Stories and news from across the sector including the monthly OPEN Exchange.
Presentations from OPEN Symposium 2020
Video recordings from our very successful OPEN Symposium 2020 are now available to view! The OPEN Symposium 2020 focused on the theme of: ‘Working to achieve better outcomes for children and families in a rapidly changing environment’ The Symposium ran for a week from October 26-30 with three sessions per day, and included 31 presentations…
OPEN Webinar Series: Outcomes Measurement
In 2019, OPEN commissioned a series of webinars on outcomes measurement – facilitated by Jen Riley from Clear Horizon. Clear Horizon are a leading consultancy in design and evaluation, who support change-makers across different fields to generate innovative programs and solutions. Although these webinars are from 2019, we are highlighting them again as you may…
Event Reflection – OPEN Forum: Evidence and learnings on remote delivery the first time around
Earlier this month, OPEN hosted this forum where speakers from different organisations shared insights on emerging evidence and lessons to understand remote service delivery. They discussed what is working, continuing challenges, and what is needed going forward. This forum was a follow-up to the OPEN forum in June on telehealth where the presenters talked about…
Event Reflection: Impact Measurement Best Practice at Mission Australia
Last month, OPEN attended a fantastic webinar hosted by SIMNA (Social Impact Measurement Network Australia), where Victoria Baird from Mission Australia spoke about their implementation of an impact measurement framework across the organisation. Victoria shared lessons for how to successfully embed measurement practices across a large organisation and a diverse range of programs – and…
Increasing fees for social work students would negatively impact workforce capacity and outcomes for children and families
Proposed Australian Government changes are threatening to increase the cost of studying social work. This runs contrary to strong evidence of the need for more qualified social workers. The Job-Ready Graduates Higher Education Reform Package 2020, which reportedly aims to attract students to qualifications in fields with good employment outcomes, is likely to more than double the cost…
Evaluation insights from a sector/university partnership on the Rapid Response Trial
Earlier this year, OPEN spoke to David Poynter from Anglicare Victoria and Dr Bengianni Pizzirani from Monash University about their Rapid Response™ Trial evaluation. You can read more about this program in the case study here. In this blog, we expand on the case study by sharing some of David’s and Bengianni’s thoughts and lessons…
OPEN Forum: Promising practices in remote service delivery
On June 11th OPEN held an online forum showcasing the creative and promising practices our agencies are using to keep children and families visible and safe during COVID-19. Joining us to share some of their innovative thinking and practices were: Tom Mulvaney – General Manager, Impact and Strategy, Family Life Toni Gauntlett – Manager Family…
Now and going forward – why evidence still matters
Currently the sector is grappling with the impact of COVID-19 on service delivery. It is understandable that evaluation – designing and measuring for outcomes – may have moved way down in the list of priorities. While we are at difference stages of this journey, we wanted to explore how we can harness evidence and data…
Event Reflection – OPEN Forum: common elements in practice for child and family services
Date: 27 February 2020 Location: Oaks on Market, Melbourne Background ‘Common practice’ elements is a term used to describe technical micro-components of practice which have been proven through evidence to be effective within the child and family service sector. Common practice elements are particularly valuable as they are applicable in…
Event Reflection – The PIPA Project Report Launch: Legal responses to adolescent violence in the home
The PIPA Project – Positive Interventions for Perpetrators of Adolescent Violence in the home Date: 3 March 2020 Location: Capitol Theatre, Melbourne Background The Centre for Innovative Justice and ANROWS have launched their report on Positive Interventions for Perpetrators of Adolescent Violence in the home – also known as…
