Evaluation of evidence based models

In 2013, the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry found the Queensland child protection system did not adequately provide for the safety, wellbeing, and best interests of children. The Queensland Government accepted all the report’s recommendations, and as part of its response, invested in a series of reforms to Child Protection and the family support system.

As part of these investments into family support and early intervention the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs trialled two evidence-based models developed in the United States of America, which have been shown to reduce the number of children requiring alternative care, and to provide more efficient and effective service delivery compared with standard models of care.

The Department funded two established non-profits to deliver these models: YFS implemented Functional Family Therapy – Child Welfare® (FFT–CW®) as a pilot in the Beaudesert and Browns Plains region and Act For Kids implemented a pilot of SafeCare® on the Gold Coast.

FFT–CW® is an intensive, in-home, strengths-based program that works with children and young people together with their family or kin to help them strengthen relationships, improve communication, and respond to challenging behaviours that could place them at risk of a statutory child safety intervention. Its overall objective is to enable children and young people to remain with their families where it is safe to do so.

SafeCare® is an evidence-based parenting program for families with children aged zero to five years, which aims to enhance early childhood development opportunities, strengthen parental capabilities, and support positive and safe parent–child/infant interactions essential to healthy early childhood development.

ARTD, in partnership with Social Care Solutions, were engaged by the Department to undertake an evaluation to examine the implementation, appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency of the first two years of these pilots.

The evaluation used a mixed methods approach to assess implementation, appropriateness, effectiveness, as well as efficiency through a cost-effectiveness analysis. It drew on existing service provider case studies, outcomes and service data, participant and program staff interviews, and costs data. The evaluation did not seek to compare the models or pilots to each other: each was evaluated individually.

Details on the evaluation findings and the next stage the Department is taking to analyse these findings and application to the family support system is outlined at News articles – Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs (cyjma.qld.gov.au).

You can also read more on the evaluation’s findings on the YFS website.