Evaluating the Impact of the Women's Outreach Trauma Health Service (WORTH) Program: A Foundation Report
Tracks
Monarch Room | In-Person Only
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 |
11:15 AM - 11:35 AM |
Overview
Loriana Bethune & Kelly Bannister, Gender And Disaster Australia
Details
Key Presentation Learnings:
1. What it looks like to be responding to the immediate needs of women and children that are experiencing family violence whilst recovering from disaster.
2. How program gaps and challenges can form in the long tail of recovery.
3.The importance of a robust framework to effectively evaluate a program.
Speaker
Kelly Bannister
CEO
NORWACS
Evaluating the Impact of the Women's Outreach Trauma Health Service (WORTH) Program: A Foundation Report
Biography
Loriana Bethune
Research & Innovation Manager
Gender & Disaster Australia
Evaluating the Impact of the Women's Outreach Trauma Health Service (WORTH) Program: A Foundation Report
Abstract
This presentation summarises the initial findings from a three-year evaluation of the Women's Outreach Trauma Health Service (WORTH) program, commissioned by Northern Rivers Women and Children’s Service (NORWACS) and led by Gender and Disaster Australia.
The WORTH program was initiated and is implemented by NORWACS. It aims to support women and children affected by family violence in the Northern Rivers region following the 2022 floods. This presentation provides insights into the program's evaluation, which examined its effectiveness in meeting its objectives, identifying program gaps, user satisfaction, and social impact.
The evaluation employed a mixed-methods approach to assess the program's effectiveness, which included surveys, interviews, focus groups, and logic model development. Despite the challenges posed by the 2022 floods, the preliminary findings suggest that the WORTH program successfully met the immediate needs of its participants, particularly in terms of psychosocial well-being, diverse support services, and affordability. The evaluation also revealed challenges related to post-disaster barriers, such as transportation and participant readiness. Addressing these will facilitate the program's sustained positive impact.
The presentation emphasises the importance of a robust evaluation framework that positions the program for adaptation and sustained success through continued growth and learning. GADAus, as the external evaluator, further strengthened the evaluation framework, working closely with NORWACS in both the design and implementation. Overall, it highlights the WORTH program's significant potential to support women and children affected by family violence, particularly in the aftermath of a disaster as catastrophic as the Lismore and Northern Rivers region floods. The findings from the evaluation underscore the importance of addressing program gaps, improving accessibility and participant readiness, and providing diverse support services to ensure the program's continued success.
The WORTH program was initiated and is implemented by NORWACS. It aims to support women and children affected by family violence in the Northern Rivers region following the 2022 floods. This presentation provides insights into the program's evaluation, which examined its effectiveness in meeting its objectives, identifying program gaps, user satisfaction, and social impact.
The evaluation employed a mixed-methods approach to assess the program's effectiveness, which included surveys, interviews, focus groups, and logic model development. Despite the challenges posed by the 2022 floods, the preliminary findings suggest that the WORTH program successfully met the immediate needs of its participants, particularly in terms of psychosocial well-being, diverse support services, and affordability. The evaluation also revealed challenges related to post-disaster barriers, such as transportation and participant readiness. Addressing these will facilitate the program's sustained positive impact.
The presentation emphasises the importance of a robust evaluation framework that positions the program for adaptation and sustained success through continued growth and learning. GADAus, as the external evaluator, further strengthened the evaluation framework, working closely with NORWACS in both the design and implementation. Overall, it highlights the WORTH program's significant potential to support women and children affected by family violence, particularly in the aftermath of a disaster as catastrophic as the Lismore and Northern Rivers region floods. The findings from the evaluation underscore the importance of addressing program gaps, improving accessibility and participant readiness, and providing diverse support services to ensure the program's continued success.
Biography
Loriana Bethune is the Business Development Manager at Gender and Disaster Australia (GADAus). Bringing extensive experience as a Manager and leader at Natural Hazards Research Australia, as well as various Departments of the State Government of Victoria, Loriana is deeply committed to improving emergency sector responses to disaster for people from all walks of life.
Loriana has worked in various research and evaluation roles across the emergency management for almost two decades, including a Senior Analyst with the Inspector-General for Emergency Management. Uniquely adept at navigating complex political and organisational environments, she possesses skills in stakeholder engagement, negotiation and collaboration.
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