What Parenting Research Centre does

The Parenting Research Centre (PRC) is an Australian non-profit organization founded in the late 1990s and headquartered in Melbourne with an additional Sydney office. The organization develops and delivers evidence-based parenting support programs, digital tools, and research translation services for government agencies, community organizations, and families across Australia. Its core program portfolio includes the smalltalk digital parenting intervention, the MyTime peer support program for families of children with disability, the ForWhen perinatal mental health navigation service, the PracticeWorks professional development platform, the Raising Children Network digital resource, and the Parenting Today app.

PRC generates revenue primarily through government contracts and grants, with Victorian and NSW state governments acting as anchor funders alongside national program commissions. Delivery is executed through a national partner network spanning research institutions (Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Community Child Health, Deakin Health Economics, Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre of Australia) and service delivery organizations (ACWA, Fams, OzChild, Life Without Barriers, Playgroup Victoria, Our Place, Curijo). The organization employs 51-100 staff combining research, clinical, and program design expertise.

The business model is a multi-channel non-profit operating structure: government and philanthropic grants fund program development and research; licensed or commissioned delivery generates operating revenue; and digital platforms (smalltalk, Raising Children Network, Parenting Today) enable scaled distribution to families and practitioners. Recent strategic emphasis has been on productizing PRC's evidence-based IP (PracticeWorks, Parenting Today), expanding peer-support reach (MyTime with CaFDA), and orchestrating a broader early childhood services ecosystem through the EHLE Network.

Name

Parenting Research Centre

Legal name

Parenting Research Centre

Website

https://parentingrc.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Parenting Research Centre is an Australian non-profit that develops and delivers evidence-based parenting programs, digital tools, and research translation services for government agencies, community organizations, and families across Australia and select international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Research and Family Services Consulting

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Home Visiting & Parent Coaching Programs (EDACALAC), Parenting Education for Special Needs & Developmental Differences (EDACALAK), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

Keywords

• Parenting research services
• Child family programs
• Evidence-based practice
• Program evaluation consulting
• Knowledge translation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts and Grants: PRC operates as a not-for-profit organization funded primarily through government contracts and grants from federal and state government departments. Services include program evaluation, implementation support, practice governance frameworks, and evidence-based parenting interventions.
2. Collaborative Partnerships: PRC collaborates with like-minded organizations on various projects, bringing expertise in evidence-based parenting support, program development, and evaluation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Parenting Research Centre offers end-to-end evidence-based parenting support services to government agencies and community organisations, helping them design, adapt, implement, and evaluate policies and programs. Core service lines include building evidence (research and synthesis), knowledge translation, strengthening practice (practice frameworks and continuous improvement systems), program implementation support, and impact assessment. Named programs such as smalltalk (early home learning), MyTime (peer support for parents of children with disabilities), ParentingNow (webinars), and the Raising Children Network digital platform are delivered alongside commissioned research and evaluations.

Product overview

The Parenting Research Centre offers a portfolio of parenting support programs and digital platforms. Core programs include smalltalk (home learning), MyTime (disability support), ParentingNow (webinars), ForWhen (perinatal mental health), and the Raising Children Network digital platform. The Parenting Today national survey provides research insights. Programs are delivered through government partnerships and delivery agencies across Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• smalltalk: An evidence-based parenting program that aims to increase parents' confidence to use everyday activities at home to enhance their children's learning and development. Available across Australia and internationally (including Singapore).
• MyTime
• PracticeWorks

Products and services

• smalltalk An evidence-based parenting program that increases parents' confidence to use everyday home activities to enhance their child's learning and development. It fits within facilitated playgroups and is delivered across Australia and internationally (including Singapore). The program was validated through a 3-year randomised controlled study with over 2,200 parents as part of the Early Home Learning Study.
• MyTime Australia's national peer support program for parents and carers of children with disabilities and complex health needs. Provides a nationwide network of in-person and online support groups with more than 190 groups across the country and more than 4,500 members. Includes Communities of Practice for program facilitators and is delivered through a network of 10+ partner agencies.
• ParentingNow A free, live webinar series producing regular digital parenting content for parents and carers, covering topics such as social and emotional development, child behaviour, toilet training, and fussy eating. Produced in collaboration with Raising Children Network and ran for nearly 10 years (2016 until June 2025).
• Raising Children Network A digital parenting support platform providing accessible, trustworthy parenting content. Developed in partnership with Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the Centre for Community Child Health at Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. Includes the Raising Healthy Minds app for child mental health.
• Parenting Today A landmark national survey capturing the experiences, strengths, and support needs of parents and carers across Australia. The largest survey of its kind in Australia, with more than 10,000 participants providing insights into contemporary parenting experiences.
• PracticeWorks A proprietary methodology used by Parenting Research Centre to design and deliver practice frameworks and continuous practice improvement systems for partner organisations. Applied to government and community sector clients for practice governance and outcome mapping.
• ForWhen A national perinatal and infant mental health care navigation phone line service supporting parents experiencing moderate to severe mental health concerns during pregnancy and until the infant is 12 months of age. PRC collaborated on design and delivery including a Practice Framework and Continuous Practice Improvement system.
• Brief Parent Coaching Model An evidence-informed guide to delivering brief, effective, and early support that empowers families. Developed for the Victorian Government to address parent concerns early for positive change.
• Building Evidence service Service offering in which PRC generates, synthesises, and evaluates evidence for clients, presenting results in meaningful and usable ways to underpin family and parenting programs.
• Knowledge Translation service Service offering that helps clients share and translate knowledge in ways that are meaningful to them and to those working with them, bridging research and frontline practice.
• Strengthening Practice service Service offering that works with clients to uncover evidence-based solutions tailored to their needs, adapting existing approaches or devising new ones for child and family service organisations.
• Implementation service Service offering that ensures the right plans and structures are in place so evidence-based programs, services, or ways of working are sustainable for clients.
• Assessing Impact service Service offering bringing PRC's real-world implementation experience to conducting program evaluations, ensuring end-products are practical and actionable rather than purely academic.

Quantifiable outcome

• Smalltalk program showed parents were more verbally responsive, more engaged with activities, provided richer home literacy environment, and engaged in higher-quality parent-child interactions in randomised controlled trial with 2200+ parents.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, emerging and minor.

• Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership on the Raising Children Network digital parenting platform, one of Australia's most trusted parenting resources. PRC and MCRI collaborate on developing evidence-based digital parenting content and the Raising Healthy Minds app.
• Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in developing the Raising Children Network and digital parenting supports, bringing together clinical expertise and research capabilities.
• Victorian GovernmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey government funder and partner for multiple initiatives including ParentingNow webinars, Brief Parent Coaching Model development, and foundational support for Parenting Today survey.
• NSW Government Department of Communities and JusticemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged PRC for three-year evaluation of LINKS Trauma Healing Service, leading to program expansion to additional sites.
• ACWA (Association of Children's Welfare Agencies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop a model practice governance framework for community-based child and family services across NSW.
• FamscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop practice governance framework blueprint tailored for small- to medium-sized organizations in NSW child and family sector.
• ForWhencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner in design and delivery of national perinatal and infant mental health care navigation service. Co-designed Practice Framework and Continuous Practice Improvement system.
• MyTime Delivery Partners NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational network of 10+ delivery partners delivering MyTime peer support groups including: Association for Children with Disability Tasmania, Women's and Children's Health Network SA, Down Syndrome Victoria, Down Syndrome Queensland, Ngala WA, Play Matters Australia, Playgroup NSW, Child+Family Disability Alliance, and others.
• Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre of AustraliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvaluation partnership for LINKS Trauma Healing Service evaluation alongside Deakin Health Economics.
• Deakin Health EconomicsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvaluation partnership providing economic evaluation expertise for LINKS Trauma Healing Service assessment.
• Life Without BarriersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in practice governance development since 2018, working on organizational implementation of practice governance framework.
• Playgroup VictoriaemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in new national Early Home Learning Environment Network to connect organizations and improve supports for families.
• Our PlaceemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in establishing national Early Home Learning Environment Network funded by Ian Potter Foundation.
• CurijominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIndigenous consultancy providing cultural safety training and guidance for PRC's Reconciliation Action Plan and cultural learning journey.
• Raising Children NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration on digital parenting content, webinars, and resources for Australian parents.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI): Australia's largest child health research institute and PRC's long-standing partner on the Raising Children Network. Comparable because both translate child development research into programs, tools, and policy advice, and serve overlapping government and healthcare customers.
• Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS): Australian Government-funded research institute focused on family wellbeing, parenting and child development. Highly comparable to PRC as both conduct evidence-based family research, advise government on parenting policy, and run national surveys with similar customer base.
• Playgroup Australia: National peak body supporting playgroups and early childhood parent engagement across Australia. Comparable as a national network that delivers parent-child programs through a federated state-based partner model, including hosting smalltalk-style programs.
• Triple P International: Globally scaled evidence-based parenting program originating in Australia. Closest functional analogue to PRC's smalltalk and Brief Parent Coaching Model — both are RCT-validated parenting interventions commercialised to government and community-sector customers worldwide.
• Centre for Community Child Health (Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne): Hospital-affiliated research centre focused on community child health and development. Directly comparable as a partner in Raising Children Network with overlapping research-to-practice translation work on parenting and early childhood.
• Karitane: Australian not-for-profit providing child and family health services including parenting support, perinatal mental health and early childhood programs. Comparable in customer base (NSW families and government), parenting support focus, and Not-for-profit funding model.
• Ngala: Western Australian parenting and early childhood support organisation, and a MyTime delivery partner for PRC. Comparable as a state-based provider of parenting education, home visiting and family support services to government-funded families.

Emerging players

• Parent-Child Home Program: US evidence-based home visiting early literacy and parent coaching program for families with young children. Closely comparable model to PRC's smalltalk — validated home visiting delivering parent-mediated child development outcomes — but operates in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Nurse-Family Partnership: Large-scale US evidence-based home visiting program with multiple RCTs showing parenting and child outcomes. Comparable as a much larger, more established player in the evidence-based home visiting category in which PRC's smalltalk competes for government mindshare.

Others

• Child Trends: US non-profit research organisation focused on improving outcomes for children and families. Comparable as a research-driven, evidence-based organisation that produces national datasets and policy advice for governments on parenting, family services and child wellbeing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parenting-research-centre
• Xx.com/parentingrc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Parenting Research Centre