Healthy Start A national strategy for children of parents with learning difficulties Healthy Start is an Early Childhood – Invest to Grow initiative, funded by the Australian Government under the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy

Establishment phase of a national initiative to support families with parents with learning difficulties Robyn Mildon (VPC), Jan Matthews (VPC), Catherine Wade (VPC), Olivia Clayton (VPC), David McConnell (USyd), Gwynnyth Llewellyn (USyd) & Gabrielle Hindmarsh (USyd)

Australian Supported Parenting Consortium The University of Sydney Victorian Parenting Centre

Healthy Start Healthy Start Healthy Start aims to translate knowledge and research into practice and build capacity across the human service sectors to better meet the needs of these families

Healthy Start objectives Objective 1 To develop multi-disciplinary, cross-sectoral partnerships: strengthening relationships between organisations at local, state and national levels Objective 2 To promote research-informed practice: disseminating knowledge and evidence-based parent education and support resources

Conceptual framework Healthy Start CapacityImplementationOutcomes Local State/Territory National Adapted from CHHI (Elliott et al, 2003)

Evaluation questions 1. How successful was the HS strategy in building capacity to support parents with learning difficulties and promote a healthy start to life for their young children 2. What are the critical success factors and barriers to HS capacity building and implementation/practice change processes (i.e., moderating influences)?

Healthy Start activities Developing leaders and network partnerships Disseminating knowledge and innovation Generating new knowledge and material resources

Developing leaders and network partnerships  Healthy Start network  State and territory Healthy Start leaders  Recruitment and establishment of local area Healthy Start networks, Learning Hubs

Healthy Start Network: Agency type by state/territory (n = 1284) GovernmentNongoverment ACT4324 NSW NT3718 QLD5548 SA9738 TAS4834 VIC WA5641 Other64 Total684600

Healthy Start Network: Term that best describes the agency by state/territory Total Community agency or parenting service 515 Child protection 70 Disability282 Hospital35 MCH Service 61 Health (other) 60 Education Dept or School 84 Advocacy44 Research & Development 22 Other147

Healthy Start Learning Hubs  Learning hubs are multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral, involving organisations and individuals who come into contact with parents with learning difficulties  Learning hubs will develop and implement local area action plans (LAAP)  Learning hubs and their members are the main point of dissemination and implementation of evidence-informed resources

Healthy Start Learning Hubs  In collaboration with HS leaders and other key stakeholders, 72 practitioners across Australia have been recruited to convene and lead 67 local area Learning Hubs  Hubs are hosted by 21 government (n = 21) and 46 nongovernment agencies (n = 46)

Example of LAAP Why is this action plan needed (rationale)? What do we want to achieve (goals or aims)? How are we going to do this (actions/strategy)? How are we going to track our progress (monitoring)? What is the time frame (when)? How will we know when we’ve been successful or how will we know how effective our action plan has been (evaluation)? Goal achievement – 60 practitioners in the X region who work with parents with learning difficulties will be trained to work more confidently and be better resourced to work with parents with learning difficulties. Goal achievement – Gaps in local services identified and a strategy for the development of a local resource for parents with learning difficulties and practitioners to utilise will be completed by mid 2007.

Training and support  Learning hub leaders will complete an accredited USYD on-line graduate unit of study on parenting with learning difficulties  Learning hub leaders have received workshop training on building network partnerships and developing LAAPs  All members of Learning Hubs are connected nationally via the Healthy Start list-serve

What is getting in the way  Time, funding and agency support  Retention of individuals in key positions (e.g., Learning Hub Convenors)  Access to the Healthy Start website and IT elements of the strategy

How are we overcoming these Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory as the theoretical perspective underlying our strategies. His theory has 5 factors: 1. Perceived advantage 2. Consistent or compatible with existing procedures 3. Simple is better 4. Gradual implementation in small steps and stages 5. Presence is observable

Evaluation design and methods Outcomes Key result area ProximalCapacityImplementation Will/commitment to act Knowledge, skills, resources Relationships between org Implementation of best practice Use of evidence-informed resources Intermediate Family Capacity and resources Parenting competence & style Parent/child relationships Psychologically healthy parents Parent life skills and self efficacy Connections beyond the family Positive & effective parenting practices Parent responsiveness to the child Distal Child health Child development Prevent illness & accidental injury Appropriate & timely response to symptoms Language and communication skills

Healthy Start website