Parent Information

Do parents learn about alcohol and other drug issues?

Alcohol and other drug use is covered in the ABCD program. Parents who need further support and information can find more in Useful Links.

Can parents of children with disabilities benefit from the ABCD program?

Parents of children with mild intellectual disabilities have found the ABCD program to be very useful. Whether a child has a disability or not, issues that affect the relationship between a parent and an adolescent are similar.

What do parents get out of ABCD?

Parents report that they learn new knowledge, skills and strategies when they participate in an ABCD program. The skills they rate highly are:

problem-solving techniques
development of effective communication strategies
use of positive feedback
one-to-one time with the adolescent to build relationships
use of effective monitoring
limit-setting techniques
strategies for defusing conflict
understanding parent traps
making decisions and promoting adolescent responsibility.

Parents have also indicated that acquiring new knowledge and skills had increased their overall level of confidence. Parents from CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) communities have also reported that the program had a big impact on their families.

What age does a child have to be for a parent to do a course?

The ABCD program is aimed at parents of young people in transition from childhood into their teenage years. Usually this means children are aged 10-14.

Who is ABCD for?

ABCD is for parents of young people aged 10-14 years, and focuses on the critical transition years as the child moves into adolescence. It helps parents who are experiencing problems with their children, and provides ideas for how to deal with the teenage years.

What if a parent has low literacy skills?

All facilitators are skilled in ensuring that parents with low literacy are not embarrassed and that they can participate fully in the course.

Can parents with intellectual disabilities or mental health issues do the program?

This would need to be discussed with the facilitator of the group because the degree to which the parent's needs could be accommodated would vary from individual to individual.