What's inside

Structured online and face-to-face group sessions provide parents with space to connect with one another, reflect, and learn from shared experiences. Participation in these sessions is optional and partly self-guided, using a simple format such as a brief introduction to the topic, watching educational materials together, and creating space for open, non-judgmental sharing and exchange. Parents can participate at their own pace and use the platform for additional support between sessions.

In this project, we explore which self-guided format of the program works best and what is needed to facilitate scaling. We consider it important that group sessions become self-organising over time and can emerge bottom-up. Therefore, we examine how the program can be designed in such a way that parent groups can start and continue independently. One concrete approach is making an online template freely available, which can be used at no cost to organise group sessions (e.g. by schools, community centres, parent groups, etc.). This approach supports low-threshold, cost-effective scaling of the program.

In future versions of the program, we may add interactive features, such as anonymous advice, peer-to-peer chat, or forums for sharing experiences. These “nice-to-haves” will be guided by parent feedback and ongoing needs assessments. The goal is to further increase accessibility, connection, and support in a way that feels safe and useful to parents and professionals.

The online modules form the backbone of the program. Each module focuses on a central theme, such as self-care, setting boundaries, or dealing with challenging behavior. The content includes short educational texts, podcasts, videos, quizzes, and at-home exercises, which parents can work through at their own pace.

The program is built to fit easily into the daily lives of parents. It uses simple B1-level language, focuses on practical strategies before theory, and offers short, accessible content that can be used anytime - with or without group participation. Group sessions take place in the evening, online or in the neighbourhood. No referral is required to participate and the entire program is offered free of charge. This flexible, barrier-free approach helps ensure that support reaches those who need it most, in a way that feels relevant and doable.

The overall design of the program is grounded in scientific research, including parenting guidelines, findings from meta-analyses, and best practices from the field. At the same time, we develop the program in a co-iterative way, together with parents and professionals. This also means that no element is fixed at this stage. We remain flexible and open to adapting the content based on feedback and insights into what works in practice.