Background: Parent education programs for CWND significantly enhance parental skills for child safety and improve developmental outcomes. The Steppingstones program was inspired by the Ubuntu and Hambisela programs and culturally adopted in 2019 by the Frank Hilton Organization’s Physiotherapy, Speech Pathology, and Community Support teams, addresses the unique challenges faced by CWND in Fiji’s diverse cultural and socio-economic context.

Aims: To review the efficacy of the culturally adapted version of the Steppingstones program for Fijian parents.

Method: Between 2019 and 2024, 93 parents from 80 families with CWND participated in the program, which included seven learning modules covering topics – understanding your child, children’s rights, positioning, communication, feeding, play, and community inclusion. Written consent was obtained from the participants for their child’s data to be used anonymously for research purposes on the first day, and the Steppingstones evaluation survey was completed on the first and last days of the program. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analysed thematically.

Results: The data indicated that parents struggled with acquiring knowledge and practical skills. Throughout the nine programs, barriers affecting the effectiveness of community-based programs were identified: poor attendance, attitudinal barriers, language differences, financial constraints, and facilitator confidence.

Conclusions: In Fiji, cultural, language, financial, and service resourcing barriers must be considered and addressed to ensure that Steppingstones participants can attend the program. Modifications to the Steppingstones program, such as conducting home visits, providing transportation, organising briefings, aligning the program with participants’ needs, and making sessions more practical, were done to encourage engagement and participation.

Implications for children and families: You will feel confident to support your CWND. Addressing language differences and attitudinal barriers through practicals ensures a better understanding of the techniques.

Implications for practitioners: This will help you understand the challenges of working with CWND in diverse communities and developing culturally sensitive parent education programs tailored to specific socio-economic contexts in lower-resource countries.

Key words: community services, parent-training, Fiji, cerebral palsy, FHO, multidisciplinary, families’ voices

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities