Implementing the Programs in Applied Settings

At present, the Incredible Years parent train-ing has been adopted by several hundred service agencies in 43 States of the United States and in Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Australia. These agencies include children's mental health agencies, family support services, child protection services, Head Start programs, health management organizations, national health services, and school systems. Experience suggests that agencies that have had the greatest success in integrating the Incredible Years Training Series as an ongoing part of their regular service have shared certain common elements. These include:
  • Administrative support and championing of the program. Administrative championing involves not merely authorizing the adoption of the new program, but showing active, continued interest. It also includes a willingness to authorize changes in the way services are usually offered to facilitate the new program (e.g., allowing staff to take leave time in exchange for leading evening groups, paying for childcare for the group).

  • Training and ongoing consultation through the initial groups so providers can become "certified" as group leaders. Service agencies that have arranged for staff to attend an authorized introductory workshop in the program, along with additional consultation through the initial groups (often including sending videotapes of group workshops for feedback), are more likely to offer higher quality workshops and to have more committed leaders.

Funding to purchase the Incredible Years programs may be obtained from local PTA groups in schools or from charitable organizations such as the Rotary Club, Kiwanas, and so forth. Once the initial costs of the materials and leader training have been assumed, these programs can be offered at minimal cost (which can be calculated based on the hourly rate of paying the group leader/therapist to conduct groups plus additional costs for books for participants and food and daycare for meetings). Incredible Years parent training has achieved favorable outcomes at cost savings in comparison with traditional mental health services. Its focus on a group-based approach and extensive use of videotapes makes it a cost-effective method of both training facilitators to deliver the program with high fidelity and reaching more families than the usual one-to-one approach.

Service agencies interested in communicating with other service providers who are already implementing the program in similar service settings should e-mail incredibleyears@seanet.com.

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The Incredible Years Training Series Juvenile Justice Bulletin • June 2000