Victoria’s child and family services sector is leading the way in the development and use of evidence to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.
A key contributor to the sector’s growing evidence base is the funding the Department of Health and Human Services makes available through the Learning System Grants (LSGs). These grants are administered by the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare. They are aimed at strengthening the capacity of child and family services in Victoria to generate evidence and deliver evidence-informed services.
The Centre is very pleased to announce the 2019 grant recipients! They will share $250,000 in funding.
“The Centre is thrilled to be able to support these sector-led projects, each at different stages of their evidence journey. The Learning System Grants are an incredible initiative, supporting organisations to improve outcomes for children, young people and families in Victoria. These grants will support the sector to collaborate, grow, and share best practice,” says Centre CEO Deb Tsorbaris.
Six diverse projects have received LSG funding, ranging from the development and application of outcomes and practice frameworks to the documentation of promising early interventions. Projects will be supported over the next 12 months by the Outcomes, Practice and Evidence Network (OPEN).
These projects will be delivered by community service organisations and an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation working with children, young people and families from across the state. Many of these projects are in partnership with universities.
The Centre congratulates the following recipients for 2019:
- Barwon Child, Youth and Family: Design, Implementation and Evaluation of a centralised, evidence-based assessment framework for child and family practitioners
- Colac Area Health: Embedding learning circles through ‘Dadirri’ (deep listening)
- Jesuit Social Services: WASAPP – the Worried About Sex And Porn Project
- Lighthouse Foundation: Impact evaluation: Parents and Babies Program
- Njernda Aboriginal Corporation: Njernda Family Services – Strengthening our systems to improve our services
- Tweddle Child & Family Health Service: Pilot evaluation of a ten day residential Parenting Assessment and Skill Development Service for families receiving child protection services: A mixed methods study
If you have any questions regarding the Learning System Grants please contact Dr Dakhina Mitra, Practice Lead: Knowledge Building at dakhina.mitra@cfecfw.asn.au or 03 9094 3540.
For OPEN inquiries, please contact Dr Mandy Charman, OPEN Project Manager at mandy.charman@cfecfw.asn.au or 03 9094 3520.
