More NSW families supported via tried-and-tested program
The Parenting Research Centre is now home to Australia’s largest group of coaches in SafeCare® – a US-developed program shown to reduce child abuse and neglect by up to 26 per cent.
Five of the Centre’s staff have recently been certified as SafeCare providers, and we now have certified coaches. This means they can coach other practitioners delivering SafeCare through the NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) Brighter Futures initiative. This development increases the amount of local support from coaches who understand the Australian context. Currently, coaching is contained to the trial. Once the trial is complete, the program will be evaluated to determine if it is feasible more broadly.
“This is good news for vulnerable families in need of specific parenting support to help them keep their families together,” said Annette Michaux, a Director at the Parenting Research Centre.
“This program teaches important skills to families with complex needs. So we’re delighted it will now benefit more families.”
Program trial across NSW
The Parenting Research Centre is working with FACS to trial SafeCare in six agencies at 14 sites across NSW that are part of the FACS Brighter Futures initiative. Developed a decade ago by the National SafeCare Training & Research Center at Georgia State University (NSTRC), the program has already been rolled out in the US, Britain, Canada, Spain and Israel.
SafeCare trains practitioners to support parents one-on-one, making their homes safer and improving their children’s health.
“Coaches who have been SafeCare providers themselves bring invaluable hands-on experience in knowing what families need,” Ms Michaux said.
Support unit established
The Parenting Research Centre has established a SafeCare Support Unit to support, and ultimately train, practitioners in Brighter Futures. Some of these practitioners will also become coaches themselves.
“Brighter Futures leaders have been tremendously supportive throughout this project,” Ms Michaux said.
“Close collaboration with FACS, Brighter Futures agencies and NSTRC has led to the smooth implementation of SafeCare and its delivery into more family homes.”
Our SafeCare certified providers are: Christopher Tran, Naomi Deneve, Vannessa Montoya-Barbaro, Jane Bennetto and Matthew Burn.
Learn more
- Read more about SafeCare
- Read The Sydney Morning Herald article about how SafeCare is making a difference in NSW