The roll out of the Triple P Positive Parenting Program, in four regions in Aotearoa, New Zealand, is a cross-government initiative, led by the Ministry of Health. Programme delivery commenced in 2011 with the aim to increase early intervention support for families who find their children’s behaviour difficult or who have concerns about their development.
It is well documented that prevention and early intervention is crucial to deterring the development of serious child and/or family problems, and the primary care sector is well positioned to respond either by providing support to parents or referring to appropriate supports. The most effective supports to these issues are evidence-based, family behaviour support interventions. The Triple P interventions being offered in the primary care sector and the more intensive parenting supports such as Incredible Years, made available by the Ministry of Education in the same four regions, work together to form the foundations of the inter-agency, inter-sector response to early childhood behaviour difficulties.
Outputs include:
- Training primary care / community providers in Primary Care Triple P and Triple P Discussion Groups
- The delivery of an awareness campaign
- Reaching families of children aged 3- to 8- years.
- Specialist support service for parents needing further support when doing the Incredible Years group programme
- Research into a culturally adapted version of Triple P Discussion Groups
This initiative has been recognised as a model of cross-government, inter-agency work, addressing determinants of health (Bollinger, 2018).