Findings of an evaluation of The Waranara Centre Kirsty Rose, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Distance travelled: Findings of an evaluation of The Waranara Centre

Kirsty Rose, Principal – The Waranara Centre Lanie Stockman, Outcomes & Evaluation Specialist Doing Schools Differently Conference Melbourne, 15 September 2016

Presentation outline

• Background
• Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand
• The Waranara Centre
• Measuring outcomes/evaluation
• Findings
• Attendance, Engagement, Achievement, Pathways
• Broader context
• Preliminary recommendations
• Evaluation reflections

About Good Shepherd ANZ

We aim to disrupt the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage with a focus

• n women and girls through services that address social and economic

exclusion.

• We provide a range of supports to people experiencing disadvantage,

including:

• family violence services,
• family support services,
• educational pathways,
• financial counselling,
• microfinance.
• We aim to challenge systems that entrench poverty, disadvantage and gender
• inequality. We do this through research, advocacy and social policy

development.

The Waranara Centre

Joshua’s journey

Complexity of measuring outcomes

Evidencing outcomes enables us to understand what has changed for clients through participating in our service. However progress is often:

• Non-linear (shaped by external factors) – Joshua’s journey
• Very gradual, incremental – Emily who began to smile and hold

conversations with teachers, Jessica who attended 5 consecutive days for the 1st time since year 7.

• What to measure progress against? (eg: absence of baseline

information).

Evaluation process

Design:

Defining the scope of what is evaluated Deciding how to go about the evaluation

Planning:

Developing the project plan Organising logistics Ethics approval

Implementation:

Reviewing relevant literature Analysing case notes, reports, attendance rolls, interviews (8 students, 7 parents, 12 staff, 1 volunteer, 6 partners)

Using results:

Discussing findings Responding to recommendations

We are here

Adapted from: Save the Children (n.d.) Evaluation Handbook, p.6

Attendance

Key findings

• Average attendance going up – yet to understand if a trend
• Improved attendance by HSLO-referred young people
• Proportion of young people with attendance rate ≤55%

Interviewees referred to:

• Weekly staff conferences, enable ‘wrap around’ supports
• Fortnightly ‘check-ins’ with each young person
• Counselling program addresses complex trauma, other aspects of mental

health

• Re-integration plans when attendance drops
• Other factors: 9.45am start, motivation to attend senior school

Engagement

Key findings:

• Approaches that facilitate engagement: strengths-based (limited

focus on ‘negative’ student behaviours), trauma-informed

• Sound progress with mental health & carers supportive of enrolment

are key enablers

• Engagement opportunities include vocational courses, work

experience, Friday excursions to socialise, “provide experiences that some young people won’t have access to”

• Centre staff form familial bonds with young people, provide food

(based on their requests) and sort out transport passes etc

• Participation in arts, sport important. Funding, premises = limits

being able to broaden offerings

Parent engagement

Key findings:

• Parent engagement important in strategies to improve education outcomes

for young people

• ParentWise and Counselling provided to reconnect and strengthen

relationships with young people Mixed responses about parent engagement:

• 7 parents participated in evaluation
• Most who participated said there are enough opportunities to be involved
• One interviewee: most parents don’t respond to important correspondence,

busy dealing with complex issues in their lives

Achievement

Key result:

• Well-being, attendance prioritised to facilitate academic progress.

Positive changes identified by interviewees:

• “[my daughter] …wants to do year 10, the hours are much better for

her, there’s no homework and it’s a relaxed environment… she comes home and tells me what she’s done in English and Science. She likes Romeo and Juliet”

• “They’re a lot more lenient with assignments [at the Centre]. They

don’t mind if it’s late and give me more time and then I get it in. There are selections within a broad topic.”

• “my other school didn’t support me to get assignments done except

in-school suspensions to get the work done and I hated that.”

46 young people @ TWC in 2015 34 completed the relevant level of study

• 2 went to uni
• 18 progressed to next level of study @ TWC
• 13 went on to employment, training etc
• 1 young person completed, destination not reported to TWC

12 did not complete the relevant level of study

• 1 reattempting study @ TWC
• 5 went on to employment or study elsewhere
• 6 young people left before the end of the year, their destination not reported

to TWC

‘Tom’ indicative of remarkable outcomes:

• Missed a lot of school owing to anxiety, barely spoke when he came. Began in Kirsty’s
• ffice then: kitchen, chill out room, couch, classroom
• Participated in music program, able to express guitar talent, formed friendships
• End semester 1, 2016 Tom enrolled in a mainstream school. Performed in front of new

school.

Pathways in 2015

Broader context

• Approx. 300,000 YP in Australia risk disengaging from education each year.

Only ¼ of young people who would benefit have access to FLP TWC re-engages young people, despite most having significant life challenges. Considerations include:

• early intervention $ from govt
• GSANZ’s other services incl St Clare’s
• Renewed org focus on Aboriginal young people

Question for GSANZ: How can we support more young people, especially in areas where access to FLPs is limited?

Preliminary recommendations

Specialist student support Engaging carers and parents Accessing expert advice/staff planning Strategic planning Resources and referrals for Aboriginal young people Understanding why young people leave early

Reflections – outcomes/evaluation

• Measuring outcomes for young people in FLPs

challenging.

• Important to consider outcomes for whom
• Evaluation useful for contextualising outcomes.
• A common evaluation framework? key study

questions, appropriate methodologies,

• pportunities for young people to participate…
• Utilisation important – how can evaluation be used

(for program development, to be accountable to

• ur school community, profile raising) ?

Lessons:

• 1. Establish a reference group
• 2. Team culture of openness and willingness to

learn facilitates an evaluation

• 3. Further data analysis required through

gender/intersectional lenses

• 4. More work needed to include stakeholders who

don’t have a voice in this evaluation

Further information: www.goodshep.org.au