The first TOUGHLOVE (TL) Parent Support Groups in Australia were established in the early 1990’s, by groups of parents who needed support for dealing effectively with difficult or harmful, teen or adult-child behaviour.  Those parents had already searched for affordable, accessible, and useful support and had found their options were limited, or non-existent.  The TL Parent Program offered the opportunity for parents to help themselves.  It embraces the concept of sharing parental experiences, wisdom, creativity and support within one’s own community as a means of solving family problems.  Not exactly a new idea but one that seems to have worked well for many of our families. The issues that brought parents to TL thirty years ago, like drug abuse, verbal and physical abuse, school refusal, and shoplifting, continue to be problems that some of today’s parents face with their teens.  Sadly, adding to that list are newer problems like substance abuse, gaming, sexting, bullying, internet addiction and an escalating number of younger teens running away from home to live the “free” life.  Parents need support today, as much as ever.

Initially, parents were introduced to the TOUGHLOVE Program via professionals working in the community welfare sector.  The goal of the Program was, and is, for parents with similar problems, to support each other in the quest for positive change. The TL Program offers a structured process by which this can be achieved.  Parents are empowered to develop and implement their own solutions.

TOUGHLOVE support groups have been successfully operating in Australia for over 30 years. Our organisation in Australia is volunteer run and is not for profit. We do not receive any financial support from government.  

The need for affordable, accessible and effective support for families has not diminished and the options available to parents are limited.  We are proud that for three decades, the TOUGHLOVE Program and our parent support groups have served to assist thousands of parents across the country, to get their lives back on track. 

We acknowledge the debt we owe to our TL parents, past and present.  They have given, and continue to give selflessly to their communities, so that other families can continue to access support, that will help them to survive their crisis and build a better future for their family.