2001 Conference

GLUGOR HOUSE - AN EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR YOUNG DISADVANTAGED MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN

Gina Pilkington, Coordinator, Glugor House Parenting Program, 1 Mary St, Kingston, Queensland 4114, Australia

This presentation will give an overview of a new and innovative model of service delivery for an early intervention parenting program. Glugor House is a day program for young mothers and their children, and is situated in Logan City, approximately 30kms outside Brisbane.

Logan is a young community - approximately 40% of the population is under 25. It is also an area of high unemployment (approximately 25%), high crime, low levels of educational and vocational qualifications and high levels of public housing. All the young women who come to Glugor House are marginalised from mainstream services, many are victims of domestic violence, and more than 90% have very poor literacy.

The presentation will explore the how and why of the success of the program and will discuss the range of techniques and activities aimed at behaviour modification and developing parenting skills. Features of the program include:

• Voluntary participation.
• The program runs on-site for 6 hours a day, 4 days a week and therefore allows intensive, continuous service delivery.
• Glugor House aims to replicate the organisation and atmosphere of a family home. Glugor is often a young mother's first experience in such an environment and provides her with ideas to use in her own home.
• Mothers and children come together to Glugor but spend about half of their time apart. Upstairs, internal staff and sessionals provide the mothers with very practical skills and education in parenting and child care, budgeting, household and personal skills. Downstairs, two childcare staff work with the children and address early education and developmental issues and enhance the social skills of the children by fostering participation in a play group.
• Staff have a mix of professional and non-professional backgrounds, which provides an accessible and non-threatening environment for the young families.

The program caters for 20 mothers and about 30 children. Its simple design and use of very practical educational tools means it could be easily replicated.