BUSHkids Annual Report 2019-20

ANNUAL REPORT 2019–2020 TOPIC SECTION 33 ADAPTING MAGIC Adapting magic Parentshop’s 1-2-3 Magic ® & Emotion Coaching course is an evidence-based program to help practitioners support parents and caregivers of children aged 2-12 years to better manage kids’ challenging behaviour. It is based on a social learning theoretical framework focused on two concepts: that children can learn to respond more flexibly when upset, and that parents and caregivers can learn skills to use at particular parenting moments. The core 1-2-3 Magic ® and Emotion Coaching workshop has successfully helped many parents to learn skills to guide their children to manage their emotional reactions. Among our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander facilitators, however, it was found to be less engaging and the approach was not being widely used in these cultural groups. As reported last year, BUSHkids and Parentshop have collaborated to work with a consultant on adapting the program using an ‘action learning’ approach. The consultant made some cultural adaptations to the program as part of stage one of the project. These were completed in March 2020 and we were ready to begin recruiting facilitators from within BUSHkids as well as members from community agencies who work with people of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage. A workshop in Brisbane was planned and then paused with the onset of COVID-19. A new date for virtual training via ZOOM has been set for 4 December 2020. BUSHkids staff and specialist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agency staff will attend together to complete the training. In 2021, staff from both BUSHkids and partner agencies will conduct the training for parents across various Queensland locations. The following areas have nominated staff: Mount Isa, Emerald, Sunshine Coast, Warwick, Dalby, Hervey Bay and Cherbourg. Although an unavoidably delayed evolutionary process, this is still an exciting opportunity to not only partner with Parentshop but also adapt our well-proven program methodologies to extend BUSHkids’ reach to Indigenous families and their descendants across Queensland in the near future.