Understanding key worker experiences at an Australian Early Childhood Intervention Service

Area of Science:

• Early Childhood Intervention
• Disability Services
• Family-Centred Practice

Background:

• Family-centred practice (FCP) in Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECISs) emphasizes the intersection of environments, parenting, and supports for child development.
• The transdisciplinary key worker model is a best-practice approach in ECISs, fostering collaboration across disciplines.
• Key worker services are linked to improved family relationships, reduced unmet needs, and higher parental satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore transdisciplinary key workers' perspectives on the strengths and challenges of their role within ECISs.
• To understand the impact of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) policy reform on key worker practice.
• To identify factors influencing the effectiveness of key worker service provision.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative phenomenological design.
• Semi-structured interviews with 13 key workers.
• Inductive thematic analysis of interview data.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: Engagement with the workplace, Engagement with clients, Professional capacity, and Staff Wellbeing.
• Findings align with existing research on support and stress for disability service staff.
• Key workers expressed a lack of confidence in addressing parental mental health issues within a family-centred framework.

Conclusions:

• Key worker effectiveness is influenced by workplace dynamics, client engagement, professional development, and staff wellbeing.
• The study highlights a gap in supporting key workers to address parental mental health.
• Findings support the development of interventions to enhance parent and staff wellbeing in disability services.