What are the NCAST Parent Child Interaction (PCI) Teaching Scales training?

The PCI Teaching Scales are a widely used validated tool for measuring parent-child interaction. The scale contains a well-developed set of observable behaviours that describe the caregiver-child communication and interaction during a teaching situation, birth to 36 months of age for the purpose of assessing a dyad’s strengths and areas that need improvement. It informs development of skill plans and supports documentation.

Teaching scores from interactions with children as young as 3 months of age show a signification correlation with subsequent measures of attachment, resilience, and cognitive abilities. Scales have been used in research and informed outcomes. As a research validated assessment tool they are an integral part of parenting assessments.

The three day training enables practitioners to gain skills in administering, marking the scales and giving feedback to parents. This information then direct parenting education and skill development. The practitioner is supported to sit a reliability test to ensure validity of the practitioner.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is designed for those professionals working with families with infants and young children and will benefit from understanding the advantages of using the scales in clinical practice. This includes maternal child health nurse’s paediatric nurses, researchers, social workers, infant mental health specialists and family support practitioners.

Workshop Prerequisites:

Have a certificate to the Keys to Caregiving program through class or self-study or hold a certificate in infant mental health.

How Does PCI Scales Benefit Parents?

Provides clear information on areas of strengths and concerns which guide interventions.

Supports parents in developing a closer relationship with their child as they increase their understanding of their child’s communication, cues, states, behaviour and ways they learn.

How do the PCI Scales benefit practitioner/Parent-Child interaction?

• Gives concrete areas to guide intervention
• Transforms the practitioner’s view of the Parent-Child relationship
• Gives the practitioner a new lens with which to see the strengths and opportunities for growth in the parent-child relationship

On completion of the course attendees have knowledge of:

• Infant sleep/wake states, potent and subtle engagement/disengagement cues and caregiver adaption
• How to systematically observe and analyse caregiver-child interactions
• Interpreting the scores of the PCI scales and interventions
• Identifying strengths, concerns and need for further assessment and referral
• Inter-rater reliability certification for the PCI teaching Scales

What practitioners say about training:

“It changed my practice. I observe and see more subtle cues in babies and children”.

“I am able to provide evidence-based information to parents and support them in a strength-based manner without my bias influencing feedback”

“I loved the training, and it has increased my confidence working with parent and their babies”

Facilitators

Beverley Allen:

Beverley is a Maternal Child Health Nurse with an extensive background in family therapy, infant mental health and working with families from other cultures. She has been facilitating NCAST Parent – Child Interactions since 2005.

When:

Consists of 3 one day seminars:

30th of May, 31st of May, 2nd of June