Evaluating the implementation of Cradle to Kinder: An intensive home-visitation support program for families experiencing disadvantage

The Australian evidence supporting the effectiveness of home visitation programs for families experiencing disdavantage is mixed. These inconsistent findings could be attributed to the varied ways in which home visitation programs are implemented, and a lack of evaluation. This qualitative paper explores the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of Cradle to Kinder - a long-term, intensive, home visitation family support program for vulnerable young caregivers at risk of child removal across Victoria, Australia. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 37 stakeholders from all levels of intervention delivery (i.e., clients, internal staff, external stakeholders). Data collection and thematic analysis were informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). According to stakeholders, four key CFIR constructs facilitated the implementation of Cradle to Kinder: Effective Engagement, Relative Advantage, Organisational Culture, and Learning Climate. Implementation was challenged by factors within the Peer Pressure construct, which involved managing expectations and push-back from external organisations and services. The current findings highlight the importance of organisational commitment to successful implementation. The next phase of this research is to establish the effectiveness of Cradle to Kinder. Indeed, greater implementation-effectiveness evaluations of family support programs are required to ensure that such programs effectively meet the needs of families and improve their outcomes.