NOW & NEXT PROGRAM
Create the Progress You Want to See
Parents and carers of children with disabilities, you are not alone. The Now & Next program, created by parents for parents, empowers you to accelerate progress for your child and family.
Join Us Today and Start Making a Difference
Start TodayAn award-winning online program
Designed by parents who understand the journey, the Now & Next program provides the tools and support you need to create meaningful change for your family. Rooted in evidence-based practices and positive psychology, this program helps you transform challenges into opportunities for growth and connection.
What You’ll Gain:
- Inspiring Vision: Learn to define a clear and inspiring vision for your child’s future.
- Practical Strategies: Implement evidence-based strategies to break down goals into manageable steps.
- Peer Support: Connect with a community of parents who understand your journey and can offer valuable insights.
- Family Well-being: Enhance your family’s resilience and well-being through shared experiences and practical tools.
"A Journey of Hope: How the Now & Next Programme Transformed Our Family"
Watch this inspiring story of a parent’s journey through the Now & Next program, where hope, progress, and empowerment turned into reality. Discover how you too can create meaningful change for your family.
5 Powerful Reasons to Join Now & Next and Transform Your Family's Future
1: Define Your Inspiring Vision
Plan for a future filled with hope and joy and clarify the progress you want to see and set a positive direction for your child and family.
2: Learn from Evidence-Based Content
Gain access to proven strategies tailored to your needs. Our materials, created by parents for parents, guide you in formulating meaningful goals.
3: Implement Methodical Progress
Turn your goals into reality with step-by-step strategies. Break down your objectives into small, achievable actions that lead to everyday success.
4: Leverage the Experience of Others
Tap into the collective wisdom of other parents and carers. Discover diverse approaches to creating the progress you want, inspired by those who’ve walked the same path.
5: Join Our Supportive Graduate Community
Continue your journey with our award-winning programme’s online community. Even after you graduate, you’ll have ongoing support to keep you and your family thriving.
What will you learn in the Now & Next online course?
Dr. Annick Janson one of the co-creators of the program explains what is novel, fresh and powerful about the Now & Next approach. Watch these video clips to learn more about what you will learn in the course!
Nothing to loose... do the first module for free!
Try if at your leisure and decide if it is right for you!
FREE Access to Module One: Goal Setting
Get Started for Free!
Join Nicole Buffoni, Lead Facilitator of the Now and Next Peer Hub, and experience the power of the Now & Next program firsthand. We’re offering you free access to Module 1: Goal Setting. Discover the strategies and insights that have already helped thousands of families like yours.
Start Your Journey Now
Get free access to Module 1 and discover why the Now & Next program is the right choice for your family’s growth and well-being.
At a glance
Now and Next was launched in 2015 at Plumtree, Marrickville, NSW by parents who sought to share their lived-experience as well as their professional expertise in the Health and Disability sector. With the benefit of hindsight, they asked: “What would the best intervention for professionals and parents to ensure a good life for our children and families?” They applied ethnography, positive psychology and family-centered design thinking to implement radically new solutions and harness previously untapped expertise and enthusiasm.
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The Now and Next program was co-designed over a year with the first 80 families who joined it
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To date, almost 1000 participants graduated from 104 programs, including 43 online ones
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Programs were carried out in 4 countries: Australia, Finland, New Zealand and Canada
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Families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) represent 48.5% of the participants
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Fathers’ engagement range between a quarter to half participants, depending on the activities organised
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Groups have been run in Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic and Chinese.
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Some organisations have embedded this methodology into their service design model.
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in 2020, a school version of Now and Next ran in 3 schools, with 103 parents, 80 students and 42 educators.
Meet the Fast Track Inclusion Trust Founder
Dr. Annick Janson
When my third child was diagnosed on the autism spectrum, I quickly realised the significant gap in services available to parents like me.
Determined to change this, I collaborated with other parents to create the strength-based Now & Next program.
Now & Next program co-creators: As mothers of young men with disabilities, we co-created Now & Next in 2015 with families to provide hope and the tools they need to help their children thrive.
In Now & Next, we give families the tools to build on their strengths so they know how to help their child progress and thrive.
Sylvana Mahmic, CEO Plumtree, and Dr Annick Janson, Fast Track Inclusion Trust.
Drawing from decades of experience as a Clinical Psychologist and grounded in positive psychology, this program is designed to help parents and carers focus on their own strengths, as well as those of their child and family. Our goal is to accelerate progress and empower families to thrive.
Today, my adult son is a successful artist living independently, and he occasionally comes to visit—a testament to the positive outcomes that are possible.
The Now & Next program has already supported over a thousand parents and carers across seven countries.
Join us, and discover how we can help you rediscover the joy of parenting. Together, we’ll work to build your well-being, enhance your family’s resilience, create strong partnerships with the professionals in your child's life, and learn from the experiences of other parents like you.
Read My Story
"This program has changed our life. My husband and I now speak the same change language and continue progressing month after month!"
- E. Afroze
"We are now on track with our daughter's progress. We have learnt to work with teachers and therapists to achieve her dreams."
- M. Kalemkaridis
"From despair to joy of parenting - this program helped my operate from a different mindset - that which sees possibities instead of bariers."
- A. Burns
Why Now & Next?
Achieve Positive Outcomes for Your Child and Family
Facilitated by trained parent peer workers with lived experience, Now & Next offers a supportive community and proven strategies to help you:
- Define a Clear Vision: Plan a future filled with hope and possibility for your child.
- Break Down Goals: Learn to set manageable steps that lead to real progress.
- Increase Well-being: Enhance your family’s resilience and joy.
- Leverage Peer Support: Gain insights from other parents who’ve been there.
- Collaborate Effectively: Work better with professionals and support systems to achieve your goals.
