New Beginnings is a targeted group based parenting-after-divorce programme, designed to help parents help their children (aged 3-18 years) adjust to changes that follow separation or divorce. The manualised programme equips parents with the skills needed to build quality parent-child relationship, boost effective communication, promote effective discipline, and prevent children’s’ exposure to inter-parental conflicts. This is expected to protect children from adjustment problems following separation/ divorce, thereby reducing the development of child mental health problems (including internalising and externalising problems).

New Beginnings is delivered in a community setting by one trained master level counsellor to parents. Parents receive ten 2-hour weekly group sessions, and two individual phone sessions. The ten group sessions teach skills for improved parent-child relationship (including family fun time; one-on-one time; catching children doing good); active listening; addressing inter-parental conflict; anger management; and effective discipline. Within these sessions, parents are taught to monitor misbehaviours, implement a change plan, and observe changes. Parents get feedback from practitioners and other parents after implementing these skills at home. The individual sessions are tailored to suit specific family needs and focus on increasing the use of taught skills and addressing issues with implementing change plans. The first individual session lasts about one hour, while the second call lasts about 30 minutes. Parents who miss a prior session are invited to attend a 15-20 minutes make-up session, delivered right before the next session. The programme is delivered to separate mothers’ groups and fathers’ groups of 6-10 participants. Participation by both parents is not required. Participants can be recruited into the programme using mechanisms most efficacious for implementing organisations.

Fidelity

Programme fidelity is ensured by implementation of the following measures:

• Practitioner training and supervision
• Use of detailed programme manual
• Supervisor review of videotaped sessions
• On-going consultation to support programme delivery

Modifiable Components

The New Beginnings programme was initially designed to be delivered to mothers only, but has now been modified to its current form to allow delivery to both mothers and fathers. In its current form, programme materials are only available in English language; while programme materials for mothers only delivery is available in English and Dutch. To meet the needs of culturally diverse families, the programme manual includes culturally relevant examples, culturally sensitive rationales, and video skilled demonstrations that include ethnically diverse actors. New Beginnings is skills based, and provides opportunities for practitioners to tailor skills to suit families’ needs. This programme is currently being adapted to fit a web-based format.

New Beginnings was developed by Family Transitions as one of two programmes for families going through divorce. The second programme on offer is the Children of Divorce - Coping with Divorce (CoD-CoD)- an online programme which focuses on helping children (aged 12-15 years) cope with divorce.   

Support for Organisation/Practice

As part of implementation support, the Family Transitions team offer in-person training to individual practitioners, and institutional training for multiple providers. The Family Transitions team provide continued training and supervision to new practitioners delivering the programme; and provide support for practitioner certification. Family Transitions also provide practitioners with programme materials (including practitioner manual, workbooks), and ongoing consultation (if required). Implementation support can be requested from programme developers.

Licence Requirements

A licence is not required to deliver this programme.

Start-up Costs

Start-up costs include $16,000 for the initial three day practitioner training at the implementing site, for up to eight practitioners. This fee does not include trainer travel, or accommodation. If training is delivered at the New Beginnings site then an additional $500-$600 for training room rental is required. Other costs include $900 per practitioner for programme resources (includes practitioner manual, DVD for group sessions, and 10 parent workbooks); $1,425- $1,825 certification fee per practitioner (includes 10 meetings with supervisor); $70 for a set of parent workbooks; and $100 hourly consultation fee (as needed). Costs for childcare, participant recruitment, snacks and venue should also be considered.

Building Staff Competency

Qualifications Required

New Beginnings should be delivered by trained master’s level counsellors. Nurses with experience in working with children can also receive training to deliver the programme. To make programme delivery more manageable for one practitioner, New Beginnings is available in a DVD/thumb drive delivery system. One practitioner can deliver the programme to groups of 5-7 parents.

Training Requirements

Practitioner training prior to programme delivery is required. Practitioners attend an initial three-day face-to-face training, after which they can proceed with delivering their first group. During group delivery, practitioners attend ten Zoom meetings with the programme supervisor. These meetings coincide with the ten group sessions the practitioner delivers. In each weekly meeting, the supervisor and 3-4 practitioners discuss several points including session delivery, trouble shooting and review of the next session. As part of the training, practitioners also attend ten 1-hr weekly asynchronous online trainings. Each weekly online training provides detailed walkthrough of the session to be delivered. It should be attended ahead of weekly group session delivered by practitioner, and ahead of the weekly meetings with the programme supervisor. After delivery of the first group, the practitioner achieves certification if they have demonstrated sufficient competence for independent programme delivery. Certificate is valid for two years.

Supervision Requirements

Practitioners receive supervision and continued training during delivery of their first group. Supervisors review every session delivered by practitioner to assess quality and fidelity. Based on the outcome of reviewed sessions, the supervisor along with programme developers determine if certificate can be awarded, or if further group delivery, training and supervision are required.

Theory of Change

New Beginnings applies social learning theory and cognitive behavioural approaches. This is evidenced in the programme emphasis on skills acquisition and enhancement; and the didactic and experiential teaching methods applied in programme delivery (including parent training, video modelling, role-play, games, and weekly home skills practice assignments). The acquired skills help parents effect change in three potentially modifiable parenting domains (i.e. parent-child relationship, effective discipline, children’s exposure to inter-parental conflicts) associated with children’s post-divorce/ post-separation adjustments. Positive modification of these domains is expected to protect children from adjustment problems following separation/ divorce, thereby reducing the development of child mental health problems (including internalising and externalising problems).   

Values

New Beginnings is a targeted group based parenting-after-divorce programme, designed to help parents help their children (aged 3-18 years) adjust to changes that follow separation or divorce. The manualised programme uses social learning theory, and cognitive behaviour approaches to equip parents with the skills needed

• Does this approach align with the key values of your organisation?

Priorities

New Beginnings is designed to improve child outcomes following separation/divorce. The programme equips parents with the skills needed to build quality parent-child relationship, promote effective communication, enhance effective discipline, and prevent children’s exposure to inter-parental conflicts. These taught parental skills are expected to reduce the development of child mental health problems post separation / divorce (including internalising and externalising problems).

• Is your service looking to deliver an intervention parents for the purpose of reducing the development of mental health problems in their children following separation/ divorce?
• Would a group parenting programme suit your organisation, or would an intervention that has a greater degree of individualisation be a better fit?

Existing Initiatives

• Does your agency have existing parenting programmes that promote positive parenting strategies?
• Do the existing programmes focus on parenting after divorce?
• Are the existing initiatives effective? Do they fit your current and anticipated future requirements?
• Are there components addressed New Beginnings that are not met by existing programmes?

Workforce

New Beginnings is typically delivered by trained master’s level counsellors. Nurses with experience in working with children can also receive training to deliver the programme. One practitioner delivers the weekly 2-hour sessions to groups of 5-7 parents. Practitioners are required to attend a 3 day face-to-face training followed by weekly online trainings and weekly meetings until certification is awarded.

• Does your organisation have qualified practitioners in the relevant field, who are interested in learning and delivering this programme?
• Can your organisation recruit practitioners for programme delivery?
• Is your organisation committed to supporting practitioner training and certification?
• How many cohorts of parent groups will the programme be delivered to in the first year?
• Do you have practitioners capacity to deliver the programme in the first year?

Technology Support

New Beginnings is available in a DVD/thumb drive delivery system. After the three-day training practitioners attend ten online trainings (delivered weekly), and ten online meetings with supervisor (delivered weekly), until certification is awarded. As part of the programme parents receive two individualised phone sessions. Lastly, as part of fidelity monitoring, sessions are videotaped for supervisor review.

• Does your organisation have the technology to support practitioner online training, programme delivery, and fidelity monitoring?

Administrative Support

New Beginnings is delivered in a community setting. The programme is delivered in ten 2 hour weekly group sessions, and two individual phone sessions. Provision should be made for childcare, snacks and venue. Administrative support is needed to recruit families into the programme.

• Does your organisation have the administrative capacity to support delivery of a community-based intervention?
• Have you identified a facility/venue where this programme can be delivered?
• Can your organisation meet other needs for programme delivery (childcare, snacks)?
• How will families be identified for inclusion into this programme?
• Can your organisation provide administrative support needed to recruit families into this programme?

Financial Support

Practitioner training costs $16,000 for up to eight practitioners (additional $500-$600 rental if training room rental is at New Beginnings site); $900 per practitioner for programme resources; $1,425- $1,825 certification fee per practitioner; $70 for set of parent workbooks; and $100 hourly consultation fee (as needed). Costs for childcare, participant recruitment, snacks, venue, and other administrative needs should also be considered.

• Does your organisation have funds available to train the required number of practitioners?
• Does your organisation have funds available to support the cost of resources, license fees, consultation fees and other implementation costs?

Comparable Population

New Beginnings is a targeted group based parenting-after-divorce programme, designed to help parents help their children (aged 3-18 years) adjust to changes that follow separation or divorce. Evidence of effectiveness in children aged 3-18 years comes from one RCT that included 830 families (with children aged 3–18 years). Families were from diverse ethnic origins (i.e. Caucasian, Hispanic and other ethnicities) and included divorced parents, legally married but divorcing parents, and not legally married parents.

• Is this comparable to the population your organisation would like to serve?

Desired Outcome

New Beginnings aims to equip separated/ divorced parents with the skills needed to build quality parent-child relationship, boost effective communication, promote effective discipline, and prevent children’s exposure to inter-parental conflicts. This is expected to improve children’s post-divorce/ post-separation adjustments, and reduce child mental health problems (including internalising and externalising problems). Programme delivery is associated with significant improvement in child behaviours, relationship quality and effective discipline.

• Is delivering a targeted intervention to enhance parenting skills, and improve children’s adjustment to change following parental divorce/separation a priority for your organisation?
• Does your organisation have other initiatives in place that effectively and efficiency address the above outcomes?