The Ladybird Study: An evaluation of the Lifestart parenting programme

1
The Ladybird Study
An evaluation of the Lifestart parenting
programme
Dr S Allen?, Dr L Dunne, Dr H Sneddon, N
Morrison, S TourishInstitute of Child Care
Research and NFER at Queens Centre for
Educational Research?, Queens University Belfast
Lifestart is a structured child-centred programme
that provides age-appropriate information and
practical activity for parents of children aged
from birth to five years of age. It is delivered
by 19 projects to parents in their own homes by
trained, paid Family Visitors and it is offered
to any parent with a child aged from birth to
five years regardless of social, economic or
other circumstances.

• Method
• A process evaluation, using quantitative and
  qualitative methods, will explore how Lifestart
  is organised and operationalised.
• A Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), alongside
  qualitative data collection, will explore the
  effect of the Lifestart programme in relation to
  parent and child outcomes.

Summary The Ladybird Study aims to evaluate the
process and outcomes of the Lifestart programme
in Ireland using a longitudinal randomised
controlled trial and qualitative methods.

• Research Questions
• What is the Lifestart programme and how is it
  delivered?
• What are the effects of the Lifestart programme
  on parent and child outcomes?

• Anticipated Outcomes
• A gold standard model to assess the impact of a
  wide range of interventions

• Wide and varied dissemination to policymakers

• Clear recommendations for Government agencies.

This evaluation of the Lifestart programme has
been made possible by a grant from Atlantic
Philanthropies