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. 2021 Apr 12;4(2):e22822.
doi: 10.2196/22822.

Participatory Design of an Activities-Based Collective Mentoring Program in After-School Care Settings: Connect, Promote, and Protect Program

Alyssa C Milton  1   2 , Elizabeth Stewart  1 , Laura Ospina-Pinillos  1   3 , Tracey Davenport  1 , Ian B Hickie  1
Affiliations

Participatory Design of an Activities-Based Collective Mentoring Program in After-School Care Settings: Connect, Promote, and Protect Program

Alyssa C Milton et al. JMIR Pediatr Parent. .

Abstract

Background: Out of school hours care (OSHC) services provide a unique opportunity to deliver early intervention programs to enhance primary school-aged children's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive well-being; however, such programs are currently lacking.

Objective: This study aims to address the lack of well-being programs for children accessing OSHC services in the research literature by using participatory design (PD) to collaboratively develop and test an OSHC well-being program-the connect, promote, and protect program (CP3).

Methods: The study employed methods of PD, user (acceptance) testing, and iterative knowledge translation to develop a novel well-being program framework-CP3-with key stakeholders (eg, children, OSHC staff, volunteers, families, clinicians, educators, and researchers). Thematic techniques were used to interpret and translate the qualitative information obtained during the research and design cycles.

Results: The co-design process generated the CP3 model, which comprises a group-based mentoring approach to facilitate enhanced activities in OSHC settings. Activities are underpinned by 4 key principles of program delivery: build well-being and resilience, broaden horizons, inspire and engage, and connect communities.

Conclusions: To our knowledge, the CP3 program is the first co-designed well-being program developed specifically for OSHC services. This co-design process is key to ensuring local community needs-particularly those of young people accessing OSHC-are met and that these individuals are meaningfully and actively involved in all stages of the research and design process, from conception to implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.

Keywords: after school care; children; community consultation; health; participatory design; program development; well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: IH was an inaugural commissioner on Australia’s National Mental Health Commission (2012-18). He is the Co-Director, Health and Policy at the Brain and Mind Centre (BMC) University of Sydney. The BMC operates early intervention youth services at Camperdown under contract to headspace. He has previously led community-based and pharmaceutical industry-supported (Wyeth, Eli Lily, Servier, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca) projects focused on the identification and better management of anxiety and depression. He was a member of the Medical Advisory Panel for Medibank Private until October 2017, a Board Member of Psychosis Australia Trust, and a member of the Veterans Mental Health Clinical Reference group. He is the chief scientific advisor to and an equity shareholder in Innowell. Innowell was formed by the University of Sydney and PwC to deliver the Aus $30 million (US $23 million) Australian government–funded “Project Synergy.” Project synergy is a 3-year program for the transformation of mental health services through the use of innovative technologies. All other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Connect, promote, and protect program research and development cycle. CP3: connect, promote, and protect program; R&D: research and development.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Children’s wellbeing domains.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Example page from the connect, promote, and protect program activity development guide after prototyping and knowledge translation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Components of connect, promote, and protect program stages. CP3: connect, promote, and protect program.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Example excerpts from connect, promote, and protect program enhanced activity planning.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Connect, promote, and protect program model underpinned by the existing My Time Our Place Framework and the National Quality Standards. CP3: connect, promote, and protect program.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. OECD . Starting Strong 2017-Key OECD Indicators on Early Childhood Education and Care. Paris: OECD Publishing; 2017.
    1. OECD . Starting Strong III: A Quality Toolbox for Early Childhood Education and Care. Paris: OECD Publishing; 2011.
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    1. Department of Education and Training . My Time Our Place. Australia: Department of Education and training; 2011.

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