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The University of Wollongong independently evaluated Quirky Kid’s The Best of Friends®, providing an important external review of the program’s approach to building children’s social and emotional skills.
The collaboration began in 2018 through the University of Wollongong’s School of Education and Early Start. The Best of Friends® was delivered to children aged 7 to 11 while UOW researchers collected quantitative and qualitative data to examine the program.
In August 2019, the University reported that The Best of Friends® had undergone independent evaluation through UOW, supported by the NSW Government’s Boosting Business Innovation Program.
From clinical practice to independent evaluation
The Best of Friends® was developed by Quirky Kid as a structured social and emotional learning program for children. It combines stories, illustrations, discussion, interactive activities and group practice to help children develop friendship, communication, emotional awareness, empathy, conflict-resolution and cooperation skills.
The UOW collaboration created an opportunity for the program to be examined outside Quirky Kid’s own clinical and school settings. Final-year Bachelor of Primary Education students were trained as facilitators, while children and their parents or carers contributed questionnaires and feedback to the evaluation.
An important step in the program’s development
Independent evaluation matters because it separates program development from external review. For Quirky Kid, the UOW project provided a more rigorous foundation for understanding how The Best of Friends® could be used in schools, clinics and other child-focused settings.
The research collaboration was led by Dr Noelene Weatherby-Fell from UOW’s School of Education. An earlier University announcement described the project as a randomised trial involving ten weekly small-group sessions and assessment before and after the program.
The 2019 UOW report described the completed work as an independent evaluation using both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods.
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Building confidence in Australian-developed programs
The evaluation became an important milestone in Quirky Kid’s broader effort to develop Australian psychology resources that are engaging for children while also being suitable for structured implementation by schools and professionals.
The Best of Friends® has since continued to be delivered by Quirky Kid and licensed to schools and psychology clinics across Australia, supported by facilitator training and implementation guidance.
The UOW collaboration remains a significant part of the program’s evidence history and of Quirky Kid’s ongoing commitment to combining clinical experience with external evaluation.
