4. Understanding the change
On this page:
- 4.1 Stakeholder engagement
- 4.2 Other sources of data used
- 4.3 Stakeholder outcomes
- 4.4 The program logic that emerged from stakeholder consultations
4.1 Stakeholder engagement
An SROI analysis requires that the material changes are described, measured and valued. The purpose of stakeholder engagement was to understand the relative importance of changes (or outcomes), how the stakeholders would prove and measure change, how they would place value on outcomes, the duration of outcomes and what proportion of the outcome is attributable to others or would have taken place anyway.9
Consultation
Based on previous experience with similar projects, and initial consultations with the program manager and the Department, it was determined that face-to-face interviews (between 30-60 minutes) of one to two people would be the most appropriate method for engaging most of the stakeholder groups.
All stakeholder groups considered to experience material changes have been consulted (see Table 4.1). SVA Consulting conducted the majority of the interviews in South Inverell. Telephone interviews were held where stakeholders were not available during the project team's visit to Inverell.
Information from each interview was recorded by hand or on a computer, which was then transferred into a spreadsheet containing the interview notes for each stakeholder. These were referred to throughout the analysis.
The interviews focused on the relative importance of outcomes, how the stakeholders would prove and measure change, how they would place value on outcomes, the duration of outcomes and what proportion of the outcome is down to others or would have taken place anyway.10 The project team continued to interview stakeholders until no new themes were emerging. The age and cultural background of the young people make it difficult to test possible financial proxies.
Alternative engagement techniques, such as surveys, were considered to try to engage with a larger number of program participants and their family / significant others, however, it was determined that this would not be suitable for these stakeholder groups.
Below is a summary of stakeholder groups, the size of the group (currently) and the number of stakeholders engaged per group. All stakeholder groups included in the analysis were engaged through the consultation process.
| Stakeholder Group | Size of group | Number involved in Consultation |
|---|---|---|
Stakeholder 1: Young people |
15 active /present clients |
Three active clients |
Stakeholder 1: Young people |
16 past clients |
Three informal interactions |
Stakeholder 2: Families and significant others |
Approximately 15 family / carer units for active clients |
Two carers of active clients |
Stakeholder 3: Community |
Approximately 20 community members in local area (including Aboriginal Elders) |
Three local Aboriginal Elders |
Stakeholder 4: Justice system |
Not available Includes members of police, courts, juvenile justice, child protection and correctional/corrective services |
Three: local Police Inspector, representative of Juvenile Justice NSW that refers to the program and Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer |
Stakeholder 5: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
2,530 staff |
One representative from the Department accompanied the Analyst during the site visit Additional 10 representatives of the Department engaged through workshops, project check-points, as well as provided feedback at key project junctions Shared SROI methodology and preliminary findings with approximately 30 staff from the Department through presentations |
Helping Hand and Linking Youth employees |
Approximately 5 staff |
Two: program manager/Community Officer, and Centre Coordinator. |
Employees of other local service providers |
Not available Includes welfare agencies, employment agencies, counsellors and mental health support agencies |
|
Employees of Inverell Shire Council involved with the program |
Approximately 7 people |
Two: Director and Executive Manager of Corporate & Economic Services |
TOTAL |
― |
20 interviews 3 informal interactions 10 Department representatives involved throughout the project 30 Department staff presented to |
The nature of working in some Aboriginal communities is that it is difficult for outsiders to consult with the primary beneficiaries. This is heightened by the fact that the young people in the program have all experienced significant trauma in their lives and have a strong distrust of strangers. Due to historical and social factors, many of the young people and their parents and carers are reluctant to engage with people from outside of the South Inverell community. Despite the best efforts of the project team, there was a low sample size for the primary beneficiaries (young people) and their families and significant others. Factors that limited engagement with these groups include:
- Young people being too new to the program to be able to discuss changes that will be experienced
- Young people in situations that were not deemed suitable for interviewing (for example, dealing with ice/crystal meth use)
- Young people unexpectedly travelling out of the area
- Young people and their families and significant others feeling uncomfortable talking to the project team
- Family member in grieving.
The young people that did take part in the consultations struggled to express themselves. A language barrier, as well as limited vocabulary appeared to be limiting factors in these conversations. It was particularly challenging in trying to understand why things mentioned in the interviews were important to them and how the program supported them to get there.
Actions taken to overcome these challenges include the program manager trying to contact former clients; attempts to re-schedule the missed meetings; and an Aboriginal Mentor (a member of the program staff) participating in some interviews with the young people to help establish a level of trust with the young people and to enable the best possible responses from the young people. Direct interviews were supplemented with informal interactions with young people and observations of program activities (e.g. interactions between the program staff and young people in the program) during the site visit.
The changes that the young people and families and significant others identified that they experienced were included as outcomes in the program logic (see section 4.4). Their views on the importance of the different changes were used to prioritise the outcomes and inform the valuation of the outcomes (see section 6.1).
Because of the limited engagement with the young people and difficulty in mapping the chain of change based on the conversations that were had, the forecast outcomes had to also be informed through the observations from other stakeholders about the changes that are likely to be experienced by the young people. The most meaningful way to gauge the changes experienced by these stakeholders and understand which were material changes was through the program staff, who are part of the community and have established trust with these stakeholders over a long period of time.
During the analysis, we worked with the program manager over three to four months, who was introduced to SROI principles and became deeply engaged in the SROI process and methodology. As a result, the program manager understood the need to collect information from stakeholders and did this throughout this period, which was then conveyed to us during our regular check-ins over the phone. As the program manager engages with each of the young people on a daily or weekly basis and records her observations in case notes, she was in a strong position to explain the changes experienced by the young people in the program to supplement the information obtained from the young people during interviews. The program manager conveyed this information by talking through each young person involved in the program individually, to ensure understanding of the specific changes experienced by him or her. This is captured in the assumptions about the quantity of young people that will experience outcomes (see Section 5.1), and was used to project the changes experienced by young people currently in the program, and those that will join the program, in the future.
The information provided by the program manager was verified by interviews with other stakeholders that had direct contact with the young people (for example, local service providers). Engaging a diverse range of other stakeholders in understanding the changes for the young people, ensured that the forecasts were not overly reliant on the opinion of the organisation staff and helped us identify strong trends / common themes. The project team continued to interview stakeholders until no new themes emerged. In addition, other sources of information were used to verify the stakeholder consultation, which are outlined in section 4.2.
In future, the young people will be engaged on an ongoing basis by the program manager to understand the changes that they are experiencing as a result of the program. This will involve the young people self-reporting on these changes and the data being recorded in a Social Outcomes Measurement and Evaluation Tool which has been developed as part of this analysis. For further detail, refer to recommendation 9.1 and an excerpt of the Social Outcomes Measurement and Evaluation Tool in Appendix 8.
Verification of results
Helping Hand and Linking Youth staff were involved in the verification of results at four main points: stakeholder consultations (through feedback on the program logic); the measurement phase (through feedback on the measurement approach); the valuation phase (through feedback on the calculation of the value of outcomes); and the reporting phase (through feedback on the draft report).
Interim findings of the analysis were also verified contemporaneously by the stakeholders during consultations through the testing of responses from others to enable us to see whether consistent messages were emerging from a stakeholder group. This process guided the selection of outcomes, indicators and financial proxies.
Relevant staff from the Department were also involved at each stage of the project. The report findings and recommendations were shared with relevant stakeholders of the program, including the program staff and Inverell Shire Council staff, which helped to verify the results and embed the recommendations for future outcomes measurement and evaluation. Given the barriers to establishing trust with the young people and the timeframe for sharing findings, it was not possible to share the findings with the young people directly. It is anticipated that the program manager will share the analysis with the young people (including those who were interviewed) during her regular meetings with them. The report findings and recommendations will were be shared with other relevant stakeholders of the program, including the program staff and Inverell Shire Council staff including the young people, which will help helped to verify the results and embed the recommendations for future outcomes measurement and evaluation. Given the barriers to establishing trust with the young people and the timeframe for sharing findings, it was not possible to share the findings with the young people directly. It is anticipated that the program manager will share the analysis with the young people including those who were interviewed during her regular meetings with them.
4.2 Other sources of data used
Other data sources used to supplement consultation are outlined in the table below.
| Data source | Description | Use in the SROI analysis |
|---|---|---|
1. Data provided by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
|
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2. Data provided by the program manager |
|
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3. Data provided by Inverell Shire Council |
|
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4. Population research |
|
|
4.3 Stakeholder outcomes
The stakeholder outcomes are judgements based on the data collected by the program, stakeholder consultation throughout this project, secondary research and SVA Consulting analysis. Throughout the data collection process attention was paid to all possible consequences that arise as a result of the activity: intended and unintended, positive and negative.
This section outlines the outcomes for the following stakeholders:
- Stakeholder 1: Young people
- Stakeholder 2: Families and significant others
- Stakeholder 3: Community
- Stakeholder 4: Justice system
The outcomes included in the SROI analysis are considered "material", that is, they are the significant and relevant changes that stakeholders experienced due to the Helping Hand and Linking Youth activities. Materiality is a concept that is borrowed from accounting. In accounting terms, information is material if it has the potential to affect the readers' or stakeholders' decision. According to the SROI Guide, a piece of information is material if leaving it out of the SROI would misrepresent the organisation's activities.
Defining the material outcomes for stakeholder groups is complex. When defining the material outcomes for each stakeholder group, an SROI practitioner must ensure that each outcome is unique or it would be considered double counting. This is difficult as the outcomes for each stakeholder group are necessarily related because they describe all of the changes experienced by the stakeholder. For example, people do not compartmentalise the different changes they experience. Outcomes also happen at different times throughout the period being analysed with different levels of intensity. There are also complex relationships between outcomes for different stakeholder groups.
Stakeholder outcomes were determined by applying the materiality test to the range of consequences identified in the program logic. This was done through initial consultations with the relevant stakeholders and employees of Helping Hand and Linking Youth. The materiality of outcomes was again tested when the number of people experiencing the changes were measured and valued (see Sections 5 and 6). No negative outcomes or unintended outcomes were found to be material.
The following sections outline the outcomes that are forecast to be experienced by each stakeholder group and the anticipated impact of these changes.
Stakeholder 1 - Young people
The young people involved in the program are Aboriginal young people, generally aged between 12-18 years who live in Inverell or surrounding areas. They are referred to the program mostly by Juvenile Justice NSW on the basis that they have been in juvenile detention or are at risk of being placed in juvenile detention.
The table below summarises inputs (investments in the program), outputs (summary of activity) and outcomes (changes) experienced by Stakeholder 1, including the estimated number of young people who are forecast to experience the outcomes.
| Inputs | Outputs | Material outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Not material |
Approximately 86 young people are expected to participate in the program over the forthcoming five year period. Most are expected to receive support for 3 to 4 years (58%), the remainder for 5 or more years (26%) or 1 to 2 years (16%). Depending on their needs, they will meet with the program manager between twice a week and once a month. Case management will involve:
Young people will visit the LTC on a weekly to monthly basis. The exact quantity and the type of these activities will be dependent on the individual needs of the young people participating in the program. |
1.1 Increased self-esteem 1.2 Increased engagement in meaningful activity 1.3. More positive connections to others 1.4 Reduced likelihood of detention or incarceration in the future |
The following section describes how outcomes are forecast to be experienced by young people. Each material outcome is being developed over time as young people progress through the program. The detail on the different stages the young people go through during the program is provided in Section 4.4 and 5.1.
1.1 Increased self-esteem
Young people engaged in the program increase their self-esteem by first feeling accepted and included by the program manager. The relationship that the program manager builds with the young people is an essential factor in helping the young people move closer towards realising their potential.
A variety of activities that the program manager engages the young people in provide opportunities to model positive behaviours, and to reinforce these through praise and rewards. Other individuals that support the young people in the program (e.g. Aboriginal Elders) are encouraged to acknowledge the young people's positive changes, no matter how small. This is a marked difference to how many of these young people would have been treated in the past by their parents, carers and other authority figures. In the past, many were led to believe that they were worthless and unworthy of respect, recognition or praise. By treating them in a positive way, the young people start to build their self-esteem.
"One kid who was in jail is a totally different person because Kerrie knows how to connect with him... Now they know that there is someone who actually cares about their lives"
Aboriginal Elder
The next change seen in these young people is that they start believing in their own self-worth, become more confident in themselves and what they have to offer to the world, and expand their understanding of possibilities available to them in the future.
"The program gives the kids self-worth to say that they are as good as anyone else"
Director of Corporate & Economic Services, Inverell Shire Council
Program managers report that once the young people are able to start thinking about the future and set goals for what they want to achieve, they have developed resilience that will enable them to eventually cope on their own.
"I come here and feel better about me"
Young person
1.2 Increased engagement in meaningful activity
One of the first things the program manager works on with the young people is helping them to embed some routine and stability into their lives. This can be as little as getting them out of bed to go to school or training, arranging appointments that they have to attend or simply regularly spending time with them.
"I can't say enough positive things about this place from an educational perspective"
Southern Cross Distance Education teacher
Often the young people have been very neglected by their parents or carers and have had quite an unstable life including not having a stable place to live, being dismissed from school and interaction with the justice system. In these instances, the program manager becomes one of the few people in their lives that can provide them with support and security.
When the young person is ready, the program manager might start linking him or her into other activities, providing support to access other services such as drug and alcohol counselling and start setting higher standards of adherence to rules established by the program manager. At this point the program manager will often advocate on the young person's behalf to their school to facilitate their return (if possible) and provide any associated necessary support.
"One of the best things about the program is transport... [Young person] was coming in two days and then I wouldn't see him for four weeks... But now with Kerrie, they go to pick him up and drop him off'
Southern Cross Distance Education teacher
Through this work and with the help of others, the young person is then able to gain insight into their trauma and start developing the essential life skills such as self-regulation, self-care, relationship-building and communication.
As they progress through the program, the young persons' attitude towards school and education changes. They are more engaged and show a desire to apply themselves more to learning. Those that move into training instead of schooling are also seen making a concerted effort to succeed in their chosen area.
"The biggest problem for these boys is identity... they don't feel they fit in somewhere, they start messing up around the community...Here they do training, get chainsaw tickets, get involved in TAFE...Then they've got something to go on with further if they like"
Aboriginal Elder
These changes provide the foundations for reduced reliance on drugs and alcohol to self-sooth. The young people reduce their intake of drugs and alcohol as a result of counselling supplemented by support from the program manager, as well as a change in habits and behaviour as a result of obligations placed on them by school and training.
"I wouldn't be at school if it wasn't for Kerrie."
Young person
"When [young person] was working with the Centre he got [his] certificate in welding. He started working hard."
Carer of young person
1.3 More positive connections to others
Young people in the program build more positive connections to other people by first developing a positive relationship with the program manager, who provides young people with a safe place to access help, non-judgemental support and positive social interaction. The program manager tries to spend time with the young person doing activities that create positive shared memories, such as coming around for a cup of tea or talking to them in the car while driving them to a sporting activity.
This exercise shows the young person how positive relationships are created and the joy that this could bring to their lives. Once trust has been built, young people start looking up to the program manager, become more eager to please her and start modelling her behaviour.
"Kids look for people they can trust...trust is a big issue with them because they have been let down so many times...that's what they have found in Kerrie"
Aboriginal Elder
This relationship becomes an anchor for the development of other positive relationships. This is particularly important for how the young people start interacting with their family, and could be a very powerful change for them especially when the parents and carers engage in the process. Some young people also start expressing interest in understanding better where they come from and wanting to engage with the Aboriginal Elders in the community.
"He has made friends here at the Centre…with other boys. They build bonds, they are down to earth."
Carer of young person
Following this, the young people are able to identify the support they need and how to access it (Stage D). They are more connected to other support networks around them such as their school and Aboriginal Elders. The young people are also able to demonstrate their respect and empathy for others, which leads to the establishment of stronger and more positive relationships.
"Kerrie connects the kids with everyone else… it gives them a sense of control and tells them that you are the one that needs to turn your life around"
Aboriginal Elder
1.4 Reduced likelihood of detention or incarceration in the future
Because of their participation in the Helping Hand and Linking Youth program, the young people reduce their likelihood of being in detention or incarcerated in the future. This starts out when the program manager attends court and other legal appointments with the young person, and supporting them through this process. The young person is unlikely to have been supported in this way before by someone who has some degree of knowledge of the court system and knows how to support the young person to achieve the best outcome for them. This process enables the young person to be part of the program and not in juvenile detention. Through this, they gain an appreciation of the legal process as it applies to them.
Once the young person begins engaging with the program and accepting the boundaries placed on them by the program manager, such as making sure they attend all their legal and other appointments, they begin to develop an appreciation of the consequence of their actions. The program manager works intensively with the young person to think about the impact of their behaviour on others and on themselves. As a result of this, as well as the fact that the young person has developed a bond with the program manager and wants to please her, their behaviour improves and the incidence of violation of any court orders imposed on the young person is reduced.
"When [young person] was living in Coifs Harbour he had no motivation… He came to Linking Together and started doing things."
Carer of young person
This has a flow on effect for the incidence of antisocial behaviours, which are also reduced. The young person has increased their hope and motivation through working with the program manager and is beginning to see the benefits of not living a life of crime. The young person is also more occupied in that he or she is attending school or training more, and is likely to be playing sport or engaging in cultural activities through the program. As a result, the amount of minor offences and misdemeanours that often result from young people being bored and under occupied decline.
"What has changed because of the program? They are engaged in school, attendance is good, their behaviour has improved… There is less time lost due to discipline issues or suspension."
Deputy Principal, Inverell High School
When a young person reaches the point of exercising their own agency as a result of the program, they are less likely to be detained or incarcerated in the future as they are no longer exhibiting antisocial behaviour and offending, and have experienced lasting positive change through the program. They have reached a point where they will not relapse into criminal behaviour, or be influenced by others to do so. This requires motivation on the part of the young person and support from the program manager and other people in their support networks, all of which has been largely as a result of their participation in the program.
Excluded Outcomes
Two outcomes - the creation of space to be outside normal pressures and access to fun recreational activities - were excluded from the analysis on the basis of relevance. These outcomes were found to be less relevant than other outcomes that were measured. Elements of these outcomes are also experienced though another outcome that was measured - more positive connection to others - where the young people feel a sense of belonging to a community and feel joy as part of this outcome.
It was hypothesised by the program manager that a potential negative change experienced by young people as a result of the program is 'family conflict as a result of confronting hard issues'. During consultations with young people they were asked if they experienced this outcome but they did not. The outcome was therefore excluded.
Stakeholder 2 - Families and significant others
Families and significant others includes parents and their partners, carers, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and any other members of the family or significant others who are involved in the program.
The table below summarises inputs, outputs and outcomes experienced by Stakeholder 2, including the estimated number of young people who are forecast to experience the outcomes.
| Inputs | Outputs | Material outcome |
|---|---|---|
Not material |
Approximately 63 family members and significant others will meet with the program manager who will link them to other services which are relevant to the needs of the young person in their care as well as their individual circumstances. These include:
Program managers will also provide advice to the families and significant others on how to better support the young person in their care. The amount of support received by this stakeholder group depends on how much they want to engage with the program manager and the program. |
2.1 Improve communication between family members 2.2 Increase engagement in lives of the young people in their care |
The following is a description of the outcomes that are forecast to be experienced by families and significant others due to their involvement with the program.
2.1 Improve communication between family members
One of the aims of the program is to improve the relationships of the young people and their families and significant others so the chances of the young person living a healthy and fulfilled life are increased. This can be extremely difficult to achieve as many of the young people regularly experience family violence, child abuse and neglect. Family is a barrier to success for many of the young people as most of them have drug and alcohol issues and are unemployed, which makes it difficult for the young people to be motivated, engage in school and training and develop self-esteem.
"The influence on parents is that Kerrie works with the parents and the kid… Now they have good communication"
Aboriginal Elder
The young people involved in the program often live away from their parents, or live with different combinations of family members and friends over time. It is not always appropriate for the young person to be re-engaged with their families (for example, due to a history of abuse or neglect). In these situations, it is important that the young person establishes strong relationships with other significant adults in their lives.
The stakeholder consultations with Helping Hand and Linking Youth staff and other services providers indicate that as a result of the program, and where appropriate, the young people are experiencing improved communication with family members. The program has had a positive influence on relations between family members despite the inherent obstacles in achieving this.
The family members or significant others of approximately half of the young people involved in the program (53%) are expected to experience this outcome. Over the five-year forecast period this equates to approximately 46 families or significant others.
"The biggest issue on this side of town were the family feuds. You don't hear that anymore"
Student Support Officer, TAFE
2.2 Increase engagement in lives of the young people in their care
An aim of the program is to actively involve the families and significant others of the young people in the program, the LTC and the young persons’ development. Often the experience of families with government and other services has not been a positive one so they are wary to engage with the program. However, the community surrounding the LTC which includes many of the families of the young people has learnt to trust the Helping Hand and Linking Youth staff and view the program positively.
Involving families and significant others occurs through the program manager encouraging them to attend meetings with the young person, encouraging them to drop into the LTC, visiting the young person at home, encouraging family members to participate in cultural and other activities at the LTC, providing support where necessary (for example, support dealing with welfare agencies, counselling services and legal services) and advocating on behalf of the parents and carers to other service providers such as education providers.
Families and significant others would otherwise find it difficult to engage with government and community service providers due to a lack of trust, and a lack of understanding about how to engage with service providers. Often this is related to a perception that other service providers do not understand Aboriginal people or culture. As a result of the support provided by the program, families and significant others increase their engagement with the program and, more importantly, the lives of young people. This change provides a significant benefit to the families and significant others of the young people as they can re-connect with the young person, feel a part of what the young person is doing in the program and are better able to help the young person in dealing with other service providers.
Approximately 73% of the families and significant others of the young people involved in the program are expected to experience this outcome. Over the five-year forecast period this equates to approximately 63 families or significant others.
The unique influence and effectiveness of the program manager for the achievement of this outcome is outlined below.
"Kerrie has a much greater understanding and connection to the family members of clients than I do…She meets with parents and gives them information… She has the relationships because she is part of the community"
EACH Youth Connections representative
"Without the program, we would lose the depth of knowledge and connections that Kerrie has."
Southern Cross Distance Education teacher
Excluded Outcomes
Following the routine and rules established by the program manager is a change that is experienced by the families and significant others when these are imposed on the young people through the program. This includes attending sessions with the program manager and the young person, attending appointments the young person has with other service providers, attending their own appointments and ensuring that the young person attends school or training. During consultation, families referred to their positive experience of following the routine and rules established by the program manager. Upon further interrogation, it was established that this was part of the chain of consequences for young people, but it was not material for the families and significant others and was therefore excluded.
Stakeholder 3 - Community
The community includes people who live in Inverell, particularly those who live in South Inverell where the program is based, and who engage with the young people in the program. This community is largely an Aboriginal population, including Aboriginal Elders, but also includes non-Aboriginal people including teachers.
The table below summarises inputs, outputs and the outcome forecast to experienced by Stakeholder 3.
| Inputs | Outputs | Material outcome |
|---|---|---|
In-kind support in the form of volunteer time |
Key activities include mentoring the young people in an informal way through a men's shed, art and cultural activities and sporting activities. Members of the community including local Aboriginal Elders come together with the young people as a way of guiding the future generation and assisting with their personal development. The activities are usually semi-structured and are focused around establishing connections with the young people and passing down knowledge, stories and culture. |
3.1 Improved perceptions of young people |
The following is a description of the outcomes that are forecast to experienced by Stakeholder 3 due to their involvement with program.
3.1 Improved perceptions of young people
"I have seen big changes in them…Before they got into the program with Kerrie, they were horrible kids… Now they have matured…they have settled right down and are not as bad as they were"
Aboriginal Elder
The positive changes that happen to the young people were observed by numerous members of the community and reported during stakeholder consultations. Many community members – including Aboriginal Elders, police officers, members of Inverell Shire Council and other service providers - referred to changes in the young people and described how this had shifted their perception of them.
"One kid who was in jail is a totally different person now… he has come a long way"
Aboriginal Elder
Many members of the community described what the community and the young people were like before the program: “kids were walking the streets”, “they’d be in jail” “before they wouldn’t even say g’day to you”.
As a result of the changes experienced by the young people, they are viewed more positively by the community. One example of this is an observation by an Aboriginal Elder that the young people develop a sense of routine and structure in their lives, as well as trust and respect for the program manager.
"I've seen the kids get structure and routine in their lives... they respect Kerrie for that routine which is good because with Aboriginal kids it's hard to earn respect and trust with them… if they can't get routine, nothing else can happen"
Aboriginal Elder
An important aspect of the program is its cultural dimension – the program aims to facilitate the development of the young person’s cultural identity if this is something that they would like to do. For one young person who was particularly interested in learning about his culture, the program manager linked him up with a local Aboriginal Elder who does cooking at the centre and encouraged him to help her. As a result, they developed a strong bond, she observed the changes he experienced and viewed him differently.
"[The young person] learnt a lot about his culture… I told him about my culture around here and he was fascinated… He was a totally different person, he couldn’t do enough for you…. To see the change in him from the way he was before was a big difference"
Aboriginal Elder
One Aboriginal Elder who does art and cultural activities with the young people observed that the program has made the young people more respectful, happier, proud and motivated.
"Once they get [to the LTC] they get fired up to do a bit more stuff… they are happier too, they talk to you and ask what you are doing up at the centre… When I did didgeridoo making and painting with the boys they had pride in what they did… we did a show with the didgeridoos down town and they got very excited… It was great to see the boys out and about, and wanting to do more stuff…"
Aboriginal Elder
Excluded Outcomes
Other outcomes became evident through stakeholder consultations but were not considered to be material outcomes for the forecast SROI analysis. These were:
- Access to a meeting place
- Sharing cultural and social experiences with young people
- Establishing a cultural connection with the young people where knowledge, stories and culture can be passed down
Access to a meeting place came through consultation with this stakeholder group as the LTD provides adults in South Inverell with a friendly and Aboriginal place where they can come together with the young people in the program. Without the program and the LTC, adults in South Inverell commented that "there was nowhere else to go". Stakeholders also described how sharing cultural experiences with the young people occurs when adults in South Inverell who are Aboriginal engage in cultural activities with the young people such as storytelling and art making.
Establishing a cultural connection with the young people where knowledge, stories and culture can be passed down is relevant to the SROI analysis but was not considered to be significant and was therefore excluded. Stakeholder consultation indicated that this outcome would only be experienced by a small number of stakeholders during the investment period because of barriers to achieving this outcome including loss of knowledge and stories within the Aboriginal community and a lack of willingness to participate on the part of some of the young people.
Stakeholder 4 - Justice System
The justice system includes police, courts, juvenile justice, and correctional/corrective services.
Table 4.6 summarises inputs, outputs and outcomes that are forecast to be experienced by Stakeholder 4.
| Inputs | Outputs | Material outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Not material |
Not applicable |
4.1 Reduction in anti-social behaviour 4.2 Decreased number of young people offending 4.3 Decreased number of young people in detention |
The following is a description of the outcomes that are forecast to be experienced by young people due to their involvement with the program.
4.1 Reduction in anti-social behaviour
The objective of the justice system is to reduce crime and increase community safety. Young people that become involved in the justice system typically start displaying anti-social behaviour, progress to low-level offending and then on to more serious offending that results in juvenile detention.
As a result of the program, fewer young people engage in anti-social behaviour, which can range from minor offensive or harmful acts, to more serious criminal activity.11 The stakeholder consultations indicated that this occurs because the program and the activities that it supports the young people to do "gives the kids something to do" and "keeps them off the streets", which means antisocial behaviour is less likely to occur.
"You hardly see any of them walking around now. They are either at school or doing the program."
Aboriginal Elder
Numerous stakeholders also referred to the violence that had perpetuated in the area where the LTC is located prior to the program.
"Before we had homes broken into every night here."
Aboriginal Elder
"Hardly a week went by before a house was vandalised or burnt out."
Director, Corporate & Economic Services, Inverell Shire Council
One of the most significant reasons that this change has occurred is because the program is designed to re-engage the young people in education or training.
"Education is important because it gives them something to do… This is reinforced by the rules/structure/routine. These things need to happen gradually"
Program manager
For those young people in the program that are able to attend traditional high schools, it has been observed that their behaviour has improved since joining the program.
In a number of cases traditional schooling is no longer available for the young people as the local schools no longer allow them to attend. The program works closely with alternative education and training providers including Southern Cross Distance Education and TAFE to ensure a program is developed that is tailored towards the young person and in a format that will enable them to succeed. The program manager also spends a significant amount of time encouraging the young people to engage in education or training.
On a practical level, the centre also provides an essential link to the alternative education providers: it provides facilities for TAFE courses to be conducted at the centre and computers for those undertaking distance education to use. All of these factors increase the likelihood of engagement by the young person.
"If I was trying to do this on my own, it would be futile, absolutely futile… the program provides a really good support network. With me just on my own, why would they value going to school? It makes education a holistic experience, rather than an isolated boring thing for them to do."
Southern Cross Distance Education teacher
Over the five-year forecast period it is estimated that this outcome will be associated with approximately 36 young people reducing their anti-social behaviour during and after their involvement with the program.
4.2 Decreased number of young people offending
The stakeholder consultations with Helping Hand and Linking Youth staff, local police, Juvenile Justice NSW and others indicate a clear link between the work done by the program and a decrease in the number of young people offending.
"What changes is that they get back into school… They reduce their drug and alcohol intake… They get to know their support networks… They reduce their offending… A lot of kids get on the right track thanks to this thing"
Juvenile Justice NSW representative
Collaboration between service providers was seen by stakeholders as crucial to ensuring that the young people do not offend or (in most cases) re-offend. For example, Juvenile Justice NSW is constrained in that it can usually only provide support for a young person for a period of three months. Because of this, Juvenile Justice NSW sees the Helping Hand and Linking Youth program as an essential partner to achieve successful outcomes for the young people.
"We are constrained by 3 months… You can't turn a life around in that time. But you can achieve something over a long period. This is what the Helping Hand and Linking Youth program can support."
Juvenile Justice NSW representative
Similarly, the local police in Inverell regard the program as an essential element to the reduction of young people in the community offending. They rely on the program manager to act as an "unofficial conduit" between the community and the police force because of the "street credibility" that the program has. In collaboration with Helping Hand and Linking Youth, the police are able to deal with potential offenders in a more targeted and holistic way which has the effect of lowering overall rates of offending.
"In terms of offending the program has had a positive flow-on effect for us… because it has the tick of approval from the community, the program is extremely important to us in regards to maintaining law and order… it is an unofficial conduit between the community and us because people aren't comfortable with police"
Police Inspector, Inverell Police
Over the five-year forecast period it is estimated that this outcome will be associated with approximately 20 young people reducing their offending behaviour during and after their involvement with the program.
4.3 Decreased number of young people in detention
The number of young people from Inverell and surrounding areas in detention is less as a result of the program. The program has also influenced the way that the local court is sentencing young people. For example, the program manager described how the courts are starting to include participation in the program as part of a young person's bail conditions. In this way, the program is facilitating a reduction of young people in detention immediately when they commence in the program. As a result it is expected that fewer young people will experience detention in the future. This is based on the high rates of recidivism amongst young people that have been in detention. This change has cost implications for the justice system, with potentially less resources required for juvenile detention.
Numerous stakeholders were confident that but for the program, the young people are likely to be in detention.
"Without Helping Hand there would be a lot more kids in custody… It would be like in Tamworth, which doesn't have the program"
Juvenile Justice NSW representative
"Without the program kids would be disengaged and wouldn't come to school... they would be destined for the unemployment line and our jail system"
Deputy Principal, Inverell High School
One particular young person is currently in detention following a 9 month period between offences, which was significant given his prior contact with the justice system. Helping Hand and Linking Youth staff as well as Juvenile Justice NSW and a teacher from Southern Cross Distance Education who worked closely with the young person emphasised that this was a substantial achievement for him.
"[The young person] spent time in the program, started meeting people and engaging with the cultural side of the program. It provided him with a deep and meaningful experience to feel part of a community… He did commit another crime, but since his involvement in the program it was 9 months for him not offending, when usually it would be two weeks… this was a huge step for him"
Southern Cross Distance Education teacher
Over the five-year forecast period it is estimated that this outcome will be associated with approximately 58 young people avoiding detention immediately as a result of joining the program, 18 young people not being sentenced to detention during the program and 26 young people not being sentence to detention after their involvement with the program.
Excluded Outcomes
Other outcomes became evident through stakeholder consultations and were included in the program logic as material outcomes but were not considered to be material for the SROI analysis. These were:
- Decreased number of call-outs to investigate minor crimes
- Decreased number of young people charged by police
- Police receive more respect
- More reporting to police
- Increased awareness of issues in the community
We had limited engagement with police and there were no other data points available (in contrast to the other material outcomes) to ascertain the expected quantity of change for each of these outcomes. This could warrant further investigation in the future, but it is not material at this stage based on the evidence we have gathered.
4.4 The program logic that emerged from stakeholder consultations
The program logic tells the story of change that takes place as a result of Helping Hand and Linking Youth. The program logic includes information on:
- The issue that the program is seeking to address
- The key participants in the program
- The activities involved in the program
- The inputs required to generate the outcomes
- The outcomes of activities that occur through the program, for various stakeholders
- The overall impact of these outcomes.
The program logic that emerged from the stakeholder consultations was that the inputs of the program (monetary and non-monetary investment) will be collectively used to deliver the program activities. The combination of activities and the frequency of activities will be tailored to the needs of the young person. As a result of the activities, young people are expected to experience four material outcomes (described in section 4.4). These outcomes are anticipated to occur concurrently and to reinforce each other. For example, a young person who experiences increased self-esteem will increase their engagement in meaningful activity, which in turn increases their self-esteem.
The changes experienced by young people are expected to lead to outcomes for their families and significant others, and for the justice system. The overall impact of these outcomes is anticipated to be that young people take a positive pathway to adulthood by becoming healthier adults who are able to take responsibility for their own lives; living with more purpose; and are more grounded. Meanwhile, the community is expected to benefit through less burden on the justice system, healthier families and increased community cohesion and safety.
Development of the program logic
The first iteration of the program logic was developed with staff from the Department. Following this, substantial changes to the program logic took place during the initial stakeholder engagement. In particular, the outcomes experienced by young people emerged from consultations with them. For example, Outcome 1.1 is "increased self-esteem" which expresses how the young people's perception of themselves and self-confidence is increased as a result of the program. This was identified as an outcome following conversations with young people who said that the program "makes me feel happy" and "I come here and feel better about me." Outcome 1.2 is "increased engagement in meaningful activity" which captures the change that young people experience in engaging in school or other forms of education such as Distance Education or TAFE. The selection of this outcome came from conversations with the young people including one young man who said "I wouldn't be at school if it wasn't for Kerrie."
The concept that young people move through stages of development was identified in discussions with the program manager and other Inverell Shire Council staff. This concept was tested with other local service providers and against the notes collected during interviews with young people and their families and significant others. A summary program logic is included in Figure 4.1, and a more detailed representation of the outcomes is included in Figures 4.2 and 4.3 on the following pages. This is a forecast analysis, therefore it captures the consequences that are expected to be realised in the future as a result of the investment made into the program during the forecast period. Since information about what will happen in the future is not currently available, the short-term and the long-term consequences of the program are either assumed to be similar to the consequences observed for the stakeholders who have been in the program in the past or are inferred through the logic that some of the long-term consequences for stakeholders will occur in the future. No negative or unintended outcomes were identified that were material.
Figure 4.1 - Helping Hand and Linking Youth summary program logic
Figure 4.2 - Helping Hand and Linking Youth program logic - Outcomes for the young people
Figure 4.3 - Helping Hand and Linking Youth program logic - Outcomes for Other stakeholders
