CfC FP ObjectiveSupporting Families and Parents 
Create Strong Child-Friendly Communities 
School Transition and Engagement 
Delivered toChildren aged 0 to 17 and their parents/primary caregivers 
Delivered byAt the local level, FAST is run by trained 4 to 8-person FAST Teams comprised of parents, teachers and school representatives, and community-based professionals. Each FAST Team is representative of the population served, that is, consistent with the gender, ethnicity and culture of the participating families.
Delivery settingSchool-based; home-based; community-based
Program developerFAST Australia Alliance 

About the program

FAST is an early intervention and prevention program that helps children succeed by empowering parents, connecting families, improving the school climate and strengthening community engagement.
FAST delivery has been successful in the remotest of Indigenous communities in Australia through to schools and families in our capital cities. 

Program structure

Initially a consultative process in conducted together with FAST trainers and key stakeholders.

There are 3 phases in FAST:

  1. An outreach process in which trained FAST parent and professional facilitators invite families to participate in FAST through face-to-face visits at the family home and at their convenience.
  2. An 8-week (2.5 hour school/communities-based meeting) multi-family group process for 10 to 15 families facilitated by a collaborative, community-based team (parent and professional facilitators).
  3. An ongoing 2-year follow-up program, FASTWORKS, consisting of monthly multi-family meetings of FAST graduates, which is run by the parents with the support of the FAST team. 

Facilitator training

Local teams are trained by a certified national trainer. The accredited trainer oversees an action reflection model of program delivery.

  • Learn: FAST begins with learning. Prior to the first FAST Cycle, a Certified FAST Trainer conducts a comprehensive 2-day program orientation to prepare FAST Team Members to run the program accurately and efficiently.
  • Plan: Occurs on site in the local community.
  • Do: Always occurs on site, with Certified FAST Trainer offering on-going weekly monitoring and support to ensure program integrity and consistent implementation.
  • Review: Occurs throughout the FAST process. Post program online and face to face evaluations are conducted with the team and families. 

Cost

The cost varies according to mode of delivery, the location (urban, regional or remote) and a range of local factors.

Contact FAST Australia to get an indication of costs.

Evaluation and effectiveness

Multiple studies including randomised controlled trials document positive behavioural outcomes at post-test, with at least one study indicating positive behavioural impacts at follow up at least one year after the intervention ended. 

References

Kratochwill, T. R., McDonald, L., Levin, J. R., Scalia, P. A., & Coover, G. (2009). Families and schools together: An experimental study of multi-family support groups for children at risk. Journal of School Psychology, 47(4), 245–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2009.03.001

McDonald, L., Moberg, D. P., Brown, R., Rodriguez-Espiricueta, I., Flores, N. I., Burke, M. P., & Coover, G. (2006, January 1). After-School Multifamily Groups: A Randomized Controlled Trial Involving Low-Income, Urban, Latino Children. Children and Schools 28(1), 25–34.

Contact

Phone: (08) 8920 3510 (Capacity Plus NT, Darwin)
Website: fastnt.org.au

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