Overview

Alignment with Be You Domains

Family Partnerships

Alignment with Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)

Children are confident and involved learners
Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Children are effective communicators
Children have a strong sense of identity
Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

Alignment with Australian Curriculum

Health and PE

Target audience

Primary school

Target groups

Small group

Aims

Exploring Together aims to enhance self-esteem and decrease problematic behaviour, enhance interpersonal and social skills, provide training in problem-solving and behaviour management, improve communication and understanding between family members, help families to use their own resources more effectively to improve relationships.

Program theory

Cognitive behaviour theory

Topics

Children's group activities cover anger management, pro-social skills, perspective taking, conversation skills, problem-solving, affect recognition, assertion skills, decision making and social perception. Parent and carer's group activities include understanding of factors underlying their children's behaviours, dealing with parenting and relationships issues and recognising and fostering their own strengths.

Cost

The major cost in running the program is for the staff. The time requirement is 3.5 hours per week over the 10 weeks of the program for 4 group leaders or facilitators. Time is required for interviews, feedback and meeting with teachers and non-attending parents and carers. Total time estimated to run all components of the program is 200 hours. Other costs include stationery and play materials.

Program structure

Parents, carers and children attend a selection interview, participate in 10 weeks of the program and in a feedback interview. Children and parents or carers attend concurrent sessions of 1.25 hours, and a combined session of 45 minutes each week.

Instructor

External facilitator
Psychologist
Wellbeing leader

Instructor training

At least one leader from the parent and carer's group and the children's group are required to have attended a 2-day training workshop.

Supporting resources or materials available with program

Manual

Ongoing support

Ongoing phone contact. Regular, or as-required, telephone or in-person supervision.

Parent involvement

Attend information sessions
Attend program sessions with child
Follow-up information provided after program
Homework
Written information provided to parents

Origin of program

Australia

Exploring Together

Program authors

Professor Lyn Littlefield, Karen Story, Carol Woolcock, Margot Trinder, Dr Susie Burke

: Box 11, 607 Lygon Street,Carlton North VIC 3054 Australia

: +61 438 879 360

: info@exploringtogether.com.au

: Visit website

Ratings

2/4 Evidence

3/4 Implementation

Summary of evidence factors

This is a summary of the evaluation or research study characteristics that contribute to the program’s evidence rating.

Positive impact on at least one outcome for children and/or young people?	Yes
Link between program description and theory of change	Comprehensive
Study design	Quasi-experimental
Independence	Semi

Summary of implementation factors

This is a summary of the program’s characteristics that contribute to its implementation rating.

Feedback sought from participants	Yes
Feedback sought from instructors	Yes
Groups program is not suitable for	Not assessed
Training provided during study	Face to face train-the-trainer in person
Ongoing instructor support provided during study	Yes

Context

This is a summary of the context in which the evidence for the program was established.

Study Participants	Primary school
Country of Study/s	Australia
Location of Study/s in Australia	ACT VIC NSW
Evaluation of program in culturally and linguistically diverse populations	No
Evaluation of program in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people	No
Evaluation of program in low socioeconomic groups	Yes
Developmental based adaptations to program design and delivery	No
Evaluation of program in children and young people with disability and/or learning difference	No

Last updated: 19 November 2021