Our Programs

You are at » Home » Our Programs » Five Program Pillars » Universal Supported Groups

Universal Supported Groups

Universal Supported Groups are play-based and educational parent groups that help build the self esteem of all family members and enhance relationships between parents and their children.

Good Beginnings’ universal group programs are community based, open to all children under school age and their parents/carers, and offer a range of support.

Universal supported groups fall broadly into four categories:

Play & Learn Groups
Parent Education Sessions
Parent Support Groups
New Dads Groups

Each group is supported by professional staff. Good Beginnings staff work in partnership with families and use a strengths-based approach to support them in a respectful and inclusive way. Good Beginnings’ range of groups offer families:

a meeting place with an informal atmosphere where parents can get to know each other and form relationships
playgroups where children and their parents and carers are encouraged to participate in play experiences together
written and verbal information, advice and, if needed, referrals relating to child rearing, parenting, child health and child development issues
informal and parent-led education and support groups that respond directly to parents’ needs.

Play & Learn

Play & Learn is a universal free program open to all families with children up to five years of age. It operates as an enhanced playgroup for children, facilitated by professional staff, with a focus on providing high quality, age appropriate developmental experiences.

During Play & Learn sessions, parents participate in their child’s play and also have the opportunity to get to know other participants in similar situations to their own, and form mutually supportive relationships. Group workers make every effort to create a safe and supportive environment that encourages interaction and relationship building. In some sessions, invited visitors from other local services (child health nurse, oral health practitioner, librarian, etc) participate and provide information to parents and carers through the mutual play experience.

One of the great benefits of Play & Learn is its capacity to attract a diverse mix of participating families and nurture a sense of inclusiveness. This atmosphere is carefully created through sensitivity in planning, promotion and program delivery. Good Beginnings recognises and works from the knowledge that the building of local social networks assists parents with babies and young children to feel more valued and supported in their parenting role.

Responsive to community needs, Play & Learn groups can be adapted to respond to specific concerns and may be run in partnership with other organisations or schools. The focus may be on ‘Transition to School’ or may cater specifically for families with children with additional needs. Some Play & Learn groups have a special focus (eg singing or groups for babies). Other Play & Learn groups are targeted at specific groups, such as new migrants, refugees, or parents of multiple births.

Parent education sessions

Good Beginnings is involved in the facilitation of a range of structured parent education programs, including 123 Magic, Parenting Between Cultures and Triple P (Positive Parenting Program). Staff are trained to facilitate the most appropriate program at their site, depending on the needs of the community

Good Beginnings has also developed its own parent education program, called Parent Soup. Parent Soup is a discussion-based parent education and support program that builds on families’ strengths. Participating parents identify the topic they wish to discuss and the sessions are based entirely around their needs. The sessions are based on active group participation and supported and complemented by knowledgeable and supportive staff in a relaxed atmosphere.

Parent Support Groups

Parent Support Groups enable parents who share a specific issue, like depression, low self esteem or having to care for a child with special needs, to support each other in a caring environment.
Parent Support Groups are facilitated by professional staff and provide parents with access to information and referrals where appropriate.

New Dads Groups

Given a renewed understanding of the important role men play in the lives of their children, Good Beginnings has implemented and tested a number of approaches to engaging with dads.

Experience has taught us that men often prefer to interact with early childhood services in subtly different ways from women. This knowledge has encouraged us to rethink the way we have traditionally delivered our services to the ever-increasing number of men who are primary carers.

Single fathers are potentially far more isolated than single mothers when parenting babies or young children after separation or the death of a spouse. The same applies to men who choose to be stay-at-home parents. The main reason for this continues to be the strong barriers that services present, often unintentionally, to men who seek support. We recognise that, in order for a service to become truly inclusive of fathers, considerable time and energy must be put into considering and acting on service policies, worker training (attitudes, knowledge, skills), service environments and local engagement with men as parents.

Good Beginnings recognises that there are particular stages in the parenting experience that men may be seeking information and/or support in relation to, including preparing for the birth of their first child and dealing with the first few months of parenting.

Good Beginnings also offers professional development opportunities to services and workplaces who wish to implement practices that are inclusive of hard-to-reach groups such as dads.

Click on the links below to find out more about Good Beginnings’ dads programs:

Parenting Sessions for Expectant Dads

Antenatal parenting sessions for expectant fathers are run in public and private hospitals and provide a male facilitator to discuss parenting issues with men before the birth of their first child. The facilitator is also available to follow up with expectant dads one-on-one about issues surrounding early parenting. Common issues of discussion include postnatal depression, balancing work and family, changes in relationships, and being different from their own fathers.

New Dads Parenting Discussion Groups

Good Beginnings works in partnership with other local services to provide parenting discussion groups for new dads. Discussion topics are largely directed by the participants and include issues such as balancing work and family, changes in the relationship with their partner, playing with babies, and the early childhood stages of development.

Home Visiting to Men Parenting in Isolation

Single men parenting in isolation often feel more isolated than their female counterparts, especially as family based services are generally less accessible to men. Good Beginnings provides Family Support Workers to visit dads at home, sometimes in tandem with trained volunteers, to offer support around practical parenting, play, and making links with services and activities in the community.

Dads’ Playgroup

This facilitated playgroup provides a safe, family-friendly environment in which dads can strengthen their relationships with their children while getting to know other fathers. The groups lessen stress and provide support, improving family relationships and decreasing isolation. The groups are also an opportunity to provide informal parent education.