EVALUATION OF THE TRIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROTOCOL FOR ASSESSING AND SUPPORTING CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS AND DISABILITIES AT RURAL CHILD AND YOUTH CARE CENTRES

The Ecological Assessment and Intervention Protocol (ECO-AIP) was designed by Heyns and Roestenburg (2021) to address inadequate service rendering to children with developmental delays and disabilities (DDDs) at rural Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCCs). This article presents the results of a trial implementation of the ECO-AIP at two rural CYCCs to ascertain whether the protocol made any difference to the care practices of the staff and the developmental health of the children. Qualitative focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured interview schedule and thematic analysis. This research study found that the ECO-AIP added substantially to the staff’s knowledge and skills base, leading to a general improvement in the quality and sophistication of service rendering. The ECO-AIP guided multidisciplinary CYCC teams in identifying DDDs in rural children and in supporting them to reach developmental milestones. Keywords: Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC, child development, developmental delays and disabilities (DDDs), developmental milestones, protocol, Ecosystemic Assessment and Intervention Protocol (ECO-AIP)