top of page
CAN A POPULATION-BASED APPROACH TO EVIDENCE-BASED PARENTING SUPPORT REDUCE RATES OF CHILD MALTREATMENT IN AUSTRALIA? RESULTS FROM THE EVERY FAMILY 2 TRIAL

Matthew Sanders, PhD; Kylie Burke, PhD
Apr 23, 2024

This presentation reports on the findings from a large scale evaluation of the effects of a population-based implementation of the Triple P system on rates of child maltreatment. Using a quasi-experimental design we evaluated the effects of the Triple P system in 64 matched low socioeconomic areas in Queensland and New South Wales. The intervention involved close multidisciplinary, community collaboration across multiple agencies and sectors.  After two years of the intervention, there were significantly higher rates of awareness and participation in Triple P and lower rates of notifications (large effect size) and substantiations (medium effect size) of child maltreatment in Triple P systems communities (TPS) than in Care as Usual Communities (CAU). Learning and challenges involved in the implementation at scale of evidence ebased parenting support is discussed.

This presentation is proudly brought to you by the Parenting and Family Research Alliance, and the Parenting and Family Support Centre at The University of Queensland. The research was partially supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Project ID CE140100027).

UQlogo-Purple-rgb.png
LCC20-logo-full.png
Sanders.jpg

About the presenter

Professor Matthew Sanders is a Foundation Professor of Parenting Studies and Family Psychology in the Parenting and Family Support Centre at the University of Queensland. He is the founder of the internationally recognized Triple P-Positive Parenting Program, which is now run in 72 countries around the world in 23 languages. 100,000 + practitioners have been trained to deliver Triple P. He has published extensively in the area of parenting, family psychology and the prevention and treatment of behavioural and emotional problems in children. He is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Australian Psychological Society, New Zealand Psychological Society, Australian Association of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and the Academy of Experimental Criminology. He has been a consultant to the Council of Europe on Positive Parenting and is a former Queenslander of the Year. He is the Chair of the Parenting and Family Research Alliance (PAFRA) and Convenor and Chair of the Steering Committee for the International Congress of Evidence based Parenting Support in 2025. He was the lead  Chief Investigator  in the Every Family 2 population trials funded by the ARC’s centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course.

Kylie.jpg

About the presenter

A/Prof Kylie Burke is Director Research Strategy and Evaluation at Metro North Mental Health Service. She has more than 20 years experience as a psychologist and is an Honorary Associate Professor within The University of Queensland’s School of Psychology and is an Associate Investigator within the ARC’s Centre for Research Excellence – the Life Course Centre. Her role is to advance the service’s reputation and capacity to engage in world leading research and the implementation of continuous learning and improvement systems. She is responsible developing the research strategy across the service and for leading strategic service-wide service improvement, evaluation and research initiatives, including building research capacity of clinicians and individuals with lived or living experience of mental illness and their carers/family, and fostering learning opportunities and collaborative partnerships with universities and other community organisations. Her research has focused on supporting parents and children across a range of difficulties and life-stages, including supporting parents of children with life-threatening illnesses, mental health problems and parents of teenagers. Kylie was employed at the Parenting and Family Support Centre from 2012 to 2020. During this time she was a Chief Investigator and Director of the more than $2.5M population-based trial of the Triple P Positive Parenting Program within socially disadvantaged communities (Every Family 2). The project employed the RE-AIM implementation science framework alongside a closest match, difference-in-difference outcome evaluation methodology.

bottom of page