Summary

CIRCA and the Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI) were commissioned to evaluate the Brighter Futures Voices and Choices program. Brighter Futures is a service program implemented by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) to deliver voluntary targeted intervention services to families where concerns of risk of significant harm have been raised. Voices and Choices is a trial of a reform of Brighter Futures aimed at actively engaging vulnerable families in planning and decision-making about the services they receive through the program, to improve their outcomes.

The consortium used a hybrid effectiveness-implementation design to evaluate the Brighter Futures-Voices and Choices pilot.

CIRCA’s contribution to the evaluation was to assess the client experience of Voices and Choices and comprised formative and summative, process and outcome elements. That is, client: satisfaction with their engagement in the program; relationship with their case worker; support to make informed decisions about the services offered; whether services are offered in a culturally appropriate manner; whether they are satisfied with the support given; and whether the program has had any impact on their lives, in terms of their physical or mental health, financial situation, education or employment prospects and family relations.

CIRCA’s Research Approach

CIRCA worked with Voices and Choices service providers to recruit an ethnically and culturally representative sample of clients across three sites of program implementation by different program providers. CIRCA researchers administered 36 qualitative interviews to: 17 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents or non-Aboriginal parents with an Aboriginal child/ren; 2 parents from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds; and 17 parents from mainstream Australian backgrounds. Clients from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or CALD backgrounds were matched with a CIRCA Research Consultant from their own cultural and or language group, unless the participants asked not to be. Interviews conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients used the Indigenous evaluation approach of “yarning” to both put respondents at ease and to elicit data that speak more holistically to their experiences. A thematic analysis was applied to the interviews using NVivo software, to identify key themes and patterns across the data.

Research Findings and Outcomes

Results from CIRCA’s contribution to the evaluation found very positive outcomes for clients of the Voices and Choices program and high levels of satisfaction around their engagement with the program. This is largely due to the frequent and supportive contact provided by case workers, the flexibility of the program to address the diverse and changing needs of clients, and the active involvement of clients in determining what they require in their service and support plan. Of concern to CIRCA was how well the program catered to cultural needs and provided cultural support. Our evaluation found that the program did this well overall. CIRCA’s findings are being integrated with CEI’s review of the administration of the program, to inform DCJ as to the success and challenges associated with Voices and Choices, areas for potential program review, and whether further funding is justified.