Our History

2013

Long-term research colleagues, Professors Kim Foster, Darryl Maybery, Andrea Reupert (Australia) and Joanne Nicholson (United States) organised the first Collaborative Meeting in Prato, Italy. Their vision established an international collaborative to advance the parental mental health research agenda. The research group then known as the International Research Collaborative for Change in Parent & Child Mental Health

2015

After meeting in Prato the collaborative was expanded to engage with other International change agents (e.g. family members, parents, clinicians, service providers, policy makers and funders) with the aim of improving parental and family mental health and wellbeing across the world. As a consequence the two organisational foci include the Prato Research Collaborative who meet every 2 years at Prato and an expanding group of International change agents, who with the input of research evidence, seek to improve parental and family mental health internationally.

…. The collaborative group in Prato, Italy in 2017

2017

2020

As the the world shut down for COVID, the meeting in Prato Italy scheduled for May 2020 was cancelled and the committee geared up to run some online seminars

2022

As travel became more possible, there was opportunity for the collaboration to meet again in Prato Italy meet Dec 2022

2024

The International Research Collaborative for Change in Parent & Child Mental Health changed to Prato International following a vote from the membership at the May 2024 meeting.