Authors: Charlotte Bell (Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS)), Lorelei Hine (ANROWS, AU), Elizabeth Watt (ANROWS, AU), Rhiannon Smith (ANROWS, AU)The first of its kind in Australia, the Evidence Portal is an innovative tool that captures and assesses impact evaluations of interventions from high-income countries that aim to address and end violence against women.
While we know high-quality evaluation evidence is an important component in informing and influencing policy and practice, decision-makers face a variety of potential barriers in accessing this evidence. By providing a curated repository of existing research, evidence portals can support policymakers, practitioners, and evaluators in their decision-making.
Our Evidence Portal consolidates and synthesises impact evaluation evidence via: (1) Evidence and Gap Maps, which provide a big-picture, visual overview of interventions; and (2) Intervention Reviews, which provide a succinct, standardised assessment of interventions in accessible language. Underpinned by a rigorous systematic review methodology, this tool seeks to:
- Identify existing impact evaluations and gaps in the evidence base, and
- promote a collective understanding of the nature and effectiveness of interventions that aim to address violence against women
Key points: This presentation will showcase the creation, benefits, and drawbacks of the Evidence Portal, with a focused discussion on the following areas:
- What are evidence portals and how are they used to inform policy and practice?
- Why and how was this evidence portal created?
- What are the challenges in creating this tool and the learnings to date?
- What other 'ways of knowing' should be considered?
This presentation begins with an in-depth exploration of the Evidence Portal and the important methodological decisions taken to build this tool. It then offers a reflection on our journey of creating this tool with a focus on significant learnings to date. You will gain an understanding of the Evidence Portal and key considerations for future evaluations of violence against women interventions.
