Quality standard

Quality statement 6: Parent-training programmes

Quality statement 6: Parent-training programmes

Quality statement

Parents or carers of children aged under 12 years with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges are offered a parent‑training programme. [2015]

Rationale

Early interventions for parents or carers support them to better understand and manage behaviour that challenges. This can help prevent the behaviour from developing into a long‑term problem that is distressing for the person with a learning disability and leads to a greater burden of care for families and the wider service system. Parent‑training programmes include training to promote the communication and social skills of children with a learning disability. They are designed to help parents and carers to understand, respond to and support children more effectively, with the aim of reducing and managing behaviour that challenges.

Quality measures

Structure

Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that parents or carers of children aged under 12 years with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges are offered a parent‑training programme for behaviour that challenges.

Data source: Local data collection.

Process

Proportion of parents or carers of children aged under 12 years with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges who are offered a parent‑training programme for behaviour that challenges.

Numerator – the number in the denominator whose parents or carers are offered a parent‑training programme for behaviour that challenges.

Denominator – the number of children aged under 12 years with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges.

Data source: Local data collection.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers (secondary care and social care providers) ensure that parents or carers of children aged under 12 years with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges are offered a parent‑training programme for behaviour that challenges.

Health and social care practitioners ensure that parents or carers of children aged under 12 years with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges are offered a parent‑training programme for behaviour that challenges.

Commissioners (clinical commissioning groups, NHS England and local authorities) ensure that they commission services that offer parent‑training programmes for behaviour that challenges to parents or carers of children aged under 12 years who have a learning disability and behaviour that challenges.

Parents or carers of children aged under 12 years with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges are offered a training programme to help them better understand and support the child. They learn how to help children improve their communication and social skills, which can help to reduce behaviour that challenges.

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

Parent‑training programme

Parent‑training programmes:

  • are delivered in groups of 10 to 15 parents or carers

  • focus on developing communication and social functioning in the child with a learning disability

  • typically consist of 8 to 12 sessions lasting 90 minutes

  • follow a treatment manual

  • are accessible (for example, take place outside normal working hours or in community‑based settings with childcare facilities)

  • use practical materials to ensure consistent implementation of the programme.

[Adapted from NICE's guideline on challenging behaviour and learning disabilities, recommendation 1.7.2]

Behaviour that challenges

Behaviour of such an intensity, frequency or duration as to threaten the quality of life and/or physical safety of the person, or others around them. It also includes behaviour that is likely to severely limit, or result in the person being denied, access to and use of ordinary community facilities.

[Adapted from NICE's guideline on learning disabilities and behaviour that challenges: service design and delivery, terms used in this guideline]