Australia's Parenting Research Centre recently found that 13 percent of parents it surveyed had attended an in-person parenting program in 2022, and 18 per cent had attended these virtually. Over half also reported they had found them helpful. 

These educational programs are focused on improving parenting skills and positive developmental outcomes for children.  

Since July 2016, The Benevolent Society’s Family Connect and Support (FCS) team in East Maitland have been delivering this support for local parents and families through the Port Stephens Positive Parenting Program.  

This specialised support is delivered by Shirley Crouch, Child and Family Practitioner at The Benevolent Society. 

Image: Shirley Crouch, Child and Family Practitioner at The Benevolent Society.

The Port Stephens Positive Parenting Program

With over a decade working in early childhood education prior to joining The Benevolent Society, Shirley has been leading the Port Stephens Positive Parenting Program for the past 12 months.  

The program encourages parents with young children to connect with the local community, learn from each other and develop new skills to provide the best environment they can for their families through a range of support.  

This includes supported playgroups, evidence-based programs teaching parents behaviours they can adopt at home, case management, material aid support, and family capacity building. 

Additional assistance delivered to local parents and families includes help addressing challenging behaviours from their children, building awareness in families of child developmental milestones, and transition to school support. 

The program also helps parents access a range of early intervention support like occupational therapy, speech therapists, and child psychologists.  

Empowering parents

“The program equips families with a range of tools, information and resources that empower them to positively navigate and address challenges they may face,” Shirley says. “We use a strength-based, evidence informed practice to guide the model ensuring it is meeting the desired outcomes as set by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice.” 

Alongside support accessible at The Benevolent Society’s East Maitland site and mobile outreach support, partnerships with community organisations are key to how this support is delivered. These partnerships include Karuah Public School, the Thou-Walla Family Centre, the Raymond Terrace and Karuah Communities for Children Facility, Interrelate, and the Port Stephens Council.  

The Benevolent Society is also developing partnerships with local Aboriginal organisations and local Worimi elders to embed Aboriginal culture, safe practices, knowledge and language in supported playgroups. 

Support during a formative time

“The first five years of a child’s life are crucial to their development and wellbeing,” Shirley adds. “Many parents aren’t aware of parenting programs that can support them during this time. They shouldn’t be afraid to look into what assistance is available and embrace this support if they are feeling overwhelmed or in need of extra guidance.” 

Recently, the main support requested by local parents has been around food and material aid support, financial and housing assistance, and helping to parents with strategies to address challenging behaviours with children. The team have also been helping parents implement structure and routine in their households and setting boundaries for screen time and technology use. 

“We’ve seen so many amazing outcomes for those taking part growing their confidence with how they approach parenting,” Shirley says. “These achievements include being more positive in their approach to parenting, knowing how to address challenging behaviours, and better connecting and co-regulating behaviour with their child to best support them. Having a better understanding of their child’s development has also helped many parents identify when early intervention support is needed in those crucial early years of development." 

Having the opportunity to connect with other parents is also invaluable.  

“The supported playgroups provide local parents with an opportunity to feel a part of a community, develop friendships, strong social network supports, and share learnings with one another.” 

For more information on our range of early years and parenting support services, click here or call 1800 236 762.