The Tuning in to Kids® suite of programs focus on the emotional connection between parents and children. The programs aim to teach parents and carers skills in recognising, understanding and managing their own emotions, and their child’s. Specifically, we teach parents and carers how to respond to their children’s and adolescents’ emotions in a way that has been found optimal for healthy emotional development. This way of responding is called Emotion Coaching.
No, Tuning in to Kids® as an organisation does not offer parenting groups. Our main business is to create and evaluate the Tuning in programs and to train professionals to facilitate the programs for parents.
The programs are typically offered in a group setting, via 6-8 2-hour sessions, either in-person or live online, delivered by an accredited Tuning in facilitator to a small group of parents (typically around 10 parents, but this can range between 3-15 parents). The delivery method is subject to the program provider. Some providers also offer the program via 6-8 1-hour 1-1 sessions. Check with individual providers for more details on their method of delivery.
The delivery method is subject to each program provider. The are providers who offer 1-1 sessions both in-person and via tele-health online sessions. If you’re unsure about attending a group or one-to-one delivery, talk to a provider near you who can explain these methods of delivery in more detail.
Tuning in to Kids or Teens parenting groups are delivered to parents over 6-8 weeks, with one 2-hour session each week. There are also providers who offer 1-1 delivery of the programs – just the parent and a facilitator working together. These sessions are typically delivered via 6-8 60-minute sessions.
The cost of a Tuning In program varies depending on who delivers the sessions. Some organisations are funded to provide the programs free of charge, some charge a small fee and some facilitators charge a larger fee. Many providers are able to offer a discount if you inquire. You may also be able to talk to your GP about accessing funding to attend a parenting program.
We offer professional facilitator training suitable for anyone who works with parents and carers in a professional capacity, particularly in family and community services, child protection, foster/kinship care, health, mental health and education sectors.
If you are interested in becoming a Tuning In facilitator, please see our professional’s site here.
Our team have developed a series of videos to help parents understand the key concepts that are taught in our Tuning in programs. Specifically, the program modules teach you some of the skills in Emotional Intelligence and Emotion Coaching that underpin our program. There are currently two series of videos available – Tuning in to Kids Online (TIKOL) for parents of children up to 12 years https://tuningintokids.org.au/parents/parenting-programs/tuning-in-to-kids-online/ and the Tuning in to Toddlers Online (TOTOL) for parents of toddlers aged 12 months to 3 ½ years https://tuningintokids.org.au/parents/parenting-programs/tuning-in-to-toddlers-online/
In short, no. Tuning in to Kids Online (TIKOL) is a video subscription providing access to a series of modules created as an introduction to our standard 6 week parenting program. This series of videos is unsupervised and does not include a certificate of completion. If you have a court order, we recommend participating in a facilitated in-person/online Tuning in program.
The TIKOL program was evaluated by our team in a randomised control trial, delivered together with two support calls from a trained facilitator who provided additional guidance. When TIKOL was delivered in this way, we saw that it helped to facilitate improvements in parents’ empathy, supportive responses to their children’s emotions and reductions in child anxiety.
Tuning in to Toddlers (TOTOL) is yet to be evaluated- there are plans to do so in the coming year.