aes19 International Evaluation Conference

Amy Lawton (WESTIR Ltd), Olivia Hamilton (WESTIR Ltd), Cheryl Jackson (Marrin Weejali Aboriginal Corporation)

This presentation outlines an evaluation undertaken on the Aboriginal Family Planning Circle program by WESTIR Limited (Western Sydney Regional Information and Research Service), with the primary evaluation undertaken in 2015 and a follow-up evaluation in 2017.

The Aboriginal Family Planning Circle (AFPC) is a community-led program which works with Aboriginal families in Greater Western Sydney in addressing their complex needs and reducing the risk of having their children assumed into out of home care. The program is supported by the Marrin Weejali Aboriginal Corporation and is located in a region with the highest Aboriginal population in NSW. The evaluation was important given the ongoing over-representation of Aboriginal children in out of home care and the constant threat of the program losing government funding.

A range of qualitative and quantitative techniques were used during the AFPC evaluation process to capture feedback from the program's clients, service providers and community members. Interviews and focus groups found that the AFPC program was effective in addressing the client's complex needs, building better relationships between clients and government services, and ultimately helping clients retain or resume custody of their children. A return on investment analysis in the follow-up evaluation also highlighted the significant savings and returns the AFPC program generated for the government through its prevention and restoration activities.

The AFPC program is a case study of how culturally responsive evaluations can empower Aboriginal communities to advocate for the continued funding of effective Aboriginal-led programs operating in resource-constrained environments. It also reflects on the challenges experienced by evaluators when undertaking a culturally responsive Indigenous evaluation, including lack of funding for evaluations; historical mistrust of Aboriginal communities with government institutions; addressing power imbalances between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal participants; managing political agendas and the increasing expectation in arguing the economic value of community-based programs.