Share Plus is a Parenting Model for working with parents and carers. It aims to raise awareness about family issues enhancing parenting skills and attitudes.

The Share Plus critique is a review of the Share Plus training course. It looks into several aspects of the course such as costs, facilities and resources provided. This page shows a summary of the document but the full version can be viewed in PDF format using the link below.

Share Plus Critique (PDF 25KB)

Description of the Resource
Share Plus is a programme which offers a way of working with parents, through a trained facilitator, in order to engage parents as a group. It includes training for facilitators, accreditation for parents and the following materials:

Yes:
Handouts: Homework sheets, Help Page sheets, Group Work sheets. These are all simple, basic resources which can easily be adapted for the group.

• Support group for parents - where parents themselves choose specific issues and needs
• Taster sessions to engage parents
• Course of a set length and with specific objectives
• Focus for existing groups
• Cover any of the 5 units in order to give parents opportunities for accreditation

Is it intended for use at home or in other settings?
Can be used in any community setting.

Is it suitable for use with parents with diverse needs and wishes?
Yes
Share Plus is a flexible programme which can easily be adapted to suit the needs of parents and carers with diverse needs and wishes.

Is it intended for the training of facilitators working with parents?
No
Training for facilitators to run the Share Plus programme should be undertaken prior to facilitating it with groups of parents. The Share Plus programme materials should only be purchased for facilitators who have undertaken Share Plus Facilitation Training.

Who are the primary target groups?
Parents of children aged between the ages of 4 and 12 - but can successfully be used with parents and carers of children of any age.

• Being a parent
• Play, learning and getting on at school
• Growing children
• Health, safety and welfare
• Support

• Attendance register
• Initial self-assessment
• Ongoing self-assessment
• End of course evaluation

An evaluation (by the National Children's Bureau) of the piloting of the Share Plus programme is available from ContinYou.

Who can use it?
Facilitators who have undertaken Share Plus Facilitation training.

Is it image based/discussion/activity based?
The course is based on experiential learning. As well as giving input on the course, facilitators will be helping parents to learn from each other in the group, and to learn with their children at home.

Does it include any accreditation/certificate/recognition of course completion?

• Certificate of course completion
• Share Plus can be accredited through the Open College Network

The length of the course will be determined by individual circumstances. It can be adapted to suit any length from single taster sessions, to six week courses, to on-going support groups.

What are its strengths?

• It immediately hands over the power from the facilitator to the parents by offering them a wide-ranging menu of support from which parents and carers choose
• Parents are seen as the experts and existing skills are built on, leading to increased confidence and self esteem
• It is non-directive, flexible and easily adapted to the needs of any group of parents

What are its weaknesses?

• Even after accessing Share Plus training, it can take time to understand the format and presentation style of the course
• The handouts are not especially attractive and could be improved upon
• Facilitators with limited experience may find its flexibility challenging. Share Plus requires excellent facilitation skills and a knowledge of other parenting resources to draw upon and include in the programme when required
• The name Share Plus - often confused with another programme called Share which is used in some schools to support children's education

• There are no right or wrong answers
• Parents are seen as the experts
• Gives parents the opportunity to explore issues through discussion
• It is important that facilitators acknowledge parents' existing skills
• The programme should be run in a way that makes it accessible to those with basic skills needs
• It is a flexible programme and can be adapted to the needs of particular groups of parents

• It can be used as a framework of support for a diverse range of groups of parents in both school and other community settings
• I would recommend that parents are given the opportunity to choose an alternative name for their group
• As universal support for parents and carers
• May not be suitable for parents who are experiencing extreme difficulties

Does it take account of the diversity of parents with whom it might be used?
At the heart of this course is the opportunity for parents to talk about their experiences and to support each other. It recognises that different things work for different adults and children and whilst giving ideas for parents to try, promotes no right or wrong answers. Skilfully facilitated Share Plus takes account of re-formed families, sexual orientation, levels of literacy, ethnic diversity etc.

Yes, Margaret Burgess has used it.
In 2003 she completed the training for facilitators to run the Share Plus programme with parents' group.
In 2004 she completed the approved Trainer Programme to train facilitators.
In 2004 she facilitated an 8 week Share Plus parenting group in an Infant & Junior School. From 2004 to 2007, Margaret Burgess has trained several groups of professional people from a variety of agencies who wished to facilitate parenting programmes.

Did it work well or not?
Yes
At first some of the parents were defensive and thought they may be seen as "poor parents who needed help". This myth was soon dispelled and the parents took control. They took over the layout of the room, helped with refreshments and took the pen from my hand to write on the flip chart themselves.

• I really liked the course and made new friends
• Healthy refreshments
• Useful and interesting
• Loads of information
• Made lots of new friends
• Didn't feel like school
• Would have been better with childcare
• Need more about how to handle bad behaviour

The cost of training through ContinYou is expensive - £3,000 plus VAT for 12 participants. It may be worth finding out if any local practitioners have completed the approved Trainer Programme to train facilitators.

General points which would be of use to a future user.
It is important that facilitators spend a considerable amount of time becoming confident with the materials in order to understand the philosophy of the Share Plus programme.
It is important to bear in mind that Share Plus Training for Facilitators is programme training. Therefore I feel it is important that facilitators access additional training relating directly to facilitating with groups of parents.