Prevention and Early Intervention: Innovative Practice Model “Down Under” in South-east Queensland, Australia

Abstract

Research consistently shows that addressing diverse families’ needs early in life will reduce risks and increase protective factors surrounding the complexities of families’ lives. For decades, prevention and early intervention has been described in many forms, from child centred and client centred to family centred and family focused, yet all have a common goal of intervening early to negate later crisis. This paper notes previous research on early intervention and prevention, and suggests that building partnerships and collaboration are important elements when working with families in complex situations. The next section of this paper provides a snapshot of Australian Government policy direction in relation to early years and outlines an innovative early intervention initiative implemented by the Department of Communities, Queensland State Government. Following this, the focus is on describing a prevention and intervention model, implemented by Lifeline Community Care Queensland Inc., which outlines the critical components of an early intervention initiative for families at risk. An evaluation framework attached to the early intervention and prevention initiative is introduced and the concluding statement points a way forward.

Notes

1. The NCFAS-R is a modification of the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale (NCFAS) and is intended for use by family preservation service providers working with reunification cases. Modifications were made by R.S. Kirk, in collaboration with the National Family Preservation Network (NFPN). Funding provided to NFPN for the modification project came from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The original NCFAS was developed by R.S. Kirk and K. Ashcraft. The NCFAS is derived from previous versions based on the Family Assessment Form, developed at the Children's Bureau of Southern California, Michigan's Family Assessment of Needs Form, and four assessment instruments developed in North Carolina by Haven House (Raleigh), Home Remedies (Morganton), Methodist Home for Children (Raleigh), and the state Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services. Special acknowledgments are due to Sandy Sladen and Judith Nelson at the Children's Bureau of Southern California and to researchers Jacquelyn McCroskey and William Meezan. Domain specifications for the original NCFAS were based on the work of Meezan and McCroskey. Domains and subscales for version 2.0 are based upon reliability and validity testing completed in Fall 1997. The NCFAS-R, version R2.0, is based upon reliability and validity testing conducted during 2000–2001. R&V testing is ongoing. See User's Guide to NCFAS, version 2.0, for additional information on scale construction and psychometrics.