Planning and delivery considerations

Attention to how a program is delivered or implemented is just as important as what is delivered, when it comes to your project’s outcomes.

Implementation considerations for Parenting programs²

The 5Ws

Being clear about what you want to do and the outcomes you want to achieve will support your LDAT to deliver a Parenting program in your community in a safe and effective way. It will also help you track your success as you go. Consider the 5Ws:

• What do you want to happen? (activity)
• Who will it happen with? (direct audience)
• Why will it happen? (outcome - improving an identified gap for that audience)
• When will it occur? (time frame – e.g. over 6 months)
• Where will it occur? (location).

Measuring success

Once you know what you want to achieve you need to measure the success of your activities so that you know how effective they are. Do this by evaluating your activities using process and impact measures.

• Process measures: these relate to how your activity is being delivered. In other words, they help you to monitor if the implementation of your activity went according to plan, e.g. did you get the targeted number of attendees to your event? Did you run the targeted number of workshops that you originally planned?
• Impact measures: these relate to the short-term difference your activity has made on the community. Impact measures seek to increase protective factors, decrease risk factors, or change how people think about AOD harms, e.g. did people report knowing more about AOD harms after attending your event? Did people report feeling more connected to their community after participating in your workshop?

Targeting participants

Parenting programs target parents of children aged 0-16 years. Your LDAT may want to deliver a specific program, but it’s important to check whether the program is targeting the specific age group within your community that you want to impact.

Delivery setting

The way in which a Parenting program is delivered can vary – including face-to-face, online and telephone support (or a combination of these methods). Factor in the needs of your community and consider which method would work best to allow you to select the most appropriate program. For example, online Parenting programs are an option for parents who cannot access face-to-face programs for reasons such as distance, timing, work, or childcare demands.^{7, 8}

Accessibility

Your LDAT can support the delivery of a Parenting program to your broader community by facilitating greater access. This could involve:

• funding or otherwise helping parents to attend existing programs
• arranging for interested and qualified people to be trained in Triple P or other relevant programs within the community
• identifying accredited trainers and engaging them to deliver the relevant program in your community.

Technical assistance

You may want to think about practical aspects of delivering a Parenting program, especially if your LDAT will need ongoing technical support (for example, if the method of delivery is online). You may also want to think about how often staff need training (including duration, location, cost). Staff may also require ongoing professional support (e.g. top-up training, coaching or supervision).

Ensuring quality delivery

When delivering Parenting programs, your LDAT will need to consider the quality of program delivery. You may want to work with the Parenting program provider to set systems in place in terms of quality assurance. Consider:

• How will you ensure the quality of the program when it is delivered to families in your community? That is, how well do trained facilitators need to demonstrate their understanding and use of the program, either during training or while they are working with families? Are there tests, checklists, or observations that they need to perform during training? Are there certain things they need to do to demonstrate to trainers that they’re using the program correctly, such as video-taped sessions, diaries, checklists about their skills or use of the program with families? Are there certain program components that must be delivered to families? For example, if they don’t do a specific activity, they are not actually using the program as intended.
• How often, and for how long, do families need to receive the program for effective results? Can your service meet these requirements?

Staff selection

The ADF LDAT Parenting module has been designed in a way that anyone can deliver and LDATs do not require an expert.

If LDATs choose to go with a different program, they may need to collaborate with appropriately qualified people who are trained to deliver the content in the community. This is a discussion that can be had when LDATS make contact with the program.

Adaptability

You may want to deliver a Parenting program to a group of parents who speak languages other than English. Depending on your community, you may be able to adapt existing programs to suit specific cultural needs. For example, the Jandu Yani U project in Fitzroy Valley (WA) adapted standard Triple P for an Aboriginal community whose children have high rates of complex needs, including early life trauma and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The adaptation involved:

• co-design with contributions from advisory group members, community stakeholders, parent coaches and families
• training participants in the Group (level 4) Indigenous Triple P with additional strategies from the Stepping Stones Triple P program
• developing tailored resources, as recommended by the local advisory group, to ensure the program was culturally sensitive, trauma-informed and acknowledged local cultural histories Triple P training for local community workers to deliver the program as parent coaches.