What makes playgroups therapeutic? A scoping review to identify the active ingredients of therapeutic and supported playgroups

The Power of Playgroups: Key components of supported and therapeutic playgroups from the perspective of parents

“…The role of the facilitator emerged as an integral factor of playgroups with facilitators who were knowledgeable, with strong relational skills and worked in partnership with parents’ enhancing parent engagement and perceived success of playgroups. This reinforces previous research that identifed playgroup facilitator's knowledge, interpersonal skills and technical skills as being key components of playgroup (Armstrong et al., 2018; Stratigos & Fenech, 2018). In the broader literature, such facilitators’ skills are referred to as relational, technical and partnership skills and reflect the core principles of family centred practice (Dunst & Trivette, 1996).…”

“…The value of playgroups facilitating social connections and peer support amongst parents with shared experience emerged as key playgroup component, making them unique to other therapeutic interventions, enabling reciprocal learning and fostering a sense of belonging. The significance of reciprocal learning and peer support amongst parents at playgroups is reinforced by previous studies, finding this is enhanced with increasing family similarity and circumstances (Armstrong et al., 2018). Parents of children with similar disabilities are viewed as an important and credible information sources (Tracey et al., 2018), with reciprocal information sharing increasing parent satisfaction, buffering feelings of uncertainty related to having a child with a disability and the ambiguity of developmental trajectories (Shillings et al., 2013).…”

“…In line with the Medical Research Council's framework for developing complex interventions (Craig et al., 2008) this study builds on earlier work by the authors that commenced with identifying the key components of therapeutic playgroups from literature and the perspective of professionals (Armstrong et al., 2018, 2019). This paper forms the final, and arguably most significant component of this work, gathering the perspective of parents as to what they consider the most important components of playgroups for children with developmental delay and/or disability.…”

“…Recognised as a ‘soft entry’ point for vulnerable families engaging in early intervention services (Jackson, 2013) and achieving economies of scale given their group nature, playgroups are emerging as a model of preference within the disability sector. However, despite the wide implementation and interest in playgroups, particularly for children with developmental delays, the absence of an available ‘blue print’ with a clear playgroup definition and practice principles has impeded evaluation research and evidenced‐based practice (Armstrong et al., 2018).…”

“…Given playgroups aim to improve parent, child and community outcomes (Hancock et al., 2015; Williams et al., 2018), and are influenced by contextual, family and facilitator factors (Armstrong et al., 2018) they can be defined as a complex intervention (Craig et al., 2008). Therefore, research needs to systemically identify key components of playgroups, specifically from the perspective of participants (Armstrong et al., 2018). Consumer involvement in health research and development improves program relevance and outcomes, and enhances research translation (Mathie et al., 2014).…”