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Mission Australia

The importance of data in improving social wellbeing policies Anne Hampshire National Manager, Research & Social Policy Mission Australia The Community Indicators Summit Brisbane, July 2009. Mission Australia. National NGO - homeless, children/ family, youth, employment & training services.

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Mission Australia

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  1. The importance of data in improving social wellbeing policiesAnne HampshireNational Manager, Research & Social PolicyMission Australia The Community Indicators SummitBrisbane, July 2009

  2. Mission Australia • National NGO - homeless, children/ family, youth, employment & training services. • 2008: supported 330,000+ low income & disadvantaged Australians • Vision: To see a fairer Australia by enabling people in need to find pathways to a better life • Strong commitment to research (what impact are we making), innovation (testing new models) & advocacy (fairer Australia)

  3. Outcomes hierarchy Program Logic Evaluation Framework Program Theory A 4 component organisational wide approach

  4. Pathways to prevention: The importance & challenge of data • Recommendation 16, 1999 • Target multiple risk & protective factors at multiple levels (individual, family, immediate social group, & larger community) • At multiple life phases and transition points in an individual’s development. • Planning began 1999 – MA, GU, phil $, (Dept of Educ, QLD) • Most disadvantaged urban community in QLD; significant ATSI, Pacific Islander & Vietnamese communities • Whole-of-community model incorporating range of programs & services, rather than single program.

  5. Some child, family & school support activities Individual Support Counselling; ER; Therapy; Family Mediation; Intensive Parenting/Home Visiting; Advocacy School Liaison Parent Support Groups Supporting children’s school success Lifeskills ;Healthy lifestyle; Craft General support Linking to Learn & Learning to Link Strengthening home-school relationships Early Childhood Initiatives Playgroups Sing and Grow SKiLLS Parent Education Effective parenting and behaviour management Circles of Care Integrated model of support for children’s +ve development Family Literacy Program Comprehensive approach to literacy development Child Support Program Personal Development programs, Recreational programs Community Liaison Festivals Meetings

  6. 2005-08 600 families participated - 108 Indigenous - 123 Vietnamese - 89 PI  reaching ‘hard to reach’ Multi-layered responses require multiple measures:- Standard Statistical tests highlight key changes: child wellbeing; family empowerment; child behaviour; school performance; system connectedness; teacher stress & strategies for connecting with families- Quotes - Rich & informative on what’s happening for individuals, families, institutions- Journey mapping - Quantifies ‘small victories’ Measuring inputs and impact

  7. Pathways to prevention Measuring impact: P2P Phase 1 PIP: Preschool Intervention Program & FIP: Family Independence Program Initial Effects & 1 Year follow up: Matched Samples

  8. Pathways to prevention Measuring impact: P2P Phase 1 Grade 1 performance: Initial Effects & 1 Year follow up: Matched Samples

  9.  social isolation  support networks, people to trust, someone who cares  behaviour of child in school  parenting strategies Better $ management strategies  debt reduction  in family conflict  relationship with schools/  retention/ more support accessed for child Main outcomes reported by clients

  10. Cost effectiveness: Phase 1 • $ of Pathways (pre-school)social skills & communication programs = $62,000 • $ of Local behavioural management (school) program = $236,000 • $ of Special School (Dept Ed) program = $417,000(Note: numbers supported by each program vary) • Even assuming ‘worst case’ scenario eg Pathways 25% effective & Special school 100% effective:- $ per participant for Pathways = $560- $ per participant for Special school = $19,879(Note: Comparing similar numbers) • Important work for policy considerations (but $)

  11. Pathways is a model that is: Flexible, multi-layered, comprehensive, enduring Effective – i.e it works Cost-effective Sustainable Replicable Can be brought to scale But it’s messy, complex & not (easily) understood in 1 sentence  challenging in a policy context!

  12. The model of intervention works! Development is ongoing process Change is sometimes (often) slow and incremental – need measures that capture such change Changing institutions (eg schools) v important Invest in development phase, research, data collection & analysis Research – practitioner partnership v challenging, time consuming but v valuable - find lingua franca Agreement on what outcomes are important Explaining complexity of such initiatives for policy audience is complex but essential Some Pathways learnings

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