How do we capture child and family goals? Examining the goal setting practices used by community-based allied health professionals.

Abstract

This study aimed to i) identify child and family goals reported in a community allied health service, ii) map goals to ICF domains, and iii) evaluate goal characteristics against child-centred and family-centred practice principles. A retrospective study design was used to extract and analyse raw goal data documented for children and families accessing a community-based allied health service. ICF linking rules were used to map goals to the ICF domains. A study-specific goal rating criterion was used to examine the extent to which child-centred and family-centred practice principles were evident in documented goals. 355 goals were documented for 181 children (aged 0 < 12 years). The most common goal domain was 'Body Functions' (57%), following by Activity and Participation (33%), then Environment (9%). Few participation-focused goals were reported (4%). Documentation showed consistent collaboration with caregivers, however, minimal information for children. Goals were often phrased in therapist-specific language without reference to the child or family's functional context. As a result, many goal records did not meet the child-centred and family-centred criteria. Results highlight the critical need for tools and training which can support professionals to collaboratively construct goals, to ensure that documented goals reflect meaningful child and family priorities.