Trudy Heathwood, Wendell Peacock, Andrew Chodkiewicz & Rick Flowers

Research Project. Full report attached: Download Part 1 (PDF 1.1mb) Download Part 2 (PDF 170k)
2001 - 2003

In a recent action research project with the community of Macquarie Fields (MHS 2000) women of the community indicated that they felt that there was a need for the provision of services to children in the community, and that the most appropriate model would use a community development approach. Health service and other service providers who worked on the estate identified the 8-12 years age group as one which appeared to be at risk, and not provided for by existing services. The Macarthur Health Service Sexual Assault, Child Adult and Family, and Drug and Alcohol teams agreed to commit one counsellor each, to work one day a week in a community development capacity, in a team coordinated by a Health Promotion Officer. The team was to focus on school absenteeism and risk behaviours, and was to be known as the MAC 5 Team. A project Advisory Committee was established to bring together representatives from all the major service providers in Macquarie Fields who had a commitment to or were interested in supporting the project. The main role of this committee was to provide advice and expertise on working with families and children living on a public housing estate.

A NSW Health Promotion Demonstration Research Grant was received, and ethics approval was obtained from South West Sydney Area Health Service.
Goal Develop an early intervention program that will increase connectedness with school, and address risk behaviours of 8 to 12 year olds in the Macquarie Fields Housing Estate.

Objectives

• To engage the participation of 8 to 12 year olds (target group) in the MAC in all phases of the project.
• To assess the appropriateness of current relevant programs/services that are available for the target group by June 2001.
• To decrease absenteeism at school and self reported risk behaviours in 8-12 year olds on the Macquarie Fields Housing Estate.
• To increase the capacity of mainstream health services to work more collaboratively with other Government, Non Government and Community groups, and also with services within the health system, to address the needs of a disadvantaged community. (This will occur throughout the project.)
• Research question: How is it possible to reconnect 8 – 12 year old children with school and address risk taking behaviours?

Methodology

The researchers set out to use a co-operative inquiry approach in both parts of the project, but this was modified according to the level of participation workers, community members and children were comfortable with and had the time for. A number of qualitative tools were used to gather data

• Mapping of services and field visits - the MAC 5 Team carried out a brief mapping exercise to find out which services and projects were involved in working with children on the estate. Also, a number of field visits were organised to other projects working with families with young children in similar disadvantaged areas in the region.
• Interviews and discussion groups - with parents, teachers at the two primary schools, local community workers including Department of Community Services (DoCS) workers, and other workers from non-government organisations which serviced the estate.
• Kids Club – the MAC 5 Team ran a set of holiday activities over four different days, and twelve local 8 to 12 year olds took part. The children produced a newspaper, with drawings and stories, which was used as a data source, alongside the notes and debriefing comments of the workers.
• Mega Kids Zone - the team organised and ran activities for the children one afternoon per week after school for 3 months. The children commenced building a three dimensional map of their ideal estate, which was used as a data source, alongside notes from the workers.
• Discussion groups - a number of discussion groups with children were organised at one primary school on the estate and at another school in a nearby suburb. Notes were taken of all responses, and a feedback session was held with the children from the estate, to get their confirmation of their responses, and any further comments. A total of 20 children aged 8 to 12 years participated.
• Action-reflection cycles – the MAC 5 Team used action-reflection cycles to monitor the process of the team forming and developing roles and ways of working. The reflection sessions were taped, and notes were also taken by an external investigator over the first eight months of the project.
• Change graphing – twelve months after the formation of the team, a change graphing exercise was conducted by an external facilitator.
• Documentary evidence – minutes of the MAC 5 Team planning sessions, the Advisory Committee, and the Research Committee (most of which were taped, as well as minuted).
• Interviews - at the end of the project interviews were conducted with the Health Service Team Managers, members from each of the three Health Service teams, members of the MAC 5 Team, and members of the Advisory Committee. The interviews were taped and transcribed.

Material from the interviews, the taped meetings, reflection sessions, meeting minutes and the notes taken about working collaboratively; and data from notes and transcripts of the interviews and discussion groups on children’s absenteeism and risk behaviours, and notes from the children’s’ activity sessions, was analysed using content analysis to draw out the main issues and themes.

Key Findings

The goal of developing an early intervention program was not able to be achieved within the timeframe of this project, particularly given the delays caused by difficulties in appointing a Research/Community Development Officer, and the difficulty in accessing the target group. As the project progressed, it also became apparent that the issues around children’s absenteeism and risk behaviours were not simple or discrete, and that a narrow-focus intervention would not be appropriate. It proved not possible to engage the participation of 8-12 year olds in all phases of the project because of the difficulty in accessing children, and their reluctance to participate in anything other than structured activities or focussed discussions. Current relevant programs that are available to the target group were investigated and assessed. It proved beyond the scope of this project to make an impact on absenteeism and self reported risk behaviours in the children on the estate. Many challenges were experienced in attempting to increase the capacity of services within the health system to work collaboratively in a community development team. There were positive experiences of increased knowledge and network building between health services and other Government, non-Government, and community service providers. Despite the limitations and barriers in meeting all the objectives of the project many useful lessons were learnt in attempting to conduct a project into this important area of health promotion practice.

Children's absenteeism and risk behaviours

• Engaging with children 8-12 years who are involved in ‘at risk’ behaviours is extremely difficult, and requires moving beyond formalistic ways of working that rely on meetings, reference groups and committees
• Absenteeism was seen by parents, teachers, and workers on the estate to be often related to conditions within the family, and family expectations, rather than individual behaviour of children
• Rather than linking absenteeism and risk taking behaviour in children as a matter of course, it was noted that some high absentee children were absent from school to support their families; however this places them at risk in other ways
• Children and parents considered bullying to be a big issue at school, although teachers did not
• Children admitted to, and were observed by the adults, engaging in a wide variety of risky behaviours that could bring harm to themselves and/or others, and which were, in some instances, illegal
Working collaboratively
• Significant difficulties were experienced in maintaining a cohesive team of counsellors, health promotion and research/community development officers, working in a community development capacity for the duration of the project. There was only one day during the whole period that all five members of the team were present and, by the second year, the team basically consisted of the health promotion officer (Principal Researcher) and a counsellor (on a limited basis)
• A number of review processes within the Health Service caused significant upheaval, with staff and management changes and inconsistent replacement of team members
• It was difficult for counsellors to adapt to a community development approach, particularly while still working in counselling, with individual clients, for the majority of their working week
• Once there was some consistency of membership and attendance, and increased experiences of engaging with and responding to community members, a high level of trust built up within the team
• When the team was working to its potential, there were gains with the community and with other workers, such as trust and relationship building; community needs were responded to, and the profile of the Health Service counselling teams was raised
• Although attendance at Advisory committee meetings dropped off towards the end of the project, most members found the experience positive, and appreciated the opportunity to meet and develop relationships with representatives of other service providers on the estate

Recommendations

Children, parents, teachers, and workers on the estate contributed to the detailed recommendations offered in this report, which are found in Chapter 8. The general principles underlying the strategies are:

• Any intervention to address absenteeism and risk behaviours in this age group needs to be broad-ranging, across all relevant services, locally based and intensive.
• Interventions should be strengths-based, and involve the community including the children.
• Activities-based programs (craft & sport) should be used to engage the children.
• Any collaborative team should have clearly defined commitments and roles, at all levels.
The main recommendation of this study is for the establishment of a multi-agency community development team in Macquarie Fields, to address the needs of 8 to 12 year old children on the estate. The team would be supported by a steering/management committee, and would aim to investigate and implement strategies broadly described under the following areas:
• School absenteeism
• Risk behaviours
• Community action
• Working collaboratively

School Absenteeism

• establish a fully funded before and after school care program at each primary school on the estate;
• support breakfast clubs at the schools on the estate;
• establish a multi-agency action group within each school;
• develop a model which provides children with the opportunity to practice social skills;
• review current school suspension policies at a district level;
• set up and evaluate the effectiveness of a tutorial centre program for suspended middle school aged children;
• further develop a strengths based curriculum which includes flexible learning methods.

Risk Behaviours

• the Department of Education and Training consider appointing social workers in primary schools;
• organise a series of affordable sporting activities for this age group;
• establish a kids forum for this age group on the estate;
• organise the allocation of an appropriate space for a family centre on the estate;
• establish a joint mentoring program for 8 to 12 year olds who are taking part in ‘at risk’ behaviour and/or are involved in absentee behaviour;
• resource the local community to support 8 to 12 year olds and their parents; and
• evaluate the Exploring Together program currently being conducted through Primary Connect and expand it to other schools in partnership with other agencies.
Community action
• support parents in the identification of issues impacting on them and the development of skills to address these issues;
• conduct further research to develop or identify models of engaging parents of children engaged in at risk /absentee behaviour;
• establish a kids club to run after school, evening and weekend activities;
• organise a workshop to support programs to work with 8 to 12 year olds on the estate;
• organise a workshop with local sporting clubs in the area to examine ways they can be involved in bringing sports activities onto the estate ; and
• plan activities that specifically address the needs of 11 and 12 year olds.

Working Collaboratively

Multidisciplinary Community Development Team

• ensure that research projects clearly define the roles expected of team members and advisory committee members on a project;
• ensure the commitment of all team members for the entire period of the project , and a commitment to replace staff, if necessary;
• ensure services who are supporting the project allow an adequate hand over period for new managers before the old manager leaves; and
• the NSW Health Promotion Demonstration Research Grants scheme consider funding a project to develop and produce a document that outlines the value of collaborative projects and the community development approach.
Steering/Advisory Committee
• two delegates (one as the key member, the other as a backup delegate) from each participating organisation to be identified to participate on the committee;
• the number of committee members should not be limited at the initial stages of the project; and
• the committee should meet as close to the location of the project as possible.