Parenting programmes have been shown to be effective in reducing children’s challenging behaviours and increasing parental use of positive behaviour strategies. However, it is difficult to find a brief group parenting intervention that teaches function-based assessment and from this function-based intervention plans. It is even more difficult to find a programme that has been culturally adapted for a Māori population. The aim of this project was to collect evidence on the effectiveness of the culturally adapted Parent Empowerment Programme (PEP).

The present project used a non-concurrent single case design with a sample of three parent-child dyads and one Playcentre supervisor. Parents self-identified a home routine time where their child engaged in challenging behaviour. Two 2-hour PEP workshops were conducted in the home of one of the participants. Parents undertook a 36 question Knowledge Quiz pre- and post- workshop. From the workshops, the parents identified the function of their child’s challenging behaviour and then identified the strategies they would use to decrease this behaviour in the home setting. Video recordings were used to obtain baseline, intervention, and follow-up measures on the percentage of time children engaged in challenging behaviour, and the percentage of parental use of positive behaviour support strategies during the identified home routine time.

The results showed: 1) three of the four participants increased their knowledge of functional behaviour assessment and positive behaviour strategies, 2) parents correctly identified the function of their child’s behaviour then identified and implemented a positive behaviour support strategy, 3) children’s challenging behaviours decreased and parental use of positive behaviour strategies increased during intervention phase, this was maintained at follow-up, 4) social validity results were varied with three of the participants finding the PEP socially acceptable, and 5) all participants engaged with and completed the programme.

The findings provide support for the effectiveness of the culturally adapted Parent Empowerment Programme, and showed that three parents can successfully identify and implement a function-based intervention in their own home with success.