Independent site. Not an official website of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Find out more
Asked by Michelle

AQW 43004/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Health

To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of parents who have completed positive parenting programmes, delivered or commissioned by Health and Social Care Trusts, Sure Start, or through Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership-supported Family Support Hubs, in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) programme type; and (ii) Health and Social Care Trust.

Asked by Michelle Guy MLA on 23 March 2026

  • Answered
  • Written
  • After due date
Tabled
23 March 2026
Answer due by
9 April 2026
Answered
7 May 202645 days after tabling
Department
Department of Health
Priority question
No

Answer

Health and Social Care Trusts and Sure Start projects deliver or commission a range of evidencebased positive parenting programmes. The Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership does not directly commission or deliver parenting programmes; however, Family Support Hubs operating within CYPSP structures support families to access provision delivered by Trusts, Sure Start projects and voluntary and community sector partners.

There is no single regional system in which information on positive parenting programmes is centrally recorded. Health and Social Care Trusts were therefore asked to provide information on the number of parents who have completed positive parenting programmes over the last five years.

While Trusts were requested to provide information specifically in relation to positive parenting programmes, there may be variation between Trust areas in how programmes have been classified as meeting this definition. In addition, the data provided relates to the number of parents reported as having completed programmes rather than the number of families, which may impact on comparability across areas.

The information below is based on data reported by individual Health and Social Care Trusts.

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

YearProgrammeParents Completed
2021/22Incredible Years ASLD Programme17
Incredible Year Baby Programme11
TOTAL:28
2022/23Incredible Years ASLD Programme19
Incredible Year Baby Programme16
TOTAL:35
2023/24Incredible Years ASLD Programme44
Incredible Year Baby Programme11
TOTAL:55
2024/25Incredible Years ASLD Programme21
Solihull Understanding Your Baby8
Incredible Year Baby Programme4
TOTAL:33
2025/26Incredible Years ASLD Programme33
Solihull Understanding Your Baby6
Incredible Year Baby Programme7
TOTAL:46

Northern Health and Social Care Trust

YearProgrammeParents Completed
2021/22Programmes through CAMHS50
Focus on Families16
TOTAL:66
2022/23Programmes through CAMHS43
Programmes through Surestart18
Focus on Families16
Forest Families (MDT GP Federation)40
TOTAL:117
2023/24Programmes through CAMHS23
Programmes through Surestart33
Focus on Families16
Forest Families (MDT GP Federation)40
TOTAL:112
2024/25Programmes through CAMHS18
Programmes through Surestart34
Homestart East32
Focus on Families17
Forest Families (MDT GP Federation)40
TOTAL:141
2025/26Programmes through CAMHS47
Programmes through Surestart21
Homestart East24
Focus on Families17
Forest Families (MDT GP Federation)40
Thriving Families (MDT GP Federation)4
NOW11
Parenting workshops x3 (MDT GP Federation)15
TOTAL:179

South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust

YearProgrammeParents Completed
2021/2211 Evidence Based programmes291
Down & Ards Sure Start142
TOTAL:433
2022/2311 Evidence Based programmes302
Down & Ards Sure Start193
TOTAL:495
2023/2411 Evidence Based programmes301
Down & Ards Sure Start220
TOTAL:521
2024/2511 Evidence Based programmes386
Down & Ards Sure Start312
TOTAL:698
2025/2611 Evidence Based programmes323
Down & Ards Sure Start370
TOTAL:693

Southern Health and Social Care Trust

YearProgrammeParents Completed
2021/22Mellow Bumps18
Mellow Dads15
Incredible Years Baby47
Incredible Years School Age42
Incredible Years Autism & Speech & Language Delay27
Odyssey Parenting Your Teen38
Walking on Eggshells17
TOTAL:204
2022/23Mellow Bumps16
Incredible Years Baby52
Incredible Years School Age40
Incredible Years Autism & Speech & Language Delay28
Solihull Understanding Your Child9
Parents Plus ADHD Programme16
Parents Plus Special Needs9
Odyssey Parenting Your Teen30
Walking on Eggshells17
TOTAL:217
2023/24Mellow Bumps24
Incredible Years Baby94
Incredible Years School Age36
Incredible Years Autism & Speech & Language Delay24
Solihull Understanding Your Child8
Parents Plus ADHD Programme16
Parents Plus Special Needs24
Odyssey Parenting Your Teen37
Walking on Eggshells14
TOTAL:277
2024/25Mellow Bumps30
Mellow Dads12
Mellow Growing Together8
Incredible Years Baby101
Incredible Years School Age8
Incredible Years Autism & Speech & Language Delay29
Solihull Understanding Your Child5
Solihull Understanding Your Foster Child12
Parents Plus Early Years10
Parents Plus Childrens Programme10
Parents Plus ADHD Programme16
Parents Plus Special Needs18
Odyssey Parenting Your Teen34
Walking on Eggshells17
TOTAL:310
2025/26Mellow Bumps33
Mellow Dads14
Mellow Growing Together8
Incredible Years Baby45
Incredible Years Autism & Speech & Language Delay15
Parents Plus Early Years9
Parents Plus Childrens Programme11
Parents Plus ADHD Programme17
Invest in Play18
Parents Plus Special Needs6
Walking on Eggshells12
TOTAL: (partial year)188

Western Health and Social Care Trust

YearProgrammeParents Completed
2021/22Solihull101
Raised with Respect12
Nurturing Programme101
Incredible Years including baby, toddler and ASD IYs programme82
Model of Attachment Practice7
Circle of Security5
Saving your Baby’s Life20
Child Development Programme82
Sweet Pea Sweet Dream37
Yarn Awhile18
Baby Massage54
TOTAL:519
2022/23Solihull76
Raised with Respect20
Nurturing Programme152
Incredible Years including baby, toddler and ASD IYs programme64
Circle of Security8
HENRY (Nutrition Matters)14
Saving your Baby’s Life33
Child Development Programme186
Sweet Pea Sweet Dream41
Yarn Awhile35
Baby Massage60
Prepared Parents45
TOTAL:734
2023/24Solihull36
Raised with Respect25
Nurturing Programme159
Incredible Years including baby, toddler and ASD IYs programme76
Circle of Security13
HENRY (Nutrition Matters)27
Nurturing Courage13
Saving your Baby’s Life38
Child Development Programme86
Parents - Connect with your child60
Parenting Support (Delivered by WHSCT Family Response Teams)22
Sweet Pea Sweet Dream33
Screen Time & Children24
Your Journey Together55
Yarn Awhile27
Baby Massage61
Lego & Emotions Parent and Child14
Prepared Parents43
TOTAL:812
2024/25Solihull53
Raised with Respect34
Nurturing Programme168
Incredible Years including baby, toddler and ASD IYs programme64
Model of Attachment Practice2
Circle of Security1
HENRY (Nutrition Matters)31
Nurturing Courage6
Saving your Baby’s Life40
Child Development Programme103
Parents - Connect with your child30
Parenting Support (Delivered by WHSCT Family Response Teams)58
Sweet Pea Sweet Dream38
Screen Time & Children22
Your Journey Together39
Yarn Awhile53
Baby Massage67
Lego & Emotions Parent and Child44
Inside Out Resiliency Programme Parent and Child48
Food For Thought18
TOTAL:919
2025/26Solihull82
Raised with Respect29
Nurturing Programme193
Incredible Years including baby, toddler and ASD IYs programme49
Parenting When Separated4
Circle of Security10
HENRY (Nutrition Matters)29
Cook it!1
Nurturing Courage7
Saving your Baby’s Life43
Child Development Programme98
Parenting Support (Delivered by WHSCT Family Response Teams)55
Sweet Pea Sweet Dream48
Screen Time & Children22
Your Journey Together62
Yarn Awhile44
Baby Massage62
Lego & Emotions Parent and Child38
Inside Out Resiliency Programme Parent and Child52
Food For Thought18
Prepared Parents41
TOTAL: (partial year)987

Sure Starts

Information relating to Sure Start projects has been provided by the Childcare Partnership within the Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG).

Data reported for Sure Start projects, as set out in the tables, reflects activity classified at project level as a parenting programme. This may include a range of delivery formats, such as groupbased programmes, home visits and onetoone parenting support.

The figures reported represent the number of unique adults who attended at least one parentingrelated activity during the relevant year. As such:

the same adult may have attended more than one activity within a year; and

the figures do not confirm that parents completed all sessions of a structured parenting programme.

Some Health and Social Care Trusts have included information relating to Sure Start provision as part of their returns. As a result, there is a potential for duplication between Trustreported and Sure Startreported data.

YearSummary of Sure Start Parenting Programme ActivitiesNumber of attended unique Adults
2021/22BHSCT area342
NHSCT area116
SEHSCT area118
SHSCT area214
WHSCT area665
REGIONAL TOTAL:1455
2022/23BHSCT area113
NHSCT area281
SEHSCT area127
SHSCT area477
WHSCT area570
REGIONAL TOTAL:1568
2023/24BHSCT area340
NHSCT area325
SEHSCT area281
SHSCT area753
WHSCT area1144
REGIONAL TOTAL:2843
2024/25BHSCT area395
NHSCT area343
SEHSCT area320
SHSCT area747
WHSCT area851
REGIONAL TOTAL:2656
2025/26BHSCT area399
NHSCT area343
SEHSCT area213
SHSCT area566
WHSCT area783
REGIONAL TOTAL:2304

Official sources

  • AQW 54850/22-27To ask the Minister of Health whether he will take forward preparatory work in the current Assembly mandate on legislation to deliver on…
  • AQW 54849/22-27To ask the Minister of Health whether Lindsay House, in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, has reopened for the provision of…
  • AQW 54557/22-27To ask the Minister of Health (i) for an update on the task and finish group established by the Public Health Agency relating to Health a…
  • AQW 53118/22-27To ask the Minister of Health to detail the amount spent by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust on agency staff working in lea…
  • AQW 53117/22-27To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of adults with a learning disability that are living in residential care, broken down…