Connect in Australia

The Connect program for kinship parents is currently being implemented and evaluated in statutory child protection and out-of-home care agencies in Canberra, Australia. Practitioners from these organizations have been trained as group facilitators.

We recently completed a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Connect for Kinship Parents program and examined its preliminary effects on key outcomes in out-of-home care. Findings were encouraging in showing successful training of frontline practitioners who delivered the program and potential effects of Connect for Kinship Parents in improving carer and child wellbeing, which may have promoted placement stability. The paper can be freely viewed here.

Since 2018, in partnership with ACT Children, Youth and Families and out-of-home care agencies, we have successfully implemented Connect groups for kinship parents as well as for foster carers. This has led to a growing number of practitioners achieving certification as Connect facilitators, which will help promote program sustainability. We’re very encouraged by the increasing interest in and demand for the Connect program in the community, and are currently creating more opportunities for training in and larger-scale implementation of Connect in Australia.

For more information about Connect in Australia, please contact:

Dr. Dave Pasalich
Email: dave.pasalich@anu.edu.au