Incredible Years Wales:
The Welsh Centre for Promoting
the Incredible Years Programmes
Title:
“Progress
in Researching and Implementing the Incredible Years Programmes in
Norway”.
Presented
by: Odd Fyhn, University Hospital, Tromsø, Northern
Norway
Abstract.
In 1997
the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Social Affairs reviewed evidence based
programmes for violence prevention and decided to implement The Incredible
Years programmes nationwide for referred diagnosed conduct disordered children
in the three to eight age range. The plan was extremely well funded, enabling
training courses in Norway by Professor Webster-Stratton and also opportunities
for Norwegian staff to train and observe the programmes in Seattle. Initial
emphasis was on the parenting programme and there have since been developments
associated with the Therapeutic Child Dinosaur School and teacher programmes.
The initial
stage was to establish sufficient leaders to deliver the programme reliably
and to enable a replication study to be undertaken. This was to ensure that
the programme was both acceptable and effective in the Norwegian context.
Once leaders were trained and research outcomes demonstrated that the programme
worked in the Norwegian context an implementation group was established. The
plan is now in the service development phase and, in 2004, has been allocated
a budget of NOK 5.7 million (£500,000). The mentor and trainer pool
currently available to support implementation consists of one trainer (Professor.
WT Mørk), three basic parenting programme mentors and one therapeutic
dinosaur group mentor. More mentors are currently in training. The implementation
group has applied for five years' funding to establish the programme, or parts
of it, at ten new sites each year.
In order
to select participating centres, information will be sent to relevant organisations
(hospitals, clinics, schools, et cetera). Organisations wishing to participate
will first be required to establish for themselves whether they can make the
commitment required to meet the criteria for inclusion in the development
programme, using the relevant Incredible Years instrument. The implementation
group will then decide which organisations will be accepted. Participating
centres will be provided with training workshops, materials and mentor expenses
which will funded by the implementation group.
The presentation
describes progress to date in terms of the research and implementation strategy
so far and the plans to develop and support the programme over the coming
five years.