Creating pathways to participation: a community-based developmental prevention project in Australia

• Published in: Children & society Vol. 19; no. 2; pp. 144 - 157
• Main Authors: Freiberg, Kate, Homel, Ross, Batchelor, Sam, Carr, Angela, Hay, Ian, Elias, Gordon, Teague, Rosie, Lamb, Cherie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2005; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Access to Information; Australia; Child Development; Child Welfare Services; Developmental aspects; Disadvantaged children; Disadvantaged Youth; Early Intervention; Family Programs; Foreign Countries; Intervention; Outreach Programs; Parent Education; Parent School Relationship; Preschool Children; Prevention; Preventive programmes; Primary schools; Quasiexperimental Design; Social Development; Social Support Groups; Transition; Transitional Programs; Urban Areas; Australia
• ISSN: 0951-0605; 1099-0860
• DOI: 10.1002/chi.867

Pathways to Prevention is a developmental prevention project focused on the transition to school in a disadvantaged multicultural urban area in Queensland. The project incorporates two elements: The Preschool Intervention Program (PIP) promotes communication and social skills related to school success; and the Family Independence Program (FIP) (parent training, facilitated playgroups, support groups, etc) promotes family capacity to foster child development. Using a quasi‐experimental design (N= 597), improvements in boys' but not girls' behaviours over the preschool year were found. FIP reached more than a quarter of the target population, including many difficult‐to‐reach families experiencing high stress. Case studies and other qualitative data suggest positive outcomes.