PlaySteps is one of the parenting programs that Queen Elizabeth Centre (QEC) offers to provide support, advice and education. This play program, attended by parents and their children, is designed to improve parent-child relationships and interaction and to help parents meet the challenges of early parenthood.

Parent-child interaction has long been a focus of clinical services, and this evaluation will provide further empirical research on how play programs affect parenting enjoyment and satisfaction, and child development. Our evaluation will report on whether group parenting programs that focus on play and the parent-child relationship can increase positive outcomes for families.

Follow-up component
A significant feature of our study is our proposed follow-up over a one-year period (a feature that is not included in many previous evaluation studies of program effectiveness). Our findings will help us understand the extent to which families have implemented the strategies they have learned at PlaySteps. Data will also help us explore what can be done to help parents maintain any positive effects on interactions with their children.

PlaySteps: the program
As part of the program, parents attend eight weekly sessions that run for three hours, and are presented with ideas and information in a variety of settings. Several teaching strategies are used in the program, including:

• group education
• one to one coaching
• counselling
• playgroups.

These strategies help parents learn communication skills to improve their relationship with their children.

Theoretical framework
The theoretical framework for the program is based on the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training (NCAST) models - Promoting First Relationships and Keys to CareGiving - as well as the Hilton Davis Family Partnership Model.