In 2019, Ingleburn Public School and five other primary schools and preschools from South-West Sydney (Macquarie Fields PS, Sackville Street PS, Warwick Farm PS, Robert Townson PS, and Campbelltown Community Preschool) partnered to establish the world’s first research trial of school-based Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (‘School PCIT’).

Disruptive behaviour disorders affect approximately 6% of Australian children. Early intervention directly targeting problematic oppositional and defiant behaviour is essential to prevent longer-term problems. These behaviours can pose serious public health concerns by persisting throughout life and contributing to later mental illness, family dysfunction and violence, poor academic performance, and justice involvement.

The unique school-based clinics allow parents, children, and teachers across three NSW communities - Campbelltown, Bankstown, and Albury - to access free, tailored PCIT intervention involving the family and the child’s educators. PCIT is an evidence-based treatment found to be statistically and clinically effective in assisting children with conduct problems to get within a typical range of functioning.

Since the first clinic opened its doors in 2019, we have screened over 720 students for conduct problems and provided PCIT to 128 students, their parents and teachers. Treatment outcomes for families that completed treatment are excellent, with statistical models indicating ‘huge’ improvement in parent-rated disruptive, destructive, and aggressive behaviours to the levels seen in healthy children. Parents report being highly satisfied with the intervention.