Evaluation and evidence based outcomes are key components of the Kids Plus Foundation and the work we do with children and families.

Kids Plus utilises four methods to monitor and evaluate outcomes and continually improve its services:

1.    Setting measurable goals and objectives for each child at the commencement of each 9 week therapy program and assessing progress against those goals during and at the conclusion of therapy. The Goal Attainment Scale (GAS) is used for goal setting and attainment.
2.    Family feedback at the end of each program
3.    Independent external evaluation and research
4.    Annual review of services by families and clinicians, measuring all processes, outcomes, family centered practice (MPOC)

Key findings from recent evaluations:

• 100% of families believe the Kids Plus Therapy Program has made a significant impact on them and their child.
• More than 90% of the time children achieved or partially achieved their stated therapy goals each term.
• Factors contributing to the achievement of therapy goals were identified as the intensive model of treatment, skills of the therapists and subsequent skill level and confidence of parents to support therapy at home.
• Families report the following
  • an enhanced knowledge and understanding of their child’s abilities,
  • greater understanding of how to best facilitate their progress and developmental needs,
  • a new sense of confidence in negotiating and advocating for services within the disability sector and of being clear in their interactions with other health professionals, particularly medical specialists.
• External stakeholders, including referring agencies and paediatricians reported observing achievements made by children and families involved with the Kids Plus Therapy Program.
• In 2010 Kids Plus Foundation provided 2420 individual therapy sessions over 3025 hrs at no cost to families.

Read family feedback here  (link to Feedback section under Families)

Kids Plus Family Survey    Download

Family Surveys are conducted regularly by Kids Plus, asking families about the therapy program & family centered practice that families received from Kids Plus.
Additional to this survey is the MPOC survey (Measure Of Process of Care) for Family Centered Practice, an international benchmark tool developed by CanChild ( http://www.canchild.ca ) at McMaster University in Canada.  The MPOC results from both survey years indicated very high degrees of family centered practice for all areas of service that the program provides.

Deakin University    Download

Deakin University undertook an Honours Project looking at "Family Perspective of a Neurodevelopment Program for Children with Cerebral Palsy & Developmental Disabilities ". Families were invited to join in focus groups or to be involved with a telephone interview in Term 3 2006. This project also included a literature review. The project was completed at the end of 2006. A summary of the Project was written for Newsletter 6 by the author Kasey Henriksen, B.OccThy (Hons).     Downloads

External Evaluation    Download

The Helen Macpherson Smith Trust funded an external evaluation of the Therapy Program as part of Kids Plus’ long term sustainability planning. The evaluation was completed in 2007 by Debra Barrow & Juliet Frizzell of Effective Change (www.effectivechange.com.au) 

The objective was to independently evaluate the Kids Plus therapy service, process & outcomes as a means of describing, understanding & validating the therapy model for parents, children and the disability sector.