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Description
The aim of the Project is to strengthen positive parenting skills by Implementing Incredible Years Program Module in Lithuania.
Why is it needed?
In Lithuania we do not have enough services, which could fulfil needs of families with children having behavioural problems. The child psychiatry available offers treatments that are often excessive, such as prescriptions of medication or hospitalization. For instance, within one year, hospitalization of children due to mental disorders drastically increased by more than 25% (from 4324 to 5412 in 2016-2017). Many of the children and young people who need the most help, do not get it at all. That is why we need more evidence-based early intervention programs. The implementation of the “Incredible Years” Project could and will help to promote evidence-based, cost-effective interventions that develop positive parent-child relationships and assist in preventing and treating behaviour problems as well as promoting social, emotional, and academic competence before a child becomes an adult.
Main project activities:
- purchasing and adaptation of the Incredible Years training Program module “Preschool Basic Parent Program (3-6 years)”;
- purchasing and adaptation of the Incredible Years training Program module “School Age Basic Parent Program (6-12 years)”;
- selection of the most suitable candidates to become group leaders of the Program and organization of group leaders’ trainings, seeking to ensure the provision of high-quality services in the following stages of the Project implementation (86 persons);
- planning, organization and implementation of parents’ trainings (1116 persons).
Main targeted groups of the Project are: specialists working with children or parents, e.g. social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, public health specialists, special education teachers, etc.; parents of children with behavioural problems and finally, the most important target group is children, who need help.
Summary of project results
Lithuania lacks sufficient services to support families with children who have behavioral problems. Existing child psychiatry services often rely on excessive treatments, such as unnecessary medication prescriptions or hospitalization. For example, within just one year (2016–2017), the number of children hospitalized for mental disorders increased sharply by over 25%, rising from 4,324 to 5,412 cases. Despite the growing need, many children and young people do not receive the help they require. This highlights the urgent need for more evidence-based early intervention programs.
The project aimed to strengthen positive parenting skills by implementing the parent-child component of the Incredible Years program. This initiative focused on promoting effective, evidence-based interventions to help parents build strong relationships with their children, prevent and address behavioral issues and support children''s social, emotional and academic development.
The project included several key activities:
The Incredible Years training modules—Preschool Basic Parent Program and School Age Basic Parent Program—were acquired and adapted for use.
A total of 102 group leaders were trained to provide high-quality support for families with children experiencing behavioral challenges.
Using the Incredible Years program, 1,216 parents received training to strengthen their parenting skills and better support their children’s development.
The project improved positive parenting skills by implementing two Incredible Years training program modules in Lithuania.
The main target groups included:
- Specialists who work with children and parents, such as social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, public health specialists and special education teachers.
- Parents of children with behavioral challenges.
- Most importantly, children who need support.
Summary of bilateral results
The project partner was the Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare (RKBU) in Norway (https://www.ntnu.edu/rkbu), which has extensive experience in implementing the Incredible Years programme. Over the past 20 years, RKBU has adapted various modules of the programme, making it the leading institution responsible for its development and implementation in Norway. Their cooperation has been key in ensuring the successful implementation of the programme in Lithuania, allowing for the transfer of best practices and providing valuable advice that helped ensure the smooth and timely execution of the project. As part of Activity 2.1.1 ("Acquisition and translation of the curriculum and training materials"), consultations with Norwegian experts were held to facilitate the adaptation of the training materials. For Activity 2.1.2 ("Training of Team Leaders"), partner consultations (both remote and in-person visits) were conducted to support the training process. In Activity 2.1.3 ("Parents trained"), similar consultations took place. Looking ahead, expert consultation meetings in Lithuania are planned, along with regular participation of HI representatives in meetings with the European Incredible Years network members.