The ABCD Parenting Young Adolescents Program is a prevention program for parents of early adolescents. The program has also been tailored for delivery to parents from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds.
This fact sheet provides some background information on the CLD program as well as contact details for registration or referral.
Background
The ABCD Parenting program is a four-week program for parents of early adolescents—young people aged 10–13 years. Funded by the Commonwealth Government through the Victorian Department of Human Services, the program is managed by UnitingCare Moreland Hall. The program aims to assist parents in building the capacity of their families and the resilience of their children. The program has two levels of intervention:
ABCD program
This program aims to enhance communication, understanding and positive interaction between parents and their adolescent children.
ABCD Plus
Following on from the ABCD program,
ABCD Plus focuses on dealing with conflict and repairing damaged relationships. Parents who are experiencing conflict in their relationships with their adolescent children, or whose adolescent children are involved in high risk-taking behaviour such as problematic drug use, are encouraged to participate.
ABCD—CLD
Community workers, educators, trainers and bilingual/bicultural workers have been trained to deliver the ABCD and ABCD Plus programs to parent communities across Victoria . They deliver the program in English and five community languages: Arabic, Macedonian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese.
The program promotes attendance by other significant carers of adolescents, such as grandparents, foster parents, siblings and legal guardians. CLD groups and organisations can request to have programs scheduled for their parent communities. To date, out of 129 ABCD programs delivered in all six languages, nearly 300 participants have completed the CLD program, a completion rate of 91 per cent.
Program format
The CLD program is run over four weekly sessions, with 2.5 hours per session.
The maximum number of parents registered per program is 15, with an average of nine parents per group. This allows for a fairly intensive program in which parents and the facilitator can work closely together.
Both ABCD and ABCD Plus are completely free to parents, and can be run during business hours or after hours, depending on the requirements of the parent group and the availability of facilitators. Childcare is also provided free of charge at all programs, which are scheduled in accessible community venues across Victoria .
How does it work?
The program is designed so that parents can take a lead role in developing their skills and knowledge. With the help of a facilitator to lead the group, parents collaborate with other parents who have the same concerns. Within this safe environment, parents are encouraged to discuss and practice strategies that will enhance their parenting skills and experiences over the course of the program.
There are four sessions. In the first two sessions, parents are encouraged to consider the importance of building a relationship with their adolescent, and to make shifts in the way they deal with situations. The next two sessions focus on specific skills and strategies for dealing with problems as they arise, including setting boundaries and limits, negotiating and problem-solving skills, and knowing when to step in and when to step back. The program also emphasises the importance of caring for yourself as a parent.
Registering for a program
For more information visit www.abcdparenting.org .