BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group

BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group is an 11-session program for mothers who:

• are using or have used drugs and/or alcohol in the past

• have a child 6 years of age or under (in her care or not)

• are involved with the Children’s Aid Society and are recommended or required to attend a parenting group

The group incorporates the basics of parenting education with the added dimension of looking at the impact of substance use on parenting. Moms are interested in joining the group because they recognize the need for support when parenting and they want to meet CAS conditions for having children returned to their care. Getting a letter of completion after attending at least 8 of the 11 sessions is seen to improve mothers’ chances of being reunited with their children.

The BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group philosophy and methodology provides a safe and fun learning environment where everyone feels comfortable.

Hope Place Centres can provide information to those interested in offering a BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group in their community. BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group is a researched, manualized intervention that has been offered in the Greater Toronto area since 1998.

History of BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group

BEYOND THE BASICS was first offered in 1998 in response to a need identified by the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto’s Scarborough Branch. Parents involved with child welfare were being ordered by the court to attend parenting education, but there were few programs available. Many of them didn’t have their children with them and so had different challenges than other parents taking parenting courses out in the community.

Marian Crockford of Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre in Scarborough developed the curriculum for the group based on many years of experimenting with play-based learning for adults. It was decided that her practice wisdom and experience should be written down so that others could offer the group. The process of writing the BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group: A Resource Manual for Facilitators began in 2001 and it was published in September 2003. The manual contains all the information required to successfully organize, promote, staff and deliver a ten-session program. The manual is available from Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre, www.aislingdiscoveries.on.ca.

In the spring of 2002, the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto  organized a workgroup of community agencies who were concerned about the lack of parenting education for parents/caregivers involved with child welfare. In June 2003, the workgroup of agencies was awarded funding by the Centre for Excellence in Child Welfare to evaluate the effectiveness of the BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group model.  A summary of the research results is available at the Centre for Excellence in Child Welfare website, www.cecw-cepb.ca under Publications, Information Sheets. 

Philosophy and Methodology of BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group

The BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group uses a play-based learning approach to engage participants in a non-threatening manner. An attempt is made to focus on parents’ strengths, recognizing that parents already have knowledge about their own children and can build on that with the information provided in the group.

Facilitators do not use a lecture style or give prescribed answers. Instead, questions and discussion are used to learn more about parents’ thoughts, feelings and concerns. Games are used to create teachable moments to help parents think through situations and develop their own problem-solving skills and coping strategies. Parents’ knowledge and capability is reinforced as much as possible.

Two features of the group methodology used are Mutual Aid and the All-in-the-Same-Boat phenomenon. Once participants discover that others have had similar experiences with child welfare, they feel a sense of belonging that breaks down barriers to learning. In making connections with others in the group, opportunities for sharing and mutual aid present themselves. As participants feel supported by the facilitators and each other, their trust is increased and they become more open to new learning.

Through participating in the group, parents use and learn observation skills, self-awareness skills and flexible response skills. Through observing the facilitators and other participants, they see how others behave, hear about how others have handled situations and can learn vicariously. As parents participate in the structured learning activities, they develop self-awareness and can learn from their own experiences and reactions. They also learn that there are many strategies and techniques involved in parenting, so that a parent can draw from a repertoire of responses that can be used to meet their particular child’s needs and temperament.

How to start a BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group

• BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group: A Resource Manual for Facilitators was published in September 2003. The manual contains all the information required to successfully organize, promote, staff and deliver a ten-session program. The manual is available from Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre, www.aislingdiscoveries.on.ca.  For information about the adaptations to the manual, to serve women with addictions who are pregnant or parenting children 0-6, contact Heather MacDonald at 905-465-3324 or heathermacdonald@hopeplace.ca

• Training: Baby’s Best Beginnings and BEYOND THE BASICS Parenting Group facilitators are available to train others who would like to start a group in their community. For information, call Heather MacDonald at 905-465-3324 or heathermacdonald@hopeplace.ca

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