Department of Human Services

Bottling Trust and Reciprocity: The key to successful early intervention and prevention programs?

Mick NaughtonOffice for ChildrenDepartment of Human ServicesVictoria

Trust and reciprocity

• Victorian Context• Changing relationships• Trust and Reciprocity• Evaluation findings• Key considerations

A note on the Victorian context

• Victoria – population 5 million, 1 million children• Family Support services delivered entirely by

Victorian CSOs• Child protection services are delivered internally

by the Office for Children, Department of Human Services

• Since 2003 there has been significant new investment in Victorian family services– That target families that traditionally ‘cycled’ through

statutory child protection services and CSOs

“New Zealand and some parts of Australia now have

notification rates much closer to that of the US than the

UK…Such a scenario is like the Titanic heading toward the

iceberg at increasing speed. It is illusory to think we

protect children by extending the reach of the statutory

child protection system, yet in the wake of child abuse

tragedies that is exactly what tends to happen – a vicious

negative feedback loop is established”

Professor Dorothy ScottAustralian Centre for Child ProtectionUniversity of South Australia

Impetus for change

Key data supporting the change

It was clear (in 2001-02) that we faced a number of challenges in Victoria:

Growing demand – in particular through child protection renotifications, running at 62% and rising

Notifications from professionals were increasing, especially schools and police (doubling every 4 years)

Compelling evidence of increasing client complexity (Drug and Alcohol/Family Violence in particular)

Projections based on unchanged policy settings indicated continued growth in front-end demand…

Even ‘IF’ notifications stabilised, still looking at 19% of Victorian children notified to child protection during their childhood

1:5

who will be notified to child protection during their childhood

Overlaid by emerging understanding of children’s brain development

Key policy driving the change

• Traditional policy response was to grow the child protection system

• Victorian strategy included new investment in family support services …

• … that has subsequently accelerated, with the approach piloted in the Family Support Innovation Projects now being mainstreamed …

• … and new legislation that further supports the emerging directions set by these projects.

• Trust and reciprocity based around strong local partnerships have been a key feature of this work

‘Rather like the child whose world is mediated through the quality of relationships between the parents, so the experience of vulnerable families in the child protection process is mediated through the modeling of multidisciplinary relationships and behaviour. One cannot feel safe as an airline passenger whilst witnessing the crew arguing amongst themselves,or worse providing conflicting accounts of what is happening and what todo when the plane is in trouble.’

Tony Morrison

Changing Relationships

Vinson and Hornibrook

• Undertook analysis of well functioning local human services system

• Observed a shift away separate organisational forms to new collaborative arrangements

“…the merging of older conceptions of separate service organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, into an integrated system that needs to be managed as a system and held accountable for effective service provision in the context of local needs and conditions.”Vinson, T and Hornibrook, J (2001) Visible signs of a well-functioning community service system

Trust and Reciprocity

• Trust

noun 1 firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. 2 acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation. 3 the state of being responsible for someone or something.

verb 1 have trust in. 2 (trust with) have the confidence to allow (someone) to have, use, or look after. 3 (trust to) commit (someone or something) to the safekeeping of.

• Reciprocity

noun the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit.

• Our daily work is mediated by a complex range of hard and soft relationships and dependencies

• Evidence of growing range of relationships and dependencies

• Reflecting complex circumstances faced by vulnerable children and families

• Significant changes in the nature and conduct of relationships between Family Services CSOs and between CSOs and Government

• Have been incubated and tested in the roll out of significant new investment in Victorian family services since 2003 (Family Support Innovation Projects)

• Evaluation of these new projects undertaken by La Trobe University has included a focus on these changing relationships

Evaluation Findings

Collaboration and integration

Activities Pre- introduction of Innovations

59.5 58.8

51.454.1

5.4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Joint training ofyour staff

Joint delivery ofservices

Joint clientoutreachactivities

Joint casemanagement of

clients

Management ofjoint waiting lists

Activity

Per

cen

tage

Not at all/ notapplicable

With some, most orall agenceis

Collaboration and integration has improved

Activities since the introduction of Innovations

83.780.6 78.4

44.5

81.0

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Joint trainingof your staff

Joint deliveryof services

Joint clientoutreachactivities

Joint casemanagement

of clients

Managementof joint waiting

lists

Activity

Pe

rce

nta

ge Not at all/ not

applicable

With some, most orall agenceis

Positive Early Evaluation Findings

Number of Substantiations by State & Territory

02000400060008000

100001200014000160001800020000

Vic

toria

NS

W

Que

ensl

and

WA SA

Tas

man

ia

AC

T NT

1999-00

2004-05

Growth in demand

Learning to Date…

• TRUST and RECIPROCITY are critical factors in the establishment of successful collaborations between the key partners and critical factors in achieving the projects’ objectives

• But how do we ‘bottle’ trust and reciprocity?

By investing in and developing strategies to achieve and sustain successful partnerships and collaborations…

What are the key considerations in establishing successful collaborations?

Proposition:

Successful service collaboration can lead to better outcomes for vulnerable

children and their families

We’ll never escape the sensational

“After the despair of recent decades, it is heartening to report progress in Victoria. The incidence of confirmed abuse has begun to decline, albeit marginally, as the state increases its practical capacity to intervene earlier when children are at risk”

The Age, Melbourne, 23 January 2006, Lead Editorial, Early intervention and the tide of child abuse

Department of Human Services

www.dhs.vic.gov.au/everychildeverychance

michael.naughton@dhs.vic.gov.au

Further information