Stories and news from across the sector including the monthly OPEN Exchange.
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…
Event Reflection – Assessment of health needs of children entering out-of-home care: a mixed methods study
Dr. Karen McLean Date: 18 February 2020 Location: Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne Please Note: OPEN are currently in the process of organising for Dr. McLean to deliver her findings to the child and family services sector – keep an eye on the OPEN News and the OPEN Portal for…
Event Reflection: The Australian Child Maltreatment Study with Professor Ben Mathews
Professor Ben Mathews (Queensland University of Technology) Hosted by: CFECFW Date: 11 February 2020 Location: CFECFW Background Professor Ben Mathews is a Professor in the School of Law at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia, and heads QUT’s Childhood Adversity Research…
Event Reflection: Gray Poehnell – Canadian Careers Expert
Hosted by: DET and Raising Expectations (CFECFW) Date: 21 and 23 October 2019 Location: Melbourne and Ballarat Background Raising Expectations and the Department of Education and Training held two workshops in October last year for professionals working with young people in care with visiting Canadian careers expert, Gray Poehnell. The workshops focused on young people…
