Protecting Children from Parental Conflict: training for frontline practitioners

About this course

The specialist team at the AFNCCF have developed a three-day training course which provides frontline staff with a toolbox of skills that can be used to intervene and support families where there is parental conflict. The training covers how to:

• use psychoeducation with parents in conflict and their social network (including access to a series of short online videos);

• keep the child at the forefront by identifying and monitoring child-centred goals with the parents;

• help parents and their networks recognise their ‘triggers’ and develop coping strategies so that they regulate and manage conflict better;

• help parents and their networks recognise and change problematic communication patterns;

• help parents and the child’s network move away from a blaming narrative so that they can support a child to have a good relationship with both their parents;

• help parents make and experiment with written parenting agreements;

• develop reflective practice when supporting parents in conflict, including managing the emotional impact of working with parental conflict and improving cultural reflexivity.

The course is delivered using the framework of our ‘Family Ties Online Help’ intervention. This is a semi-structured, manualised 10-session treatment package for parents in conflict that can be delivered online or in person. However, the intervention does not have to be delivered in its entirety. Practitioners can pick and choose any component of the treatment package based on their role and the family's needs.

A treatment guide and access to short videos for parents will be provided along with teaching slides for this training as part of this course.

The course involves a combination of didactic teaching, interactive role play and case discussion aimed at developing practitioner skills. Anna Freud brings together those with a stake in the mental health of children and young people. Please subscribe to our mailing list to receive a bi-monthly e-newsletter and occasional updates about Anna Freud's training and events.