This project is led by Dr Alison Fogarty and Professor Rebecca Giallo.
This project is expected to be completed in December 2026.
At a glance
This project evaluates how Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) has been implemented within Berry Street’s Take Two Service, and how it may benefit young children (0–5 years) and their caregivers participating in Berry Street’s Take Two service. CPP is a relationship-based therapeutic approach designed to strengthen the caregiver–child bond and support children’s healing and recovery following trauma.
About
Early relational trauma—including family violence, abuse, and neglect—affects more than 40% of Australian children and is strongly linked to developmental delays, social–emotional difficulties, and long-term mental health concerns. Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) is a 50-week, internationally recognised intervention for children aged 0–6 years who have experienced trauma. Berry Street’s Take Two program, Victoria’s statewide therapeutic service for children affected by abuse, neglect and family violence, is the first Australian service to pilot CPP at scale.
The objective of this evaluation is to generate evidence on the implementation and outcomes of CPP for children who have experienced relational trauma (including child abuse, neglect, family violence, or family separation).
The study uses a single-group, repeated-measures design, with a nested qualitative study and comprehensive process evaluation. Caregivers complete measures of child mental health and development (e.g., Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children, Child Behaviour Checklist, Ages and Stages Questionnaire – 3rd edition) and caregiver wellbeing (e.g., Parenting Stress Index–Short Form, International Trauma Questionnaire, K10) at the beginning and end of CPP, and again three months after the intervention ends. Qualitative interviews were conducted with caregivers, CPP clinicians, Berry Street managers, and Child Protection staff who referred families to the program.
Findings provide preliminary evidence for short-term outcomes of families participating in CPP within an Australian service context and will guide service delivery improvement, future evaluation, and potential scale-up of CPP in community services.
Partners
Funding
Professor Rebecca Giallo and Dr Ali Fogarty received $200,000 from Berry Street to undertake this evaluation.