aes24 International Evaluation Conference

Authors: Sandra Opoku (Relationships Australia Victoria), Kate Matthies-Brown (Relationships Australia Victoria, AU)

Yarra Communities That Care (CTC) is a network of 24 local partner agencies who share a commitment to support the healthy development of young people in the City of Yarra. One of the key initiatives of Yarra CTC is the collaborative delivery of evidence-based social and emotional messaging to families by a centrally coordinated Facilitator Network involving multiple partner agencies. Building on positive feedback and program achievements from 2017-2022, we led an evaluation of the collaborative and place-based approach of the Yarra CTC Facilitator Network to better understand its contribution to systemic change and apply learnings to future place-based approaches for our respective organisations. The evaluation project team adopted the 'Place-Based Evaluation Framework' and was informed by a comprehensive theory of change. This provided an anchor in an otherwise complex and dynamic environment and unfamiliar territory.
There is an increased focus on collaborative place-based approaches at the federal, state and local levels as a promising approach to addressing complex social problems. Previous evaluations and literature identify successful collaboration and a strong support entity or backbone as key enabling factors that make place-based approaches successful. The collaborative place-based approach to strengthening family relationships in Yarra provides a local example of this.

Consistent with systems change frameworks this evaluation provided evidence of structural changes. These changes, manifested in the form of improved practices and dedicated resources and supports, ultimately leading to effective collaborative and transformative changes for the community.

This presentation will share the journey, key insights, and learnings of the evaluation project team over a two-year period to collaboratively gather evidence to inform ongoing program development and contribute to future place-based approaches. The Yarra CTC Facilitator Network serves as a valuable template for implementing best practices for place-based coalitions due to its focus on collaboration and fostering a sense of community.