Understanding What Works: Preventing Family Violence in Aboriginal Communities (VIRTUAL)
Tracks
Tamborine Gallery
| Thursday, December 2, 2021 |
| 1:02 PM - 1:22 PM |
Overview
Ms Christina Bagot & Ms Greta Newman, Urbis & Karen Milward, Karen Milward Consulting Services
Speaker
Ms Christina Bagot
Associate Director
Urbis
Understanding What Works: Preventing Family Violence in Aboriginal Communities (VIRTUAL)
Abstract
Across Victoria, community-led initiatives are contributing to the prevention of violence in Aboriginal families and communities. They do so by recognising the ongoing impacts of colonisation, dispossession, and systemic disadvantage on Aboriginal people and adopting culturally relevant strategies such as healing, cultural connection, and trauma-informed practice to strengthen the protective factors against family violence.
While we know these initiatives make an important and significant contribution to self-determination, evaluation is critical to building the evidence base for effective family violence prevention approaches in Aboriginal communities. Evaluation also ensures achievements, success stories and lessons learned are captured and used to inform improvements.
This presentation draws on our experience over the last two years supporting over 30 Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisations (ACCOs) across Victoria to evaluate their primary prevention initiatives. The project involved a tailored capacity building approach, whereby we worked alongside ACCOs to strengthen their capacity to conduct and use evaluation, assisting them to develop program logic models, refine their data collection mechanisms and write evaluation reports. Our approach is underpinned by the principles of self-determination and is Aboriginal-led, culturally attuned, strengths-based, relational, and supportive.
Drawing on our experience, this presentation will:
consider emerging evidence about what works (and doesn’t) in the primary prevention of family violence in Aboriginal communities
explore critical reflections and lessons learned that are relevant for future evaluation capacity building efforts with community organisations.
Other key themes we will explore include the need for culturally relevant primary prevention approaches and research methodologies, targeting evaluation capacity strengthening activities to maximise impact, a focus on determinants-level and achievable change, and adopting a more flexible approach to better meet participants’ needs.
This presentation will contribute to the knowledge base on Aboriginal-led primary prevention initiatives and provide valuable insights to evaluators, practitioners, and program managers alike.
While we know these initiatives make an important and significant contribution to self-determination, evaluation is critical to building the evidence base for effective family violence prevention approaches in Aboriginal communities. Evaluation also ensures achievements, success stories and lessons learned are captured and used to inform improvements.
This presentation draws on our experience over the last two years supporting over 30 Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisations (ACCOs) across Victoria to evaluate their primary prevention initiatives. The project involved a tailored capacity building approach, whereby we worked alongside ACCOs to strengthen their capacity to conduct and use evaluation, assisting them to develop program logic models, refine their data collection mechanisms and write evaluation reports. Our approach is underpinned by the principles of self-determination and is Aboriginal-led, culturally attuned, strengths-based, relational, and supportive.
Drawing on our experience, this presentation will:
consider emerging evidence about what works (and doesn’t) in the primary prevention of family violence in Aboriginal communities
explore critical reflections and lessons learned that are relevant for future evaluation capacity building efforts with community organisations.
Other key themes we will explore include the need for culturally relevant primary prevention approaches and research methodologies, targeting evaluation capacity strengthening activities to maximise impact, a focus on determinants-level and achievable change, and adopting a more flexible approach to better meet participants’ needs.
This presentation will contribute to the knowledge base on Aboriginal-led primary prevention initiatives and provide valuable insights to evaluators, practitioners, and program managers alike.
Biography
Karen Milward is a Yorta Yorta woman based in Melbourne. As an Aboriginal consultant, Karen is well known across Victoria for being a strong advocate for developing culturally appropriate solutions to address the issues confronting Indigenous people.
Christina Bagot is a project and evaluation professional with over 10 years’ experience undertaking complex evaluations and assessments of social impact, including in the family violence sector.
Over the past two years, Karen and Christina have been working in partnership to deliver an evaluation and capacity building support for two Victorian Government grants programs which fund Aboriginal-led family violence primary prevention initiatives.
Ms Karen Milward
Managing Director
Karen Milward Consulting Services
Understanding What Works: Preventing Family Violence in Aboriginal Communities (VIRTUAL)
Abstract
Please see Christina Bagot
Biography
Karen is a Yorta Yorta woman who was born and raised in Melbourne. Karen is a strong advocate for developing culturally appropriate solutions to the issues confronting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that empower individuals and communities so they can confidently and effectively move forward.
Karen owns and operates Karen Milward Consultancy Services (since 2004) and has extensive consulting experience and networks across Australia within all levels of government and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations on a broad range of initiatives – especially those targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Karen has held senior policy and program management positions in Government and has been involved in Aboriginal Affairs all of her life and consulting in Aboriginal affairs for 20 years.
Ms Greta Newman
Research Analyst
Urbis
Understanding What Works: Preventing Family Violence in Aboriginal Communities (VIRTUAL)
Abstract
Please see Greta Newman
Biography
Greta is a research analyst in Urbis’ Economic and Social Advisory team. She is passionate about helping to shape policy that contributes to better outcomes for women and children.
Since joining Urbis, Greta has been involved in a range of complex research and evaluation projects in the domestic and family violence sector. Recent examples include the Evaluation of the Integration of the Family Violence Response at Multidisciplinary Centres, Mapping of investment in Aboriginal-specific family violence prevention initiatives in Victoria, and the Evaluation of the Community Initiatives Fund and Preventing the Cycle of Violence Aboriginal Fund.
Before joining Urbis, Greta worked at a specialist consulting firm supporting the delivery of inclusive employment and social procurement projects.
