Parents should go to the new Triple P Stepping Stones website at http://www.triplep-steppingstones.net to find out more and to register.

The free sessions will initially be available mainly to parents located in South-East Queensland, but will extend to all regions throughout the state by late October as more practitioners complete their training.

This landmark project is the first public health intervention in the world for children with special needs and is being managed by a research team from the University of Queensland, Monash University and the University of Sydney.

The project is rolling out in Queensland first, followed by Victoria and New South Wales, and aims to reach the parents of 170,000 children with disabilities.

Triple P founder Professor Matt Sanders, who is director of the Parenting and Family Support Centre, University of Queensland, said the project will profoundly change the way thousands of Queensland parents interact with their children in the future.

“We have about 30,000 children with disabilities in Queensland, many of whom experience three to four times the emotional and behavioral problems of typically developing children,” Professor Sanders said.

“This is tough on the children, and even tougher on their parents who are trying to support them with whatever financial and emotional resources they have. This project is all about reaching out to these parents and saying – your health and wellbeing is important, and we can help you feel better, cope better and parent better, which will lead to better outcomes for your family.”

Stepping Stones has been shown to reduce problem child behavior by up to 80 per cent and significantly lower parent stress levels. If a parent cannot access a program locally in a timeframe which suits them, online support or self-help with phone support will be available.