The DIGItal innovative Strategies for PArental and Civic Engagement (DIGI-S.PA.C.E) was a three-year Erasmus+ funded project involving partners in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy and Lithuania during the global pandemic (2019-2022). The pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to collaborative working for all partners. Whilst some of the project meetings could take place online, the development of training materials was more complex. It was recognised that for project success a ‘re-imagining’ of collaboration was essential to remain on track and produce the intellectual outputs.

The project successfully delivered all four intellectual outputs which centred around improving educational outcomes for children to reduce social exclusion, prevent early school leaving and to engage parents in their child’s learning through the creation of Parent Support Advisors (PSAs). In 2023 an evaluation was carried out to ascertain the legacy of the project. A Participatory Action Research approach emphasised four key pillars: direct experience and expertise, knowledge in action, research as a transformative process and collaboration through dialogue. Evaluation modifying the Kirkpatrick Model analysed project outcomes across four level descriptors—Reaction, Learning, Behaviour, and Results—through the lens of collaborative practices.

Four themes were identified; Relational Trust – foundational to transforming interactions between teachers and parents; Role Clarity and Inclusion – structured roles for PSAs, Special Educational Needs and Disability staff and external professionals facilitated coherent, joined-up support; Contextual Responsiveness – engagement approaches evolved according to the needs of each school community, with sensitivity to cultural and social dynamics; Dialogue as Practice – regular, reflective communication formed the basis of all progress, reinforcing the co-agency of parents and teachers.

The post-project evaluation revealed sustained practices in relational and trust-based processes which encouraged openness helping to dissolve traditional power hierarchies between schools and families. Collaborative reflection fostered ownership and professional agency among teachers, school leaders, and PSAs. Despite the pandemic restrictions teachers and parents engaged in meaningful co-learning processes, demonstrating significant learning gains in empathy, active listening and inclusive communication. Behaviour shifts in staff practices in working with parents resulted in embedded collaboration, involving external services, and utilising the PSA in delivering co-designed adaptive strategies for child success. Such developments contributed to weakening long-standing barriers to participation. The project delivered some tangible systemic changes to improve school-family relationships, with a shared vision, collaborative ethos, and sustained partnerships with parents as co-educators.

Keywords: Collaboration, educators, parents, community, training, professional agency.