Pre-Conference Workshop
Making the most of your data to better understand your program
Abstract:
As services continue to adapt and find new ways of working and engaging with families, evaluation can be a powerful tool for helping services respond to that changing environment and to gather evidence to support further innovation. This workshop will draw out the key elements of making the most of existing data and evaluation evidence in planning service transformation. The session will also consider how to maximise the value of existing reporting processes (such as the DSS Data Exchange and SCORE reporting) to help services understand client needs and strengthen their programs.
This full day workshop will help build and embed practical skills. In particular, the workshop will focus on:
- How to use existing data and evaluation evidence to strengthen programs
- How to make the most of your existing reporting obligations
- How to develop a framework for using the data for program evaluation
- How to build a culture of evaluation.
Ultimately, the focus will be on how services can make what they already do work for them, and how to build on that work.
The session will be interactive and will involve practical exercises and discussion. Service providers will be asked to consider their own program logic and existing data collections and will work through a case study. It will be particularly useful for Families and Children Activity service providers who are interested in building on what they already do, as well as those Families and Children Activity providers who are collecting data about their programs but may not have a clear purpose or framework for using that data.
Biography:
This workshop will be delivered by members of the Evidence and Evaluation Support team at the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). The Evidence and Evaluation Support team works with the Families and Children Activity sector to build their capacity to use evidence and evaluate their programs.
Kathryn Goldsworthy, Senior Research Officer, Australian Institute of Family Studies
Kathryn Goldsworthy joined AIFS in 2014 after completing her Bachelor of Social Science at Swinburne University. Kathryn primarily works with community sector organisations to help strengthen their program planning and evaluative activities as part of the Evidence and Evaluation Support team.
Sharnee Moore, Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Family Studies
Sharnee Moore is a researcher and evaluator who has worked on many AIFS projects concerning a range of issues. Her major projects have included a scoping study for a National Survey of Children and Young People in Out-of-home Care, the Evaluation of the 2012 Family Violence Amendments to the Family Law Act, and research examining the Role of Independent Children’s Lawyers in the family law system. Since 2015, Sharnee has managed the Evidence and Evaluation Support team. Prior to joining AIFS, Sharnee worked on policy and program management in relation to separated families and child support.
Stewart Muir, Executive Manager, Family Policy & Service Systems, Australian Institute of Family Studies
Stewart is an anthropologist and Executive Manager of the Family Policy and Service Systems research program at the Australian Institute of Family Studies. Stewart has more than 25 years’ experience as a researcher and evaluator in private consultancy, academia and government. Stewart has research and evaluation interests in service provision to families, building service capacity for evidence-based practice, military families, out-of-home care and service delivery by and for Australian First Nations’ people. In addition to his subject matter expertise, Stewart has taught and published on qualitative research methods.