RESEARCH UNDERWAY
Healthy Start: A national strategy for children of parents with learning difficulties
McConnell, D., Dalziel, A., Llewellyn, G., Laidlaw, K., & Hindmarsh, G. (2009). Strengthening the social relationships of mothers with learning difficulties. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(1), 66-75.
McConnell, D., Llewellyn, G., Matthews, J., Hindmarsh, G., Mildon, R., & Wade, C. (2006). Healthy Start: A national strategy for children of parents with learning difficulties. Developing Practice: The Child Youth and Family Work Journal, 16, 34-42.
McConnell, D., Matthews, J., Llewellyn, G., Mildon, R., & Hindmarsh, G. (2008). Healthy Start. A national strategy for children of parents with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 5(3), 194-202.
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
Professor David McConnell
Dr Rachel Mayes
Susan Collings
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 (2005-2009).
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