Supporting Improvements to the Families and Children Activity – Make a submission

Guided questions on proposals in the Discussion Paper

These questions build on feedback received from the 2018 consultation, insights from other consultations and ongoing discussions with the sector, as well as recent experiences of service delivery during the 2019-2020 bushfires and the Coronavirus pandemic.

Recent and emerging impacts on service delivery

Question 1

How have you adapted service delivery in response to the bushfires, floods and Coronavirus pandemic? When has it worked and when hasn’t it worked? How will this affect how you deliver services in the future? Have your service adaptations included better integration with other initiatives?

For example, you might like to comment on any specific issues in meeting service delivery needs, or what extra support you need to continue to support families and children during this time?

Outcomes and Evidence

Question 2

Are the proposed key outcomes for the families and children programs the right ones? Are there any major outcomes missing? How can we include strengths-based outcomes that focus on family or child safety?

Previous consultations have told us that it is important to clearly define and measure outcomes but that they need to be aspirational and strengths-based. The draft outcomes framework attempts to capture key outcomes for in-scope FaC Activity programs. You might like to comment on other outcomes you think should be included.

Outcomes and Evidence

Question 3

What tools or training would support you to effectively measure and report outcomes through the Data Exchange Partnership Approach?

Reporting outcomes through the DSS Data Exchange Partnership Approach is currently optional. Increased reporting through the Data Exchange Partnership Approach would help us better understand the outcomes being achieved and where further capability building support is required. You might like to comment on your view of this idea.

Outcomes and Evidence

Question 4

Do you already have a program logic or theory of change outlined for your program? Did you find the process useful? If you do not have one, what has stopped you from developing one? What capacity building support would assist service providers to develop program logics and theories of change?

Agreeing on outcomes helps us think more clearly about what evidence works to achieve support these outcomes. Many service providers already use evidence-based approaches, but this may not always be the case in your service. You may like to comment on your experience of developing programs logics and theories of change in your organisation here.

Certainty and accountability

Question 5

If longer-term agreements are implemented, how can the department work with you to develop criteria to measure and demonstrate performance? How can the Data Exchange better support this?

Previous consultations and reviews have told us that certainty of grant funding is critical for service providers to engage and build trust with clients and maintain workforce continuity. Greater certainty needs to be balanced with accountability. Performance criteria, including Data Exchange reporting, and review points in the life of grants can help to provide greater accountability.

Certainty and accountability

Question 6

What does success look like for your service, and how do you assess the overall success of your service?

Success can be measured by different people in different ways. We are interested to know more about the ways your organisation measures success and what measures or tools you use to help demonstrate success.

Targeting and accessibility

Question 7

Do you currently service cohorts experiencing vulnerability, including those at risk of engaging with the child protection system? If not, how does service delivery need to adapt to provide support to these cohorts?

Previous consultation told us that service providers value facilitating services for families and children where more targeted and intensive support is required, including providing ‘wrap around’ support. You may like to comment on how your service or program reaches those families and children who most need support.

Collaboration and coordination

Question 8

If you are a Children and Parenting Support or Budget Based Funded service provider, do you currently link with a Communities for Children Facilitating Partner or other regional planning mechanism to understand what other services are provided in the community and what the community identifies as their needs? How does this work in practice? Would you value the increased support of being attached to a local Facilitating Partner?

Previous consultation identified strong support for place-based approaches. Communities for Children Facilitating Partners is a FaC Activity program that builds on local strengths to meet the needs of individual communities, using strong evidence of what works in early intervention and prevention. Facilitating Partner organisations collaborate with other organisations to provide a holistic service system for children and families. Further information on the Communities for Children Facilitating Partner is available via the link.

Question 9

For all providers, are there other ways to improve collaboration and coordination across services and systems?

Capability and innovation

Question 10

The capability building support offered under Families and Children Activity programs has gone through several iterations. What works well? What do you think should change?

For example, you may wish to consider the priority capability building needs identified in this Discussion Paper and comment on other capability building needs that have not been included. We are also interested to how capability building skills are supported in you organisation.

Capability and innovation

Question 11

Aside from additional funding, how can the department best work with you to support innovation in your services while maintaining a commitment to existing service delivery?

This question recognises the importance of ensuring service providers have flexibility to build their own capability and develop innovative approaches appropriate to the unique contexts in which you work. We want to ensure our grant arrangements under the Families and Children Activity support capability development, adaptability and service innovation.

What else should we know?

Question 12

Is there anything else you would like to share about the ideas and proposals in the Discussion Paper?