Australian Family and Disability Studies Research Centre

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	Healthy Start: A national strategy for children of parents with learning difficulties

RESEARCH UNDERWAY

Updated May 2007

Healthy Start: A national strategy for children of parents with learning difficulties

www.healthystart.net.au

Project team

The Australian Supported Parenting Consortium is a partnership between the Parenting Research Centre (PRC) and the University of Sydney (Australian Family & Disability Studies Research Collaboration)

AFDSRC Team:
Prof Gwynnyth Llewellyn
Gabrielle Hindmarsh
Julie Cameron
Assoc Prof David McConnell

PRC Team:
Warren Cann
Jan Matthews
Christian Thompson
Melinda Polimeni
Catherine Wade
Emma Thackeray
Robyn Mildon
Sarah Mitchell

Overview

Healthy Start is a world first national strategy that aims to build capacity across human services by equipping practitioners with the skills and resources needed to promote a positive and healthy start to life for young children of parents with learning difficulties. This project is an Early Childhood – Invest to Grow initiative, funded by the Australian Government under the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy (2005-2008).

Approach

There are three major components to the Healthy Start project:

Building cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary networks (Action Groups) at local, state and national levels
Promoting research informed practice through web based resources, online professional development and dissemination of evidence based resources for practitioners working with parents with learning difficulties
Moving the field forward through research, including but not limited to the development of new and innovative learning resources for parents with learning difficulties

Anticipated outcomes

Increased capacity of health and human services to support parents with learning difficulties and promote a healthy start to life for their children
Improved maternal health and wellbeing, stronger family support networks, more positive parent-child interactions and safer home environments for young children
Positive developmental trajectories for children; appropriate and timely health care, and reduced incidence of home accidents and injury

Related publications

Llewellyn, G., McConnell, D., Honey, A., Mayes, R., & Russo, D. (2003.) Promoting health and home safety for children of parents with intellectual disability: A randomised controlled trial. Research in Developmental Disabilities,24(6), 405-431.

Llewellyn, G., McConnell, D., Russo, D., Mayes, R., & Honey, A. (2002). Home based programs for parents with learning difficulties: Lessons from practice. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 15, 341-353.

McConnell, D., Llewellyn, G., Mayes, R., Russo, D., & Honey, A. (2003). Developmental profiles of children born to mothers with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 28(2), 1- 14.

Llewellyn, G., McConnell, D., & Ferronato, L. (2003). Prevalence and outcomes for parents with disabilities and their children in an Australian court sample. Child Abuse and Neglect, 27, 235-251.

Strike, R., & McConnell, D. (2002). Look at me, listen to me, I have something important to say. Sexuality and Disability, 20(1), 53-63.

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