Dr Melinda Polimeni Dr Robyn Mildon & Catherine Wade Parenting Research Centre Dr Rachel Mayes

1. Lessons from Healthy Start, a capacity building initiative: Strategies used to promote training transfer Dr Melinda Polimeni Dr Robyn Mildon & Catherine Wade Parenting Research Centre Dr Rachel Mayes University of Sydney

2. Healthy Start: A national strategy for children of parents with learning difficulties • Capacity building approach • Practitioners working with PWLD

3. Why Healthy Start? • Number of PWLD increasing • Social isolation, poverty, poor physical & mental health • Over-represented in child protection proceedings • Effective parenting support strategies exist • Use of ineffective parenting support further disadvantages PWLD

4. Key elements of Healthy Start support for practitioners National – Website; E-network; listserv; project team State –State/Territory Leaders; State forums twice yearly Local - Learning Hubs (68); Hub conveners; training in evidence based programs for PWLD

5. Healthy Start Parent Education Programs PYC – child care skills; parent-child interaction H&S – home dangers, health & emergencies • Children aged 0-6 years • Previously trialled in Australia

6. Training Transfer So we know that these programs work, but we don’t know whether they can be effectively used in practice Training transfer = transfer of skills from training to the workplace that are sustained over time (Burke & Hutchins, 2007)

7. Rate of training transfer Previous studies have reported • 40% of trainees fail to transfer skills immediately following training • 70% fail to transfer skills one year later Overall, only 50% of training investment results in behaviour change (Saks, 2002).

8. Common Barriers Barriers to training transfer (Burke & Hutchins, 2007) • Those related to the individual • Those related to the work environment • Those related to the innovation itself

9. Healthy Start Training Model Strict eligibility criteria Phased approach • Phase 1: reading and multiple choice test • Phase 2: two day face to face workshop • Phase 3: telephone support during implementation

10. Training uptake 75% attempted to transfer/transferred some skills

11. How many families have actually received a program? 31% service transfer– families got something 10% service transfer– families got a complete program

12. Barriers to program completion

13. Discussion • 75% of practitioners attempted to transfer training. Many “did something” but only 9% training transfer for program completion. • Service transfer- 31% for families “getting something”. Families getting a complete program 10%. • Practitioner/service factors were the most common reason for drop out, not family factors.

14. Barriers to training transfer • Healthy Start training model attempted to address previously identified barriers to training transfer • Training can only address knowledge, skill and ability deficits and cannot overcome work environment factors. • Important to also look at ‘service transfer’.

15. Limitations and further analyses • Partial implementation • Eligibility criteria • Other variables to examine • Dosage of phase 3 support • Point of drop out for families • Other practitioner factors • Preparedness and confidence • Training transfer over time

16. Future of Healthy Start training • General training on PWLD • Training in evidence based strategies and skills rather than an evidence-based program • Still collecting data on parent education programs and will be providing more training across the country • Outcomes for families receiving a program

17. Conclusion • Factors related to service delivery were the most common barriers to training transfer • Training can only address knowledge and skill gaps and cannot address many factors related to the work environment (service structure, etc.) • Future efforts need to focus on evidence-based service delivery/service structure.

18. www.healthystart.net.au mpolimeni@parentingrc.org.au