The Breaking Ground programme was an 18-month pilot programme to support families and parents in a mana-enhancing process while developing parenting skills and practices, focused on intensive family intervention.
Practitioners worked alongside families who were on a trajectory towards having their children placed in state care, with the goal of preventing entry to such care. This research uses a case-study methodology with data collected through interviews with social workers and families involved in the
programme. The aims of this research were: 1) to examine the effectiveness of social workers working with families on the Breaking Ground programme; and 2) to examine the effectiveness of social workers providing cultural
support for the families on the programme. The research explores the voices of some of the social workers and families participating in the programme to gain understanding of how social workers’ engagement with families through the Breaking Ground programme can help families make the changes needed to keep their children in their care. The social workers in the programme learned that to do or discover something new, take the first steps on a new venture, and advance beyond previous achievements were integral to success
not only for the families they were supporting but also for themselves as Breaking Ground practitioners. (Authors' abstract). Record #7863