Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Now I Wonder How You Are….. Actively engaging clients in the process of measuring their own outcomes Lindy O’Neill (UnitingCare Tasmania) Jill Rosen (SAL Consulting)

Who Are We? Lindy O’Neill – CEO, UnitingCare Tasmania Jill Rosen – Portfolio Manager, SAL Consulting

A Bit About UnitingCare Tasmania Early Childhood Services Emergency Relief Family Support and Parenting NEWPIN PYPS Collaboration with SAL Consulting

NEWPIN Programs New Parent and Infant Network Intensive child protection and family education program Personal Development program and therapeutic support groups Two programs run in Tasmania Hobart (South East and South West) Launceston

PYPS Programs Pregnant and Young Parent Support Unique support program for people under 25 years who are expecting a child or are young parents Three tiers of the program: Groups Family Support Intensive Family Support Two programs run in Tasmania Hobart Launceston

Measuring Outcomes….. Previously informal and anecdotal process What did we want from an outcomes tool? A timely meeting…. The Outcomes Star

Outcomes Star A suite of tools developed by Triangle Consulting (UK) Began with a tool to measure individual change in life skills for homeless clients Point of star – domain related to the focus of the service Numerical score 1-10 in each domain

Family Star Plus: The Outcomes Star for Parents Measures 10 domains (score 1-10) Physical health Your-wellbeing Meeting emotional needs Keeping your children safe Social networks (parent and children) Education and learning (children) Boundaries and behaviour Family routine Home and money Progress to work Clear descriptions for each score within each domain

The Journey So Far…. Purchased the license & training Introduced to NEWPIN & PYPS in Dec 2013 Now in house expertise and support Fully integrated into NEWPIN (South) services – 3 monthly intervals (or as required) Becoming integrated into NEWPIN (North) and PYPS services

The Review…. Side project to broader service review Ethics approval – UTAS Semi-structured interviews: NEWPIN program participants (Hobart) NEWPIN & PYPS staff (Hobart & Launceston) Thematic analysis Case Studies

The Staff Perspective Key Themes 1.The importance of the relationship 2.Vehicle for dialogue/exploration 3.Makes personal change visible 4.Assists case planning 5.Encourages reflection 6.Participant has ownership

The Participant Perspective Key Themes 1.The importance of the relationship 2.Provides perspective 3.Opens discussion which gives hope/inspiration 4.Provides direction 5.Helps build confidence

Case Study 1 New Participant

Case Study 1 “Maybe around the fourth visit may have been better, it was much easier when I knew [staff member] well by the second one” “We worked out what we were going to work on…..it puts things in perspective….in a visual way too” “It didn’t seem like it was realistic [further education] until it was talked about, using that tool, at first I was a very very low number but after a few sessions….it became realistic and believable that I can do it…..they helped me see how I can fit it in my routine….I guess that’s the routine part too”

Case Study 2 Existing Participant

Case Study 2 “Having someone to do it with is important, a sounding board…..first you have to get to know the person though…” “If one thing is going badly, it feels like everything is going badly, this puts things into perspective and makes you realise just because one area is bad, there are some good things too” “I didn’t really think that me getting better would have such an impact on the children, this process helps me to see how it’s connected” “social networks….now I stay after school and let her play with other children….I hadn’t really thought about it before”

Sharing Our Learning Importance of the introduction Value of in-house expertise Timing – 3 months into program The concept of ‘change’ over time The power of the visual

Where to Now? More data, more analysis! Individual service user analysis Service analysis Comparison of services within UnitingCare Tasmania Whole organisation report – average across services External benchmarking possible Guide ongoing program development/improvement Integrate findings into funding applications & reporting Continue to share our learning with the sector Celebrate our successes!