The STARS for Kids study is designed to support child development, parental mental health, and psychosocial needs in families with children aged 6 months to 3 years.
The study aims to do this by:
- Early identification of need for support for parents/carers and children.
- Help with identifying and accessing services if needed.
Your participation will help us understand what is good about the current support systems and what can be improved to help families with young children thrive and reach their full potential.
Who can be involved?
Anyone fitting the below criteria:
- Families living in the City of Wanneroo, with a child aged 6 months to 3 years old.
- Parents/carers aged over 18 years.
- Ability to understand and provide informed consent to the study.
What does participation involve?
If you are interested in the study and have read the Participant Information Brochure, we will ask you to sign a consent form to agree to participate.
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete a set of questionnaires which takesapproximately 20 minutes. A similar questionnaire set repeats every 6 months for 2 years.
There are 2 participation groups, and you will be randomly selected for either:
- Enhanced Usual Care Group: In this group your completed questionnaires are stored by our team and we provide assistance for families in the form of infographics with general advice.
- STARS Intervention Group: In this group your completed questionnaires will be reviewed by our team of researchers and allied health professionals to understand how your child is developing and whether your family might benefit from additional support. If any challenges are identified, our team will help find pathways and services to support your family.
Other opportunities you may be asked to participate in:
- As part of the study, if your child is identified as having difficulties with emotional self-regulation, you may be invited to complete additional questionnaires and will receive access to a specialised parenting video program.
- A limited number of participants and service providers will be invited to complete a recorded online interview with a researcher to review their experiences with the STARS for Kids program at the 12- and 24-month time points. Information will be deidentified and once the interview has been transcribed the recording will be deleted. Parents/carers will be paid for participation in the interviews.
What are the benefits of participating?
The information and assistance you receive from the STARS study is designed to benefit your family’s health and wellbeing and may provide access to support and services that are otherwise hard to find or engage with.
As a thank you for your participation, we will send you a $20 Coles gift voucher every timepoint you complete your questionnaire set.
How to get involved?
Register your expression of interest here.
For more information, read the Participant Information Brochure or contact the STARS for Kids team below:
- Phone: 0477 247 361
- Email: STARS@thekids.org.au