Meet Sophie Nicholls, Our Research Partner with STARS
First Steps Count Director Clare Brennan recently interviewed our Research Facilitator Sophie Nicholls, who is supporting the STARS for Kids research project. Based at the hub in Taree, Sophie works with the University of Sydney to evaluate the impact of child and family hubs across three sites in Australia – Taree (NSW), Carramar (NSW) and Wanneroo (WA).
The STARS for Kids project is a collaboration between the University of Sydney and the University of NSW. The research aims to co‑design with families, community members and service providers a pathway for supporting parents in the early months and years after a baby is born, alongside psychosocial supports for the whole family and developmental checks for children.
Sophie’s role involves working with families and caregivers in the Manning Valley to identify what is working well and where improvements can be made. This information will inform the second phase of the research, which will follow mums with new babies for two to three years. The evaluation includes two streams: tiered care and assessment of the First Steps Count hub itself.
“I can see huge value in doing this evaluation, particularly to ensure we understand what it means for families to be engaged with the Child and Family Hub as well as more broadly that social return on investment over time.”
The research team on site includes Sophie Nicholls and Research Assistant Amy Wallace. Governance and oversight is provided by the Aboriginal Advisory Group, Ngarra Wakulda (Gathang for listen, learn, know as one), ensuring the protection of Aboriginal data and stories in line with data sovereignty principles.
First Steps Count serves as the regional hub for the STARS for Kids research, contributing to the evidence base around the impact of child and family hubs and evaluating enhanced access to services for children under four years of age.
Media Enquiries:
Clare Brennan, Centre Director
clare.brennan@firststepscount.org
