Research Partner Involvement Opportunity

Together‑We‑Move is a family‑focused research project being developed at the University of Melbourne. We are inviting parents and carers to partner with us as co‑designers to help shape a new physical activity program for young children with developmental concerns and their families.

About the Together‑We-Move Project

Together‑We‑Move is a community‑based physical activity program designed for:

• Children aged 2–8 years with disability or developmental concerns
• Their parents / carers
• Siblings (where appropriate)

Unlike traditional programs that focus only on the child, Together‑We‑Move takes a whole‑of‑family approach, supporting families to be active together in everyday life.

The current project phase focuses on co‑designing the parent and sibling components of the intervention to ensure it reflects what families actually need, value, and can realistically participate in.

Who are we looking for?

We are seeking parents, carers, or guardians who:

• Care for a child/children with disability or developmental concerns
• Have experience navigating allied health, early intervention, or community programs
• Are interested in a family‑inclusive approach to physical activity
• Are open to sharing ideas, reflections, and experiences

We welcome families from diverse backgrounds, including differences in culture, geography, family structure, and disability experience.

We would love to include the voices of children in this design work. Your participation can include your child/children with developmental concerns (5+ years) and/or siblings (5+ years), if this feels appropriate. We will help you to do this through parent-led activities that you can to at home with your child/children, for example, social stories and art, and bring their ideas and work back to the co-design workshops.

Children will not be involved in the online workshops or focus groups.

The video below provides an overview of research study and what participation in the project would involve:

If you have questions, please contact:

Dr Fiona Russo – [email protected]

Dr Gaela Kilgour – [email protected]

Dr Rachel Kennedy – [email protected]

or

call 03 9035 7713.

Express your interest to participate by clicking the link below.