stepping Stones, which is part of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program. 

Professor Tonge, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, said the Stepping Stones program had been found to reduce child behaviour problems by two-thirds.

“Research also shows the program can lower parental stress and depression levels, which are usually significantly higher in parents of children with special needs,” he said.

The SSTP Project is the world’s first population-wide parenting intervention for parents of children with a disability. The project is being rolled out in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales and has been funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council. 

For further information go to: www.triplep-steppingstones.net