E-mail: truls.tommeras@nubu.no
Phone: 48 12 12 85
Abouttheproject
What is Supportive Parents – Coping Kids (SPARCK)?
SPARCK is a parent-based initiative developed at NUBU that aims to reach out to more vulnerable children and families with effective and tailored help.
The target group is parents of children who show signs of anxiety, depression and behavioural difficulties, as well as parents who need support in their caregiving role. The intervention is also aimed at families with children who have several of these difficulties at the same time.
Why SPARCK?
Supportive Parents – Coping Kids (SPARCK) has been co-developed together with Norwegian municipal services to ensure a usable and user-friendly intervention that addresses the needs of services and end-users for effective and personalised help.
The intervention is based on NUBU’s knowledge and experience with research on and implementation of parental guidance in Norway, especially PMTO and TIBIR. It is also based on updated knowledge about which guidance/counselling strategies, or effective elements in counselling strategies, work for the target groups.
The content is tailored to each child and family, and what they struggle with the most. Tailored and targeted content makes the intervention relevant to families and ensures better use of resources for municipalities. The intervention is therefore suitable for strengthening the municipality’s efforts for a broader user group.
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Background
The theory of change in this intervention is based on knowledge from the SIL (Social Interaction Learning) model, where parent–child interaction is central to reducing behavioural difficulties in children. As the SPARCK intervention targets a broader group than parents of children with behavioural difficulties, it also incorporates knowledge from several other theories (attachment theory, cognitive behavioural therapy and inappropriate family adaptation).
A key premise of SPARCK is that positive change in children can be brought about by the parents. This is achieved by promoting sensitive and supportive parenting practice, creating safe and predictable frameworks, and assisting parents with specific skills that children need to master in challenging everyday situations.
SPARCK consists of 18 components that are tailored and adapted to each family based on the family’s strengths and challenges. To make the adaptation of the content feasible, a decision support system has been developed to guide SPARCK counsellors in selecting components.
Implementation
Optimisation phase
In the optimisation phase, the purpose was to develop a usable and effective intervention designed for Norwegian services and families. Therefore, co-development with users, services and families has been central to this project. Fourteen practitioners from seven municipalities participated, together with researchers, psychologists and the National Implementation Team (NIT) at NUBU. (…)
Evaluation phase
In this part of the project, a larger randomised control study of SPARCK is being conducted. The purpose is to investigate whether the intervention has an effect on the child’s symptoms and the family’s challenges, compared to other interventions in the municipality for this target group. We are collaborating with the Kavli Trust Programme on Health Research, which is also funding the study. (…)
Publications
- Laland, H., Apeland, A. & Tømmerås, T. (2025). "Støtter vi foreldrene, støtter vi barnet - en foreldrebasert tilnærming for forebygging av angst hos barn". I Haugland, B.S.M., Bjåstad, J.F. & Ogden, T. (red.). Angst hos barn og unge. Fagbokforlaget. ISBN: 9788245047875.
- Grønlie, A.A., Backer-Grøndahl, A., Nes, R.B. et al. Implementation of a parent training intervention (SPARCK) to prevent childhood mental health problems: study protocol for a pragmatic implementation trial in Norwegian municipalities. Trials 25, 846 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-08704-7
- Tømmerås, T., Backer-Grøndahl, A., Høstmælingen, A., Laland, H., Gomez, M.B., Apeland, A., Karlsson, L.R., Grønlie, A.A, Torsvik, S., Bringedal, G., Aas, M., Fisher, P., Gardner, F., Kjøbli, J., Malmberg-Heimonen, I. & Nissen-Lie, H. (2024). Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of supportive parents – coping kids (SPARCK)—a transdiagnostic and personalized parent training intervention to prevent childhood mental health problems. BMC Psychol 12, 264 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01765-y
- Backer-Grøndahl, A., Arnesen, A., Idsøe, T., Grønlie, A. A. & Tømmerås, T. (2022). Forebyggende hjelpetiltak under korona våren 2020. Psykologi i kommunen. Nr. 1, 2022. https://psykisk-kommune.no/fagartikkel/forebyggende-hjelpetiltak-under-korona-varen-2020/19.228?fbclid=IwAR29W1drnB8M9uDV40-ljHtDU6pFTBLOoyKhwBjtGTCIUXAS5gstv8f6Tzw
Rolesintheproject
Project leader: Truls Tømmerås
NUBU project group: Agathe Backer-Grøndahl, Andreas Høstmælingen, Anett Apeland, Anette Arnesen Grønlie, Hanne Laland, Line Ragna Aakre Karlsson, Maria Begõna Gomez, og Sissel Torsvik.
NUBU research logistics team: Görel Eriksson Bringedal, Line Ragna Aakre Karlsson, Hamadul Kabir Ahmad, Hildegunn Elstad Christiansen, Sivarajan Rajah
Collaborationpartners
- Frances Gardner, University of Oxford
- Helene Amundsen Nissen-Lie, University of Oslo
- Ira Malmberg-Heimonen, Oslo Metropolitan University
- John Kjøbli, Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway
- Monica Aas, Kings College, London
- Phillip Andrew Fisher, Stanford University
- Lørenskog municipality, v/Beate Elvebakk
- Mental Health Youth, Norway
Contact
E-mail: line.karlsson@nubu.no
Phone: 90 68 54 79
For enquiries regarding the processing of personal data, please contact personvern@nubu.no
