Welcome to KidsMatter Evaluation,
striving to measure the improved mental health of our
children.
This site is designed to keep schools informed about
the progress of the evaluation of the KidsMatter
Initiative and to provide a repository of useful information
to access and download.
 |
Welcome back: I
hope everyone had a restful, fun and safe Christmas break.
During that time, questionnaires have been unpacked and
scanning has commenced. Thanks to the
support of over 4500 parents/caregivers and almost 1000
teachers, we have continued to maintain a commendable response
rate in this landmark evaluation. The information you
have provided in 2007 and twice again in 2008 will give real
insight into children's wellbeing in Australia. With the
completion of the Pilot Phase now over, we are now preparing
the final report due in mid 2009. |
|
Here it
is! September 18th, 2008. 
We are excited to launch the new KidsMatter
website! Here you will find important information about
the initiative as well as access to all the key resources. Do
have a look around and tell us what you think. |
The KidsMatter Evaluation Team
KidsMatter have appointed an
evaluation team of representatives from Flinders
University, the
University of South Australia and the South Australian Department of Education and
Children's Services.
The purpose of the evaluation
The KidsMatter Evaluation is
gathering information about the initial trial of KidsMatter in
schools across Australia. It will provide information about the
implementation process and whether the initiative leads to improved
mental health for students. The evaluation will inform the
subsequent national roll-out of KidsMatter initiatives.
KidsMatter has been developed in collaboration with
the Australian
Government Department of Health and Ageing, beyondblue: the national
depression initiative, the Australian
Psychological Society, the Australian Principals Associations Professional
Development Council and is supported by the Australian Rotary Health Research
Fund.
The evaluation process
Information for the evaluation will be collected on four
occasions commencing in April 2007, and continuing in November
2007, April 2008 and November 2008.
Most of the information will come from responses to a
questionnaire to be completed by the parents and teachers of a
randomly selected sample of 75 students in each school. The
questionnaire will measure outcomes from the KidsMatter initiative
for staff, students, and parents. The questionnaire will also
focus on some aspects of the implementation of KidsMatter.
A small number of teachers and students from some schools will
attend a focus group discussion or an interview.
A small amount of funding is available to assist schools with
the cost of participating in the evaluation.
Brief timeline and Research Design
A brief time line is presented below.
Click on the link for details on the conceptual framework and the
research design (may take a moment to load).
|
2006 |
Obtain ethics approvals from
all jurisdictions |
| |
Obtain consents from all
departments and schools |
| |
Establish Contact Person in
each school |
| Feb 2007 |
Information packages sent to
schools |
|
Mar 2007 |
Obtain (de-identified) student
enrolment lists for random selection of 76 students per school |
|
|
Obtain school attendance and
other relevant data |
|
May 2007
|
Obtain teacher, parent and
student consents |
|
|
Questionnaire Phase 1: End of
Term 2 2007 |
|
Oct 2007 |
Questionnaire Phase 2: Term 4
2007, does not involve parents/caregivers |
|
May 2008 |
Questionnaire Phase 3: Term 2
2008 |
|
Oct 2008 |
Questionnaire Phase 4: Term 4
2008 |
|
Term 3 2008 |
Focus groups and interviews in
10 selected schools |
|
2009 |
Data Analysis and preparation of Final Report |
|
mid-2009 |
KidsMatter Evaluation Final Report |
For further information contact:
The Senior Evaluation Officer
Phone: +61 8 8201 5878
Fax: +61 8 8201 3184
 Email: kidsmatter@flinders.edu.au
|
