Outcomes Co-design

Investment Reform Performance Framework

The Social Investment Reform Performance Framework is a set of performance measures applying to Child, Family and Community Services funded organisations for reporting performance to the department.  The Framework does not apply to organisations funded under Disability Services. 

To reduce red tape and the reporting burden on funded organisations, work has been underway since June 2014 to reduce the number of measures in the framework from approximately 140, to around 45 performance measures with a set of 13 demographic measures.

The reduced set of performance measures now includes outcome measures. Draft measures were added to service agreements as they were developed from 1 October 2014, with funded organisations exempted from reporting on outcome measures until the first due date after 1 July 2015, to allow measures to be finalised and approved and data collection tools and systems to be established where needed.

Final outcome measures are contained in service agreements commencing 1 July 2015, and will be included in all new service agreements as they fall due, with full roll out to be completed by 1 October 2017.

Co-designing outcome measurement

To ensure the measures provide both the sector and the department with meaningful data, feedback was sought from the sector on a set of key, high level questions:

• Are these the right measures?
• Will the measures deliver the kind of information needed to assess progress towards outcomes?
• What evidence, able to be collected, would support the measures?
• What evidence is already being collected?
• Can we improve the counting rules?
• What client management systems and associated tools (e.g. assessment tools) are being used by funded organisations?

Responses to these key questions were discussed at the QCOSS led Outcomes Co-design Workshops between January and April this year, and a final list of outcome measures has now been approved by the department. The co-design process comprised a large Working Group with the sector, and a smaller Steering Group of sector and departmental representatives, with both groups co-facilitated with QCOSS.  

Outcome measures from 1 July 2015

The table below provides detail on draft outcome measures provided for the co-design process and included in service agreements from 1 October 2014, and final, approved outcome measures to be used for reporting from 1 July.

The changes resulting from the co-design process are:

• Refinements to the definitions
• Minor change to the wording of two measures:

Number of Service users that have shown improvements in being safe and/or protected from harm; and

Number of Service users with improved ability to access appropriate services

• The final list of measures no longer contains ‘Number of service users with a reduced level of law/statutory involvement’, and a domestic and family violence specific measure has been added.

	Draft outcome measures and definition	Final outcome measure and definition
1.	Measure: Number of Service users that have shown improvements in being safe and protected from harm Definition: A service user is safe when they are protected from, or removed from, danger or risk of harm.	Measure: Number of Service users that have shown improvements in being safe and/or protected from harm Definition: A service user is safe when they are protected from, or removed from, danger or risk of harm.
2.	Measure: Number of Service users with improved cultural identity / connectedness Definition: Service Users are supported to maintain and develop links with their culture and community	Measure: Number of service users with improved cultural identity / connectedness Definition: Service users are supported to: Participate and develop links with their culture; and/or Participate in their cultural community.
3.	Measure: Number of Service Users with improved family interactions/connectedness Definition: Family interaction is the service user’s communication or direct involvement with family members. Family connectedness is the service user’s bond with family members	Measure: Number of Service Users with improved family interactions/connectedness Definition: Family interaction is the service user’s communication or direct involvement with family members. Family connectedness is the service user’s bond with family members
4.	Measure: Number of Service Users with improved quality of life Definition: Improved quality of life includes: Well-being (the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy) Education and training opportunities Independence	Measure: Number of Service Users with improved quality of life Definition: Improved quality of life includes: Well-being (the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy) Belonging to culture/community Education and training opportunities Independence Resilience Employment Accommodation
5.	Measure: Number of Service users with improved service access Definition: Service access encompasses removing barriers for service users in accessing information and/or support services to meet their needs.	Measure: Number of Service users with improved ability to access appropriate services Definition: Service access encompasses enabling service users to access information and/or support services to meet their needs.
6.	Measure: Number of Service Users with improved social connectedness Definition: Social connectedness is the service user’s participation in and/or contribution to social activities involving other people in a social circle of friends (i.e. non-family) and/or the community	Measure: Number of service users with improved social connectedness Definition: Service users are supported to: Participate in social activities and/or Participate in their broader community.
7.	Measure: Number of Service users with improved capability Definition: Capability relates to developing potential and abilities through gaining skills, knowledge or understanding that will assist them to meet their needs.	Measure: Number of Service users with improved capability Definition: Capability relates to supporting NGOs to develop potential and abilities to better support their clients.
8.	Measure: Number of service users with improved life skills Definition: Life skills are service users’ abilities to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. These include, but are not exclusive to: Parenting skills Emotional management skills Financial management skills Basic self-care skills	Measure: Number of service users with improved life skills Definition: Life skills are service users’ abilities to effectively manage the demands and challenges of everyday life. This would include, improvement in the following areas, but are not exclusive to: Parenting skills, such as age-appropriate behaviours and developmental milestones. Emotional management skills Family and social relationships Financial management skills, e.g. budgeting Basic self-care skills Living skills, e.g. shopping, household management Access to education and /or employment Social interaction Household maintenance/ management and cleaning Child, young person and/or parent health and mental health needs Social and communication skills Accountability for actions
9.	Measure: Number of service users that have a reduced level of law/statutory involvement Definition: Law/statutory involvement relates to situations where the legal and/or judicial systems are required to intervene (e.g. police arrests, court orders).	This measure will be removed from the list.
10.		This measure will be added to the list: Measure: Number of Service Users that have reduced their domestic and family violence perpetrator behaviour.

Implementing outcomes measurement

In many instances, organisations are already collecting data that can be used to report against outcome measures.  The organisations that have no relevant existing data collection processes are being offered assistance to prepare tools and processes to commence reporting. A simple tool is being developed to use as an interim approach until manual tools and processes are superseded by the wider spread introduction of a department-supported client management system (timeframe to be confirmed).

In response to feedback from the sector, all outcomes reporting can be supplemented with qualitative evidence in OASIS. A template will be attached to the investment specifications which can be uploaded using IS70 in OASIS. Providing qualitative evidence is optional.

As a general rule, service agreements that commenced 1 October 2014 and contain draft outcome measures will require variations where a measure is added, and notification if a measure is removed from the agreement. To reduce the impact on organisations, where possible the department is coordinating the variations and/or notifications of in scope organisations with business processes for transitioning to the Human Services Quality Framework (HSQF) and Performance Based Acquittal (PBA).

If you have any questions regarding outcome measures, please email CISmailbox@communities.qld.gov.au.

Related information

• Service Agreements
• Investment Domains Guideline and Investment Specifications
• Human Services Quality Framework (HSQF)