Project Overview

CanChild’s ‘F-words for Child Development’ offer a fresh way for everyone to look at health. Based on WHO concepts, they present a holistic, strengths-based, function-promoting, family-centred approach to child health. These ideas have captured the attention of families and service providers (SPs) worldwide. The uptake of the F-words, and requests for workshops, have created a pressing need to expand F-words training. With family and SP co-applicants, we propose to create a new online F-Words Foundations Training Program for Families and Service Providers. We aim to assess two versions of our new online program:1) a self-paced program that people complete on their own, and 2) the self-paced program plus five hours of synchronous small group training with a facilitator parent, SP, and researcher (the facilitated model). We will evaluate and compare the impact of the two programs on (i) participants’ perceived knowledge, attitudes, and use of the F-words; (ii) self-reported family empowerment, parenting confidence, and perceptions of family-centred service; and (iii) acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the programs. We expect that F-words training for families and SPs will increase people’s knowledge and use of the F-words, and in turn, enhance services and supports for families, children, and youth.

Principal Investigator

Peter Rosenbaum , McMaster University

Team Members

Andrea Cross, McMaster University

Rachel Teplicky, McMaster University

Partners and Donors

Kids Brain Health Network

Ontario Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services (MCCSS)