Healthy Start

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Healthy Start
A national strategy for children of parents with
learning difficulties
Robyn Mildon, PRC Catherine Wade, PRC Jan
Matthews, PRC Gwynnyth Llewellyn, USYD
Gabrielle Hindmarsh, USYD Healthy Start is an
Early Childhood Invest to Grow initiative,
funded by the Australian Government under the
Stronger Families and Communities Strategy
2005-2009.
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Australian Supported Parenting Consortium
Parenting Research Centre
www.parentingrc.org.au
The University of Sydney
www.afdsrc.org
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Australia caught napping

• Growing population of families where a parent has
  learning difficulties
• 40,000 children under 5
• Some succeed, others struggle

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Learning poor

• Restricted learning opportunities
• Difficulty sourcing, understanding applying
  information
• Lack of suitable support services

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Without appropriate support

• Poor birth outcomes
• Developmental delay
• Injury illness
• Behavioural disorders
• Out-of-home care

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With appropriate support
Learning, adapting and overcoming parenting
difficulties
Creating safer, supportive and more stimulating
home environments
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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

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Translating research into practice

• Building active interagency and multidisciplinary
  networks at local, state and national levels
• Promoting research-informed practice through
  web-based resources, online professional
  development and face-to-face training for
  professionals in best practice parenting
  education programs
• Developing and disseminating innovative parenting
  education resources

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What are Learning Hubs?

• Networks of individuals and agencies
• Share knowledge
• Learning Hub Convener

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14
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7
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18
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Learning Hub Conveners

• Complete USyd on-line unit of study
• Recruit members into their Hub and into the
  Healthy Start Network
• Develop Local Area Action Plan
• Identify practitioners in their Hub who will do
  the face-to-face training

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Promoting research-informed practice

• http//www.healthystart.net.au
• USYD on-line unit of study
• Parenting Young Children
• Healthy and Safe. An Australian Parent Education
  Kit

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Parenting programs

• Healthy Safe. An Australian Parent Education
  Kit
• Managing common home dangers and childhood
  illness
• Parenting Young Children
• Basic childcare and positive parent-child
  interaction

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New innovative resources

• Healthy Start for Me and My Baby
• ASLP Me My Community-
• Step-by-Step Baby Care Everyday Interactions
  DVDs
• Understanding and Planning Support (UPS)

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Find out more

• www.healthystart.net.au