Parenting Courses

There are dozens of parenting courses available in Australia and internationally. It can be difficult for parents to know where to start.

Parenting courses in your area

Call us on 1300 1300 52 for personalised advice on which parenting program might suit your family and what’s available in your area.

Sydney Residents: CatholicCare Sydney Parenting and Child Development

Choosing A Parenting Course

When choosing a parenting course, it may help to consider the following:

Is it age appropriate? Some courses are designed for parents of children at any age, while others are intended for a particular age group.

Is it effective? Good parenting programs will be backed by research showing that parents who participate are likely to have positive outcomes.

Is it provided by a trained professional and/or a reputable organisation?  Most good quality programs require facilitators to be trained and sometimes accredited before training parents. These workers can be private practitioners (usually fee for service) or work for a community or government organisation (often free or low cost).

How is it offered? Parenting programs are commonly offered in groups, but may also be available one-on-one, online, in a clinic or at home. Some professionals only need to work with one or both parents, while other programs include time spent with the children or observing the family.

What is the underlying philosophy or approach of the program? Some parenting programs are based on a democratic approach to managing families, while others advocate an approach where the parent is in control. Some focus on the parent-child attachment relationship, and others have a more behaviour based approach. If you have a choice of programs, choose one that feels right for you. Parent training that aligns with your own parenting values is more likely to have successful outcomes.

Contact Us

Parent Line is open from 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday and 4pm to 9pm on Saturday and Sunday.

We are closed on public holidays.

Get In Touch

Parent Line is funded by the NSW Government through The Department of Communities and Justice. Parent Line is proudly managed by CatholicCare Sydney.

Parent Line acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.

Parentline 1300 1300 52