IFDP Family Balance Intensive Support – International Institute for Adults Learning

About Course

IFDP Family Balance Intensive Support is a structured online course for parents and carers of children aged 0 to 12 who are living with ongoing behavioural, emotional or parenting difficulties. It is designed for families who have already tried simple strategies and need a deeper, step-by-step approach.

Over ten modules you will learn to understand what lies behind your child’s behaviour, look after your own wellbeing, rebuild a warm relationship, set clear and consistent boundaries, respond calmly and safely to challenging behaviour, and help your child manage big feelings. You will finish by creating a one-page family balance plan to keep the changes going.

The course recognises that every family is shaped by its culture, faith, extended family and circumstances, and helps you draw on those strengths. Case studies, realistic scenarios and interactive activities let you practise each skill before you try it at home.

What you will learn

Identify the patterns and triggers behind your child’s behaviour
Recognise and manage your own stress and reactions
Build a stronger, warmer relationship with your child
Set a few clear family rules and follow through consistently
Respond calmly and safely to challenging behaviour
Support your child to understand and manage their feelings
Work together with other carers, school and the wider family
Measure progress and plan for setbacks

How the course works

10 modules, 40 lessons, from short focused lessons to longer lessons with case studies
12 interactive activities, including decision-making scenarios, sorting exercises and recall cards
Study time: about 6 hours 30 minutes, plus practice at home. Most families work through one module a week.

Assessment and certificate

Module practice checks have no pass mark. You can retake them as often as you like, and your scores do not count towards your result. Each one needs to be submitted once to mark the module as finished.
The final assessment is the only assessment that counts. You need 70% to pass and you have three attempts in total.
Passing the final assessment completes the course and makes you eligible for the IFDP Family Balance Intensive Support Certificate of Completion.

This is an educational course. It does not assess or diagnose children, and it is not a substitute for support from health, education or social care professionals. If you are worried about anyone’s safety, contact the emergency services or a local support service straight away.

Supporting Families. Strengthening Communities. Shaping Futures.

Course Content

Module 1: Understanding Where Your Family Is Now
Lasting change starts with a clear picture. Parents describe the difficulties their family faces, map when and where they happen, and set realistic goals. The module also explains how the course works and how to track progress week by week.

Lesson 1.1: Welcome and How This Course Works
Lesson 1.2: Describing What Is Really Happening
Lesson 1.3: Finding the Pattern with an ABC Diary
Lesson 1.4: Setting Goals You Can Measure
Module 1 Practice Check

Module 2: What Drives Behaviour
Behaviour is communication. This module explores the needs, feelings and developmental stages that sit behind difficult behaviour, including the impact of stress, change, additional needs and trauma. Parents learn to look beneath the behaviour before deciding how to respond.

Module 3: Looking After Yourself
Parents cannot pour from an empty cup. This module helps learners recognise their own stress, triggers and patterns from their upbringing, and build simple routines for rest and support. A calmer parent is the strongest tool for a calmer home.

Module 4: Rebuilding Connection
A strong relationship makes every other strategy work better. Parents learn to use special time, play, praise and attention to rebuild warmth with their child, especially after a period of conflict.

Module 5: Clear Boundaries and Family Rules
Children feel safe when they know what is expected. This module helps parents agree a small number of family rules, give clear instructions and follow through consistently, with age-appropriate expectations for each child.

Module 6: Responding to Challenging Behaviour
This module gives parents a planned response to behaviours such as aggression, defiance, lying and destructive behaviour. Learners practise calm consequences, planned ignoring and time to calm down, and learn how to keep everyone safe during an incident.

Module 7: Supporting Emotional Regulation
Children learn to manage big feelings with adult help. Parents learn to name emotions, co-regulate, teach calming strategies and help children solve problems once they are calm.

Module 8: Routines, School and the Wider World
Difficulties at home often show up at school, nursery and in the community. This module helps parents create supportive routines and work in partnership with teachers and other professionals.

Module 9: Working Together as a Family
Consistency across carers makes strategies stick. This module covers co-parenting, involving grandparents and extended family, managing sibling relationships and handling different views on discipline respectfully.

Module 10: Sustaining Change
The final module helps parents review their goals, celebrate progress and plan for setbacks. Learners create a family balance plan and identify where to turn if difficulties return.

Final Assessment
Read how the final assessment works, reflect on your learning, then take the assessment. You need 70% to pass and have three attempts in total. Passing completes the course and makes you eligible for your certificate.

Add this certificate to your resume to demonstrate your skills & increase your chances of getting noticed.

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About Course

What you will learn

How the course works

Assessment and certificate

What Will You Learn?

Course Content

Module 1: Understanding Where Your Family Is Now Lasting change starts with a clear picture. Parents describe the difficulties their family faces, map when and where they happen, and set realistic goals. The module also explains how the course works and how to track progress week by week.

Lesson 1.1: Welcome and How This Course Works

Lesson 1.2: Describing What Is Really Happening

Lesson 1.3: Finding the Pattern with an ABC Diary

Lesson 1.4: Setting Goals You Can Measure

Module 1 Practice Check

Lesson 2.1: Behaviour as Communication

Lesson 2.2: Age, Temperament and Additional Needs

Lesson 2.3: How Stress, Change and Difficult Experiences Affect Children

Lesson 2.4: Looking Beneath the Behaviour

Module 2 Practice Check

Module 3: Looking After Yourself Parents cannot pour from an empty cup. This module helps learners recognise their own stress, triggers and patterns from their upbringing, and build simple routines for rest and support. A calmer parent is the strongest tool for a calmer home.

Lesson 3.1: Recognising Your Own Stress

Lesson 3.2: Knowing Your Triggers and Pausing

Lesson 3.3: How Your Own Upbringing Shapes Your Parenting

Lesson 3.4: Building Your Support and Self-Care Plan

Module 3 Practice Check

Module 4: Rebuilding Connection A strong relationship makes every other strategy work better. Parents learn to use special time, play, praise and attention to rebuild warmth with their child, especially after a period of conflict.

Lesson 4.1: Why Connection Comes First

Lesson 4.2: Daily Special Time

Lesson 4.3: Praise and Positive Attention

Lesson 4.4: Repairing the Relationship After Conflict

Module 4 Practice Check

Module 5: Clear Boundaries and Family Rules Children feel safe when they know what is expected. This module helps parents agree a small number of family rules, give clear instructions and follow through consistently, with age-appropriate expectations for each child.

Lesson 5.1: Agreeing a Few Clear Family Rules

Lesson 5.2: Giving Instructions Children Can Follow

Lesson 5.3: Expectations That Fit Your Child

Lesson 5.4: Following Through, Every Time

Module 5 Practice Check

Lesson 6.1: Planning Your Response in Advance

Lesson 6.2: Consequences That Teach

Lesson 6.3: Planned Ignoring and Calm-Down Time

Lesson 6.4: Keeping Everyone Safe

Module 6 Practice Check

Module 7: Supporting Emotional Regulation Children learn to manage big feelings with adult help. Parents learn to name emotions, co-regulate, teach calming strategies and help children solve problems once they are calm.

Lesson 7.1: Helping Children Name Their Feelings

Lesson 7.2: Co-Regulation: Calm Is Catching

Lesson 7.3: Teaching Calming Strategies

Lesson 7.4: Talking It Through Afterwards

Module 7 Practice Check

Module 8: Routines, School and the Wider World Difficulties at home often show up at school, nursery and in the community. This module helps parents create supportive routines and work in partnership with teachers and other professionals.

Lesson 8.1: Routines That Take the Heat Out of the Day

Lesson 8.2: Working With School or Nursery

Lesson 8.3: Behaviour in Public Places

Lesson 8.4: Working With Professionals

Module 8 Practice Check

Module 9: Working Together as a Family Consistency across carers makes strategies stick. This module covers co-parenting, involving grandparents and extended family, managing sibling relationships and handling different views on discipline respectfully.

Lesson 9.1: Getting on the Same Page as Co-Parents

Lesson 9.2: Grandparents and the Wider Family

Lesson 9.3: Brothers and Sisters

Lesson 9.4: Culture, Faith and Family Values

Module 9 Practice Check

Module 10: Sustaining Change The final module helps parents review their goals, celebrate progress and plan for setbacks. Learners create a family balance plan and identify where to turn if difficulties return.

Lesson 10.1: Looking Back at How Far You Have Come

Lesson 10.2: Planning for Setbacks

Lesson 10.3: Your Family Balance Plan

Lesson 10.4: Where to Go for Further Support

Module 10 Practice Check

Final Assessment Read how the final assessment works, reflect on your learning, then take the assessment. You need 70% to pass and have three attempts in total. Passing completes the course and makes you eligible for your certificate.

Before Your Final Assessment

Final Assessment

Earn a certificate