Goal setting with mothers in child development services

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Family Therapy
• Healthcare Services Research

Background:

• Multidisciplinary child development services aim to support children's progress through collaborative goal setting.
• Family-centered practice emphasizes parental involvement in therapy and decision-making.
• Understanding mothers' experiences in goal setting is crucial for effective service delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore mothers' perspectives on the processes of collaborative goal setting.
• To investigate the roles mothers assume during goal setting in multidisciplinary child development services.
• To identify factors influencing collaborative goal setting from the mothers' viewpoint.

Main Methods:

• Grounded theory approach used to develop a substantive theory.
• Semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 mothers in South East Queensland, Australia.
• Participants were mothers of children aged 3-6 years accessing child development services.

Main Results:

• A grounded theory, the Maternal Roles in Goal Setting (M-RIGS) Model, was developed.
• Mothers adopted roles including Dependent, Active Participator, and Collaborator.
• Role adoption was linked to mothers' dependence on therapists and their understanding of the child's needs and therapy.

Conclusions:

• Mothers assume diverse roles in the goal-setting process, not always fully collaborative.
• Factors such as Goal Factors, Parent Factors, and Therapist Factors complicate goal setting.
• Recognizing these roles and factors can improve engagement with families in child development services.