Program evaluation

CLIENT:  NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

School Learning and Support Pilots

WestWood Spice was engaged by the Department to evaluate the success of the trial School Learning Support Program (SLSP) in the Illawarra and South East Region in 2010.   The SLSP is designed to provide better support for students with additional learning needs, and to build the capacity of teachers to meet these needs.  The evaluation involved a critical analysis of the effectiveness of the SLSP and its implementation; an assessment of the impact of the SLSP on stakeholder groups; and recommendations as to how the SLSP could be improved.  Evaluation methodology included surveys of school principals, SLSP teachers and parents; focus groups; one-on-one interviews and two principals' forums.

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CLIENT: HOUSING NSW

Connecting Older Tenants Project

In 2011 WestWood Spice conducted an evaluation of the success of the Tenant Connect Service - a service which Housing NSW contracted the Australian Red Cross to deliver for a four year period. Key priorities of the service were to establish older persons' precincts in major housing developments to strengthen social networks and reduce isolation, and improve older tenants' access to support services. Nine pilot projects were evaluated, each of which had a number of discrete activities and range of outlet locations. Examination of project self-evaluation documents and reports, telephone interviews with key project and funder personnel was undertaken as well as the conduct of a half-day workshop to discuss findings to date and receive input from a number of 'expert' informants. The draft final report was presented four weeks after the tender was awarded.

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CLIENT:  CITY OF SYDNEY

Inclusion Study and Disability Action Plan 

WestWood Spice conducted an Inclusion (Access and Equity Needs) Study for the City of Sydney in preparation for the development of a revised Disability Action Plan 2007-10. This involved a stock-take and analysis of strategies and outcomes which were in place to support the inclusion of people with a disability in the City and the extent to which the previous Disability Action Plan had been implemented.  Assisted by an Inclusion Advisory Group which involved external stakeholders, including residents with a disability and disability organisations, a new draft Action Plan was prepared for the City. This was used by the City as the foundation for further wider scale community consultation and plan finalisation.

A follow-up project in 2011 reviewed internal decision-making within the City to assess its disability-inclusiveness and made a number of recommendations for improvements.

 

CLIENT: MARRICKVILLE COUNCIL

Disability Action Plan

In 2009 and 2010, WestWood Spice undertook a two-stage project which reviewed the Council's 2004 Disability Discrimination Access Action Plan and Access Policy. Working closely with Council's Access Committee, a new draft plan was developed in the context of the changed approach in local government to integrated planning and reporting. This created the opportunity to embed the process of disability action planning into the overall strategic community plan framework, thus mainstreaming Council's approaches and accountabilities for ensuring consideration of the needs and inclsion of people with a disability in all aspects of its work. Responsibility for finalisation of the plan was vested in Council to ensure stakeholder ownership.