Core Components

Teen Triple P Online (TTPOL) is part of the multi-level Triple P intervention System. The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program® is a parenting and family support system designed to prevent and treat behaviour and emotional problems in children and teenagers. All programmes in the system take a self-regulatory approach that encourages practitioners, parents and children to promote independent problem solving. The Triple P System also takes a minimal sufficiency approach, offering families just the amount of support they require. It aims to do this by providing interventions at different levels through different methods of delivery. The Triple P System has 5 levels of intervention each increasing in intensity and directed towards a different level of family need or dysfunction. The levels range from Level 1 which takes a universal approach, to Level 5 interventions which include programmes which offer intensive family support for families with complex concerns.

TTPOL is a self-directed programme for parents, aimed at reducing child behavioural problems through positive parenting practices. It is for parents of children between 10 – 16 years old and supports parents in preventing problem behaviours from developing and addressing moderate to severe behavioural problems in their child. The online mode of delivery can also benefit parents of children who have issues with accessing services (e.g. distance, timing, child care), live in geographically isolated areas or are in places where services have long waiting lists.

TTPOL is comprised of 6 modules which cover: what is Positive Parenting for teenagers, encouraging appropriate behaviour, teaching new skills and behaviour, managing problem behaviour, planning ahead for risky situations, and raising confident, capable teenagers. As each module is completed the next module is unlocked and can be accessed. Each module takes 30-60 minutes to complete.

Modules include: Video-based psychoeducation, video modelling of parenting skills, Interactive exercises (i.e. checklists, rating scales, and multiple-choice quizzes) and individual goal setting. Each module ends with a ‘get active’ section that asks users to develop achievable goals and set homework tasks, to consolidate learning and to encourage between-session practice. Teen Triple P Online also includes an extra module that specifically addresses parenting during the COVID-19 crisis. Parents can access this module for practical tips to provide a calm environment for their family and to help develop children’s coping skills to build emotional resilience in uncertain times and challenging situations.

Additional resources include module summaries, worksheets, behaviour graphs, emails, podcasts, optional text message reminders and a workbook. The workbook is an individualised summary of the content presented in the videos and contains parent responses to activities. This workbook can be emailed or printed. Automatic email reminders are sent to parents to encourage programme completion. Families can be offered motivational/prompting or clinical support by practitioners, typically done via telephone. Teen Triple P Online is available in several languages, including English, French, Arabic, German, Spanish and Dutch-Flemish.

Fidelity

The intervention is self-directed, therefore there is no fidelity measure. Practitioners can offer additional support to parents working through the programme, of which practitioners have access to a range of tools to support fidelity and quality assurance, including Clinical Support Guidelines and Session Checklists to guide and record check-in progress with parents.

Other fidelity checks/quality assurance strategies across the Triple P System of programmes includes accreditation of practitioners as part of a provider training course to establish a baseline of competence for all practitioners, and Peer Support Networks via a Peer Assisted Supervision and Support (PASS) model which is a self-regulatory framework for practitioners where they can support each other’s skill development.

Modifiable Components

The content and order of the Teen Triple P Online Programme is not modifiable.  Practitioners can offer additional support to parents working through the programme, they should be accredited in a Triple P intervention.

Triple P – Positive Parenting Program® was developed in Queensland, Australia. Training and implementation are now available across 30 countries. Within the United Kingdom training and implementation support can be accessed from Triple P UK.

Support for Organisation / Practice

Implementation Support

Parents who undertake this intervention need to have a computer and broadband access, motivation to work through a self-directed programme and a preference to complete the programme in their own home at their own pace. Parents must have sufficient levels of literacy and computer skills to work through the programme themselves.

Agencies can purchase Teen Triple P Online access codes and distribute them to parents, or parents can buy access directly from Triple P. Tiered support packages are available to organisations who wish to purchase more than 100 access codes.  Support options via such packages may include:

• Teen Triple P Online access codes for practitioners supporting parents
• Access to the Online Management System (code delivery, monitoring, measuring and reporting)
• Webinars and workshops to support practitioners in implementing the programme and working with parents
• Flyers, posters, a dedicated landing page and additional communications and marketing support
• Support with additional assessment measures such as parent data collection and reporting
• Additional implementation support as required

A range of additional reference materials and guidelines are also available to organisations and practitioners to guide programme implementation, on topics such as:

• How to introduce the programme to parents and provide ongoing motivation
• How to navigate and use the Online Management System
• Conducting clinical support via telephone, videoconference, email or in-person
• Session checklists to guide check-in conversations with parents

Triple P UK has structured implementation supports available to all sites implementing a Triple P programme. All implementation supports are flexible and tailored to the site’s requirements and are available for all programmes in the Triple P system. Triple P have developed a framework for implementation, it has 5 phases and are all described in detail in the Triple P Implementation Framework (TPIF). Triple P UK also has Implementation Consultants (IC) available to support new sites work through the phases of implementation.

Licence requirements

No licence is required.

Start-up Costs

Triple P UK provide costs on request.

Building Staff Competency

Qualifications Required

Teen Triple P Online is self-directed but if practitioner support is offered, Triple P UK recommend that practitioners have a post-high school qualification in health, education, early childhood education, or social services. However, para-professionals who actively work with families, may also be suitable for training.

Training Requirements

The intervention is self-directed but if practitioner support is offered, Triple P UK recommend that practitioners are trained in a Triple P intervention. Triple P UK can also provide training and workshop options for practitioners supporting parents in Triple P Online.

Supervision Requirements

No official supervision requirements are detailed by Triple P UK.  However, there is a professional development and peer support model; Peer Assisted Supervision and Support (PASS). This approach brings together Triple P practitioners to support one another to strengthen and refine their Triple P delivery. 

Theory of Change

The Triple P system aims to enhance family protective factors and reduce risk factors associated with severe behavioural and emotional problems later in childhood. Triple P interventions are based on social learning, cognitive behavioural and developmental theory.

Values

Triple P interventions aim to promote positive caring relationships between parents and their children and to help parents develop effective management strategies for dealing with behaviour and emotions.

Triple P takes a minimal sufficiency approach, offering families just the amount of support parents require to resolve a problem and enable parents to be confident, competent and independent in their parenting. It also takes a self-regulatory approach that encourages practitioners, parents and children to promote independent problem solving.

• Does working with families to promote a positive caring relationship with their child match with your service values?
• Does taking a minimal sufficiency approach to offering support align with your service values?

Priorities

Teen Triple P Online is a self-directed intervention aimed at preventing and reducing child/teenager behaviour problems through positive parenting practices. It is an indicated prevention / early intervention programme / universal programme for parents of children between 10-16 years and is accessed online. It can benefit parents of children who have issues with accessing services (e.g. distance, timing, child care), live in geographically isolated areas or are in places where services have long waiting lists.

• Does this fit with the priorities of your service?

Existing Initiatives

• Does your service already provide self-directed, online early intervention programmes aiming to improve child/teenage behaviour and promote positive relationships?
• Does your service have practitioners trained in other Triple P interventions who could support families to engage in the Teen Triple P Online programme?

Workforce

No practitioners are required to deliver the intervention; however, practitioner time may be beneficial to engage families in the intervention and support families through the intervention. Practitioner support can be given through telephone support, families may require up to one hour of telephone support (up to four 15- minute telephone calls) while completing the online programme.

• Do you have appropriate practitioners available to support parents through the intervention?

Technology Support

For the organisation providing the Triple P Online codes to families, access to a computer with internet access is required. Parents require access to a device capable of connecting to the internet to participate in the programme.

• Do you have the appropriate technology required to implement the intervention?

Administrative Support

Administrative support is required to collect any evaluation data and feedback, manage referrals and code allocation.

• Do you have enough administrative capacity and systems to meet these administrative needs?

Financial Support

Costs can be provided directly from Triple P UK.

• Do you have the finances available to support the training and implementation of this programme?

Comparable Population

Teen Triple P Online is a universally appropriate programme suited to all families, including more targeted intervention for parents of children aged between 10-16 years old with moderate / severe behavioural problems.

Generally Triple P has been shown to be acceptable, useful, and culturally appropriate for parents from culturally diverse backgrounds with Teen Triple P research including participants who were women, identified as Australian, were university-educated, with less than half employed full-time, and majority from original families.

• Is this comparable to the population you serve?

Desired Outcome

The aim of the intervention is to promote positive parenting practices to foster optimal child/teenager development and wellbeing, and to prevent and reduce child behavioural problems. TTPOL has been found to be effective in reducing child problem behaviours, child emotional problems, parents’ use of dysfunctional parenting practices, parental stress, conflict between parents, parents’ anger responses and increased parental confidence in parenting.

• Is reducing child/teenage behaviour problems and supporting parents to develop effective management strategies for dealing with behaviour and emotions problems a priority for your service?