Strengthening Parental Relationships (SPR) is Hampshire’s Reducing Parental Conflict offer, a government funded programme which aims to support parents and carers with their relationship.
Relationships between parents and/or carers really matter to children. All relationships will encounter problems along the way, it is how these problems are dealt with that can make all the difference. When parental conflict is frequent, intense and poorly resolved, it can cause toxic stress, that can have a significant negative impact on children’s mental health and long-term life chances. Furthermore, interventions such as parenting courses are less likely to be effective if there is unresolved parental conflict.
Parental conflict is more likely at times of increased family stress. This could be because of financial pressures, a period of ill mental / physical health, a bereavement or family breakdown. Stress levels also tend to increase at times of transition- the changes all families go through with the arrival of a new baby, moving house or children starting / changing school. To improve outcomes for children we need to be better at identifying when parental relationships are being impacted by these pressures, and the conflict within these relationships is becoming harmful. Early intervention to help parents and carers understand their conflict and the impact this has on their children, as well as supporting them to develop more helpful conflict behaviours can prevent situations escalating to crisis point.
To achieve this aim, Hampshire County Council is developing the training offer for practitioners to help embed “routine relationship curiosity” to improve outcomes for children. In response to practitioner feedback, different levels of training are now available:
NEW: eLearning: SPR Introduction and Toolkit tour
This short course is for any Practitioner of Volunteer that comes into contact with parents/carers as part of their work.
The course provides an introduction to SPR and the Practitioner Toolkit, helping you to locate the interventions on offer, tools and information to support you in your role.
It is a great way to gain an insight into why parental relationships matter to children and to services and takes about 30 minutes to complete.
To access the course visit:
eLearning Course: Strengthening Parental Relationships Toolkit
Advanced Development for Professionals on Strengthening Parental Relationships
This full day workshop is for Hampshire multi-agency professionals who work directly with parents/carers to affect positive change. The course will provide you with the tools, skills and confidence to identify harmful parental conflict, and support parents/carers to understand the impact their conflict has on their children and develop more helpful conflict behaviours. This course may also be of interest to professionals working with families who aspire to deliver direct work with parents/carers in the future.
These sessions are available in person, at a variety of venues and online:
For full details and to book a place visit:
Event List: Strengthening Parental Relationships