Development and mixed-methods evaluation of an educational curriculum for parents and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities

Parents and caregivers play a central role in the care of children with developmental disabilities but frequently report unmet educational needs and difficulties accessing reliable information and support. Within the Erasmus+ project SynergyEd , we developed a multidisciplinary educational curriculum to support parents and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. This study evaluated the curriculum’s acceptability and perceived usefulness, and used participant feedback to refine it before wider implementation. A mixed-methods formative evaluation was conducted during 2023–2024 among parents and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities from Croatia, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Participants reviewed the curriculum and provided feedback through an online survey and semi-structured interviews. The curriculum was subsequently delivered during a 12-hour in-person training programme. Participants completed evaluation surveys immediately after the training and again three months later to assess the training and explore perceived confidence and preparedness to apply the knowledge and strategies addressed. Fourteen parents completed the initial online survey and ten participated in interviews. Participants generally considered the curriculum useful, understandable and relevant to their needs. They identified priorities for improvement, including additional practical examples, transition to adulthood, legal guidance and simplification of technical content. These recommendations informed revision of the curriculum. Twenty-nine parents attended the in-person training and rated its content, delivery and overall quality highly. At three-month follow-up, 21 participants reported median scores of 4 out of 5 for both confidence in applying the knowledge and strategies addressed during training and preparedness to meet their child’s daily needs related to the training topics. Participants also reported examples of applying strategies in everyday caregiving and identified barriers and needs for further support. The SynergyEd curriculum was acceptable and perceived as useful by participating parents and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. Participant feedback identified priorities for improvement and informed refinement of the curriculum before broader implementation. Further research should evaluate its effectiveness using objective and validated measures of caregiver and child outcomes.