Moving Toward an Evidence‐based Family and Community‐based Approach to Improve the Lives of Children and Young People Who Have Experienced Abuse and Neglect

Abstract

The Their Futures Matter reform is the New South Wales (NSW) Government's coordinated approach and long‐term strategy for how we support vulnerable children and families. In 2016, funding was provided to implement two evidence‐based models – Multisystemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST‐CAN®) and Functional Family Therapy – Child Welfare (FFTCW®). Both models target the causes of harm and respond to trauma and other underlying causes of child abuse and neglect. They are delivered by teams of practitioners in the family home and community (a departure from the way most interventions are normally delivered), and provide intensive home‐based services aimed at keeping families together. To span the gap between science and practice in the delivery of MST‐CAN® and FFT‐CW®, implementation is supported through a partnership between government and intermediaries supporting service providers. With the guidance of a New York (NY)‐based organisation, The New York Foundling, these intermediaries apply the Community Development Team model, an implementation strategy that uses an evidence‐based implementation approach to introduce treatment models that are themselves informed by evidence, which helps increase the likelihood of sustained treatment success. Experience across the globe, however, indicates that investment in evidence‐based approaches is not enough to secure successful outcomes for families and communities. The NSW Government is also investing in other measures aimed at addressing a range of common implementation barriers such as staff training and retention, identification of suitable families, and cultural competence. The latter is critical given the over‐representation of Aboriginal children and young people in child protection and the out‐of‐home‐care system. Over a three‐year period, evidence will be collected of this investment's impact on child and family outcomes, and on implementation support. This paper will discuss how the partnership processes of working more flexibly with service providers, families, and communities can lead to enhanced outcomes.