Health Professionals
What is Go4Fun?
Go4Fun is a free community-based program for NSW children aged 7 to 13 years and their families, who are looking for support in healthy eating, physical activity and overall wellbeing. It’s delivered by trained facilitators including qualified health professionals e.g. dietitians and exercise physiologists.
Go4Fun takes a multi-disciplinary approach that includes:
- Family involvement
- Increasing physical activity
- Practical education in nutrition and diet
- Behaviour change and goal setting.
Our aim is to support children and their families to adopt a healthier lifestyle by improving dietary habits, physical activity and confidence. Go4Fun has successfully reached over 13,000 families across NSW to date, making significant improvements to their health and wellbeing.
The program runs each week for up to 10 weeks, for around 2 hours after school or on weekends.
Parents or carers are required to attend all 10 sessions.
Program Delivery
There are three different versions of Go4Fun available, catering to different family needs:
- Standard Go4Fun: face-to-face program delivered over 10 weeks
- Aboriginal Go4Fun: face-to-face program tailored for Aboriginal children and their families
- Go4Fun Online: designed for families who cannot attend a face-to-face program
Referrals
The crucial role of health professionals
A referral isn’t needed to register for Go4Fun, but families are often more motivated to join the program when they are referred by a trusted professional.
Many parents don’t know when their child is growing healthily. That’s why a health professional’s role is vital, as they conduct assessments on a child’s growth as part of normal patient care.
If you’re a health professional, you can refer families to any version of Go4Fun by completing this online referral form. Our registration team will do the work for you and find the most suitable program for your patient, based on the information you provide and what is available.
Parents or carers must also be available to attend each session.
The benefits of referring families to Go4Fun
Health professionals are one of the largest sources of referrals into the Go4Fun program. Referring to Go4Fun is a practical way to help families in your care achieve better health and wellbeing. Go4Fun provides free access for eligible children, which can be especially helpful to those most in need.
The benefits of Go4Fun include:
- significant, positive changes in health-related behaviours
- an equitable program that’s free to all eligible children, especially those most in need
- a practical solution you can recommend to patients
- a report highlighting improvements at the end of the program.
How can I refer a child?
You can refer families to any version of Go4Fun by completing this online referral form. You can also download a referral form and fax it to 1300 325 301 or email it to us at contact@go4fun.com.au.
Other referral pathways
There are a number of ways for health professionals to refer a patient to Go4Fun:
- MedicalDirector (look for ‘Referral form- Go4Fun’ in the ‘supplied’ section)
- Best Practice (search ‘Go4Fun referral form’)
- Health Pathways (search ‘Go4Fun’)
- Communicare
- Healthy Kids for Professionals
Families can also join Go4Fun directly using our online registration form, or by calling 1800 780 900.
All referrals (by phone., email, fax or software) are followed up by the centralised service provider.
You’ll be kept up to date throughout the program and receive a report highlighting improvements at the end.
Who is eligible?
Any children you refer must be:
- between 7 and 13 years of age
- accompanied to each session by a parent or carer
- NSW residents.
Children who are classed as ‘under a healthy weight’ (<5th BMI percentile for their age and sex) are not suitable for the program.
Resources for health professionals
Go4Fun module for health professionals
Assessing a child’s growth will help determine any support needed for a family. Referring eligible children to Go4Fun can help support families achieve a healthier lifestyle. This 12 to 15 minute module will help you understand the Go4Fun program and how it complements patient care. It includes videos and scenarios to build your understanding and confidence in referring eligible patients to the program. The module outlines:
- how the Go4Fun program works
- the benefits of referring, and
- how to incorporate a referral as part of routine care.
NSW Health employees
Please complete the Go4Fun module on My Health Learning (HETI).
Course code: 290520953 or search Go4Fun.
Healthy Kids for Professionals
The Healthy Kids for Professionals website is a set of weight management resources designed to support GPs and other health professionals with their young patients.
The website is free and open to all health professionals. It contains a range of resources to help with assessing and managing children above a healthy weight, including:
- A weight status calculator
- BMI-for-age and gender charts
- Fact sheets
- An online learning module
- A Conversation Starters section to help raise the issue
- Online referral forms for secondary and tertiary services in NSW.
NSW Get Healthy Service
The NSW Get Healthy Service is a free telephone health coaching service for NSW adults aged 16 years and over. The Service will help you create and achieve your own healthy lifestyle goal through the support and guidance of your own expert health coach.
To get started, visit the Get Healthy Service website or call 1300 806 258.
FAQS for health professionals
We’ve answered some common questions you might have as a health professional. Please don’t hesitate to call us on 1800 780 900 if you’d like to know more.
There are a number of resources available to you, including:
- RACGP webinars with CPD points
- Video testimonials from past participants.
There are flyers, posters, and other specific resources available for health professionals. Please get in touch on 1800 780 900 or email us on contact@go4fun.com.au. Find Go4Fun resources to promote the program in your service or practice.
Go4Fun is available in NSW only, but there may be similar services in other states.
Go4Fun® is run by qualified health and community professionals (like dietitians and exercise physiologists). Leaders undertake specific Go4Fun training which includes group facilitation and anthropometric measurement training. Aboriginal Go4Fun leaders must also undertake NSW Health Respecting the Difference: Aboriginal Cultural Training.
Programs are located across NSW.
Specific locations are updated each term in the program location finder.
Our typical venues include school halls, council facilities, community halls and local recreation facilities like parks. All program sessions are usually at the same venue, except for the supermarket tour.
If families are unable to make it to a face-to-face program, we also have an Go4Fun Online program.
There is one two-hour session each week for 10 weeks. In the first hour of each session, children and parents or carers learn about nutrition together. In the second hour, they play game-based activities while their parents or carers attend a behaviour modification session.
This face-to-face version of Go4Fun is adapted from the standard option to be more culturally appropriate for Aboriginal communities. Aboriginal Go4Fun is delivered in partnership with Aboriginal organisations.
If a parent or carer can’t be present, a responsible adult such as an aunt or grandparent can attend sessions with the child.
Go4Fun Online has been developed for families that can’t attend a face-to-face program. Geographical barriers, working families, custody issues or additional needs are some of the reasons a family might prefer Go4Fun Online.
There are 10 weekly online modules, plus phone calls from our team to check each family’s progress. Each participant receives resources to support the program, and we also set weekly goals, encourage participation in the online community, and communicate with participants via text messages as well as by phone and online.
Learn more about Go4Fun Online.
Go4Fun only runs for 10 weeks, so changes may be small, but they are significant.
Importantly, children make changes to health-related behaviours, which can then modify their weight status trajectory.
On average, children who complete the program achieve:
- A decrease in BMI of 0.5 kg/m2
- A decrease in waist circumference of 1.2 cm
- Increased physical activity of around 3.6 hours per week
- A decrease in sedentary behaviours by 3.1 hours per week
- Improved fitness, with recovery heart rates decreasing by 4.2 beats per minute
- Statistically significant improvements in self-esteem
- Greater fruit and vegetable intake
- Less intake of occasional foods.
- 6 month follow up has shown the program to be effective with statistical improvement in weight status (BMI – z-score) compared to baseline.
At the end of the program, participants and their nominated health professionals get a report detailing the changes to the child’s health since they joined Go4Fun.
Parents and carers are provided with information on community clubs and programs available in their local areas, and are encouraged to check them out when their child’s Go4Fun sessions finish.
Yes. Go4Fun will update you of your patient’s progress when they start and complete the program. Go4Fun and local delivery teams will also be in touch if a family drops out, or chooses not to take part in the program after you have referred them. If you haven’t heard from your local program manager contact us and we will follow up.
There are occasionally reasons why a child might qualify for re-entry with a health professional referral. These might be:
- Custody issues
- Special family circumstances
- Illness
- Emergencies
- A child’s weight has increased with time.
Please note, there is a six-month waiting period between program attendances if a child qualifies for re-entry.