At the end of this orientation, you will be able to answer: - What is MyTime? - What is facilitated peer support? - Who can come to MyTime, and who can join? - What's involved in the registration process? - What is your role in the group? - What are you responsible for? - Where can you find more support?

1. Facilitator orientation level 1:
Everything you need to know before
your first session
Facilitating MyTime – the essentials

2. What does orientation cover?
Level Timeframe Focus
One – The essentials Before your first session • Program overview
• Members &
registration
• Your role as a
facilitator
Two – Finding your
feet
After your first session • Managing issues
• Growing as a
facilitator
• Finding support
Three – MyTime
superstars
After your first quarter • Developing skills
• Research and best
practice
• Tips & tricks

3. What is MyTime?
• Program overview
• Group basics
• Roles

4. Program overview
• MyTime groups are facilitated peer support
for primary carers of children with disability,
developmental delay, or chronic medical
condition
So… what is that?

5. Program overview - continued
• Facilitated – The facilitator is a guide or
“discussion leader” for the group, who
coordinates and guides members.
• Peer support – people provide
knowledge, experience, emotional,
social or practical help to each other.
• Primary carers – parents or carers who
are main responsibility for children
• Disability, developmental delay, or
chronic medical condition – children
who need higher levels of care than
other children. The yardstick we use at
MyTime is whether the family meet the
criteria for receiving the Carers
Allowance (Child) from Centrelink.
“MyTime groups
are facilitated peer
support for primary
carers of children
with disability,
developmental
delay, or chronic
medical condition.”

6. Group basics
• MyTime groups are open to everyone who is eligible. This means instead
of having an Autism group, or a teens group, groups are open to everyone
eligible.
̶ Some are for specific types of carers, which is noted in the group name (such as
Melbourne Men’s). They are located in areas well covered by existing groups.
• Groups must have at least four registered members, and groups with too
many attendees to manage must give priority to members over guests.
• Attending every MyTime session is:
o Members
o A facilitator
o A play helper (unless there are no children present)

7. Group basics - continued
• Groups can deliver up to 64 hours every financial year, spread
across school terms.
o Most groups do this by with 8 two hour sessions a term, but the
maximum session length is four hours.
• Groups should focus on social support, and sharing information on
parenting and services. Across a term, you should aim for an equal
number of sessions that are on:
o structured topics (it could be a guest speaker, handouts, or a led discussion),
o general discussion (sometimes called “coffee and chat” sessions), and
o activities (like pampering, craft activities, specific training or skill building).
Groups can also have one or two ‘special occasion’ sessions a year, like
Christmas parties or movie nights, which are just for fun.

8. Roles
Facilitator • Manages the group administration
• Recruits & engages members
• Organises guest speakers
Play Helper • Engage pre-school children
• Run activities and games with children attending
Partner Agency • Manage & support facilitators & play helpers
• Select group locations & manage group delivery
• Report against delivery requirements
Parenting Research
Centre
• Coordinate with program funders
• Manage program-wide systems and products
• Support groups with resources and information

9. Members
• Who can come to MyTime?
• Registration
• Getting new members

10. Who can come to a MyTime group?
• Generally, if someone is eligible to join MyTime but
wants to attend, they are free to attend as a guest
o This might include shared custody, foster parents, or
grandparents who support the family
• Children below school age can attend any group (even
those held outside work/school times), and if children
are present a play helper should also attend
o It’s up to your group to decide if children over school age
can attend. If they are sit quietly or entertain themselves,
many groups are happy to accommodate them

11. Registration
Who can be registered?
• People eligible for the Carers
Allowance (Child)
or
• Still undergoing diagnosis
or
• Not eligible for the allowance
based on something other
than diagnosis
Who can’t be registered?
• Those who have applied for
the Carers Allowance (Child)
but have been denied on the
basis of the level of care
required
• Occasional carers, babysitters,
professionals working with
carers
• Carers of children over the age
of 16
If someone isn’t sure if they are eligible for the Carers
Allowance (Child), they may still be eligible to join MyTime

12. Registration process
• Registration involves members providing information
as specified on the member registration form (found in
the resource library on the MyTime website)
• Information collected is used to record attendance,
make sure those attending groups are suitable, and
provide information about the sort of people coming
to MyTime
• It is a requirement of our funding body (the Australian
government) that members register, providing the
information specified on the registration form

13. Getting new members
• You can recruit new members by
promoting your group in the local area.
o Build relationships with the local
services, and encourage them to refer
clients to you. Think about visiting
doctors, health centres, early
interventions, Centrelink, or schools.
o Local media (especially newspapers) are
often looking for stories. Contact them
to let them know about the group
• There are a range of promotion ideas in
the Partners Area of the MyTime
website.

14. Being a facilitator
• The role of a facilitator
• Your responsibilities
• Administration duties

15. The role of a facilitator
• A group facilitator’s role is to:
o Plans session days and times, registers members, and
collects and reports required information
o Foster peer support, allowing members to determine
the content of individual sessions and discussion
topics as much as possible
o Promote the group and encourage attendance within
the community
o Provide information and resources on services and
supports in the area

16. Your responsibilities
• Managing group sessions
o Assisting the partner agency coordinator to ensure the venue is safe and
appropriate
o Keeping records of attendance and reporting the data to the coordinator
o Assisting with satisfaction surveys
o Ensuring parents are responsible for children at all times during the MyTime
session
o Having clear rules and practices to promote safety and wellbeing of members
• Ensuring groups are open, inclusive, flexible, and culturally appropriate
o Assisting new members, making them feel welcome and helping them to
complete a registration form
o Managing group dynamics and resolving conflict
o Promoting groups and attracting new members

17. Your responsibilities - continued
• Ensuring session content is relevant to group needs and interests
o Make appropriate use of MyTime resources
o Knowing how to access good evidence-based material on issues of
interest to members
o Connecting the group with the local community and other support
services within the area
o Managing and supporting group processes and providing resources for
the group, without taking control
o Allowing members to support each other rather than providing
personal support and/or case-management
• Complying with training and upskilling requirements
o Attending events paid for by the PRC
o Making use of orientation materials and information
o Complete any partner agency training and learning requirements

18. Administration duties
• What exactly do I have to record about each session?
o The number of sessions you have in a quarter
o The dates of the sessions
o How many members attend
• How and where do I record the information about
sessions?
o We suggest using the Session Record and Attendance Sheet in
electronic form found in the Partners Area of the website
̶ You don’t have to use this record. Talk to your coordinator about a
way to collect information that suits you both

19. HELP! I still want more information
• Where to from here?
• Finding the Partners Area

20. Where to from here?
• After you’ve run your first MyTime session, we suggest
you watch Facilitator orientation level 2
• If you have any questions about the information found
here, you can contact your coordinator, or contact the
Parenting Research Centre
• Look out for the Partners Update newsletters, which
will have lots of tips on specific topics and general
MyTime questions
• Keep checking back to the Partners Area of the MyTime
website for resources, support, and support

21. Finding the Partners Area
• Go to the
MyTime
website
www.mytime.net.au
• Scroll to the
bottom