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Local evaluations
Evaluations of some individual Communities for Children (CFC) sites have been undertaken by CFC sites (known as "Local Evaluations"). The findings of some of these are available in local evaluation reports.
CAFCA aims to include as many of these reports as possible on our website as services and programs may find the results from these local evaluations useful in their own work.*
Some of the key findings from each report are included below; however, to get a full list of the key findings it is necessary to consult the full local evaluation reports. Where possible we have included these.
*Please note these Local Evaluation reports were not part of the National Evaluation. These reports are published here as a resource.
NSW
Some of the key findings of this report were as follows:
- the evaluation found that young families' social connections increased and levels of isolation decreased. Stakeholders felt this had improved parents’ mental health and their ability to cope with the demands of parenting;
- Communities for Children stakeholders and Community Partners reported that the program had a positive impact on the child-friendly nature of the local communities achieved through the development of child friendly parks and play areas. Families participating in community activities had reduced concerns about personal safety as a result; and
- the availability and quality of early learning and care improved through strategies such as increased provision, increased parental knowledge and confidence, the development of high quality early learning resources and encouraging parents to take learning back into the home through equipping them with new skills, knowledge and support.
Lismore Communities for Children site: Final evaluation report (PDF 4.0 MB)
Some of the key findings from this report were as follows:
- some improvements in basic community infrastructure and child play areas were reported by families, as was reduced concern about playing outside safely; and
- an improvement in meeting their need for professional support was reported by Aboriginal families, particularly in the areas of family day care, occasional care, early intervention services and speech therapy.
Murwillumbah Communities for Children site: Final evaluation report (PDF 2.5 MB)
Some of the key findings from this report were as follows:
- children receiving the global Playing and Learning to Socialise program demonstrated significant improvements in their social and emotional development;
- children receiving support from the Ready for School resource worker demonstrated significant improvements in their behaviour and temperament; and
- early childhood workers reported a considerable decrease in the proportion of 3-5 year olds needing additional support with their development and/or behaviour.
Raymond Terrace and Karuah Communities for Children: Local Evaluation report (PDF 2.2 MB).
Some of the key findings of this report were as follows:
- continued funding is needed in these regions to fund programs that aim to improve knowledge about and access to antenatal and postnatal education and support;
- school-readiness awareness activities, such as school readiness talks in the community, were highly valued by parents and were a non-threatening method for engaging children and families;
- research into the reasons why certain events for community members are successful is required; as is research on the impact of these events on the well-being of children and families.
Taree Communities for Children: Local Evaluation report (PDF 880 KB).
Some of the key findings of this report were as follows:
- employing a male worker to profile the importance of fathers in children’s lives was a key in enabling fathers to participate and learn about the importance of their role;
- a training calendar designed to facilitate information about training activities across multiple services played a role in improving the connection between services; and
- the expansion of library resources, library services and the promotion of early literacy practices resulted in increased uptake of programs at the local library.
SA
Salisbury Communities for Children (Salisburyc4c 2005-2009 Report)
Some of the key findings from this report were as follows:
- The ‘hub, spokes & satellite’ model employed by Salisbury Communities has proved to be a very effective means of supporting families in the early years and to date has supported more than 1,200 families.
- Convening a national conference in 2008 that attracted 220 attendees, including early childhood professionals, researchers and policy-makers.
- Other successful programs include parent education and support groups that demonstrated reduced levels of peri-natal depression and successful engagement and delivery of programs to teenage mothers.
- Salisbury Communities for Children was also successful in implementing their FamilyZone Hub, which integrates a cross-disciplinary, multi-agency, family friendly approach to provide support services to families.
VIC
Broadmeadows Communities for Children: Final Local Evaluation Report (PDF 6.4 MB)
Some of the key findings of this report were as follows:
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parents and children involved in the program increased their social and community connectedness and that improvement was maintained or enhanced over the three year period of the evaluation;
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families involved in the program showed increased knowledge of, and had increased access to, local services for their children. They were also more socially connected to their community in general;
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parents who participated in the program demonstrated increased parenting confidence, skills and knowledge; and
- collaboration across professional sectors and silos increased under the program.
Cranbourne Communities for Children : Final Local Evaluation Report
Some of the key findings of the evaluation were as follows:
- 82% of surveyed parents reported an increase sense of connection with other parents as a result of their involvement with the activities provided and 88% agreed that the program had met their needs.
- 123 parents (many of whom were considered ‘hard to reach’) engaged with the Transition to Parenthood antenatal program
- 80% of stakeholders (e.g., the Communities for Children Committee and senior management of Community Partner agencies) ranked the Facilitating Partner as effective or very effective ratings in terms of leadership and the promotion of the objectives of the project, as well as their administration, project management and engagement of other agencies.
- Stakeholders reported that the Facilitating Partner encouraged stronger links and co-ordination between services, and encouraged community representation and ownership of the project. An area for improvement identified was the establishment of mechanisms for sustainability of partnerships, relationships and activities
East Gippsland Communities for Children: Local evaluation final report (PDF 4.1 MB)
Some of the key findings of this report were as follows:
- playgroups are a crucial platform to the delivery of early years services in communities, providing critical ‘soft entry’ points for parents and carers of young children; they are an integral social structure in small communities, connecting families;
- the Australian Early Development Index was found to be a useful tool in the identification of how children are developing and in community planning; and
- the diversity amongst communities and the kinship groups of East Gippsland’s Indigenous people indicated that a variety of models and approaches needed to be implemented in response to each community;
Frankston North Communities for Children: Local evaluation final report (PDF 566 KB)
Some of the key findings from this report were as follows:
- the development of a Koori Early Learning Group gave Indigenous children opportunities to engage in educationally and personally enriching activities;
- children from CALD families and children with disabilities benefited from activities such as an Inclusive Playgroup and programs such as Dive into Reading at the library;
- parents reported increased confidence, skills and enjoyment in parenting as a result of programs such as the Early Parenting Program and Parenting Together; and
- workers acquired additional skills and knowledge in the funded activities which allowed high quality work that challenged their existing skill bases, as well as through training.
Swan Hill and Robinvale Communities for Children: Local Evaluation final report (PDF 1.4 MB)
Some of the key findings of this report were as follows:
- activities designed to increase parents awareness of the importance of physical activity, good nutrition and breastfeeding resulted in some parents making some changes to their current practices;
- parents reported making changes to their interactions with their children around early literacy after exposure to the early literacy messages in the local media;
- the Early Years Professional Development program in Robinvale enabled professionals working with children to access quality professional development; and
- although a number of CALD and Indigenous families attended CfC activities and events, there was found to be a strong need to further investigate the needs of culturally diverse families and provide ongoing opportunities for children and families based on their needs.
WA
Communities for Children, Armadale: Evaluation report (PDF 418 KB)
Some of the key findings from this report were as follows:
- different sections of the community, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD) and fathers accessed activities and resources from a playmobile, such as play information and toys;
- engaging mentors from the local Indigenous community to provide antenatal and post natal education information to young women was unsuccessful because of a lack of transport;
- the exchange of information between agencies was reported by agencies to be a positive outcome; and
- high staff turnover highlighted the importance of the need for professional development to be included in future funding.