\u201cWe are not stray leaves blowing about in the wind\u201d: exploring the impact of Family Wellbeing empowerment research, 1998\u20132021

Nirukshi Perera,Ines Zuchowski,Michael Hamilton,Mary Whiteside,Bianca Calabria,Marion Heyeres,Li Yan,Kearrin Sims,Leslie Baird,Komla Tsey,Hyacinth Udah,Yvonne Cadet-James,Janya Mccalman

doi:10.1186/s12939-021-01604-1

Abstract

BackgroundAn Aboriginal-developed empowerment and social and emotional wellbeing program, known as Family Wellbeing (FWB), has been found to strengthen the protective factors that help Indigenous Australians to deal with the legacy of colonisation and intergenerational trauma. This article reviews the research that has accompanied the implementation of the program, over a 23 year period. The aim is to assess the long-term impact of FWB research and identify the key enablers of research impact and the limitations of the impact assessment exercise. This will inform more comprehensive monitoring of research impact into the future.MethodsTo assess impact, the study took an implementation science approach, incorporating theory of change and service utilisation frameworks, to create a logic model underpinned by Indigenous research principles. A research impact narrative was developed based on mixed methods analysis of publicly available data on: 1) FWB program participation; 2) research program funding; 3) program outcome evaluation (nine studies); and 4) accounts of research utilisation (seven studies).Results Starting from a need for research on empowerment identified by research users, an investment of $2.3 million in research activities over 23 years produced a range of research outputs that evidenced social and emotional wellbeing benefits arising from participation in the FWB program. Accounts of research utilisation confirmed the role of research outputs in educating participants about the program, and thus, facilitating more demand (and funding acquisition) for FWB. Overall research contributed to 5,405 recorded participants accessing the intervention. The key enablers of research impact were; 1) the research was user- and community-driven; 2) a long-term mutually beneficial partnership between research users and researchers; 3) the creation of a body of knowledge that demonstrated the impact of the FWB intervention via different research methods; 4) the universality of the FWB approach which led to widespread application.ConclusionsThe FWB research impact exercise reinforced the view that assessing research impact is best approached as a “wicked problem” for which there are no easy fixes. It requires flexible, open-ended, collaborative learning-by-doing approaches to build the evidence base over time. Steps and approaches that research groups might take to build the research impact knowledge base within their disciplines are discussed.

Highlights

An Aboriginal-developed empowerment and social and emotional wellbeing program, known as Fam‐ ily Wellbeing (FWB), has been found to strengthen the protective factors that help Indigenous Australians to deal with the legacy of colonisation and intergenerational trauma
Approach The study framework drew upon implementation science approaches including theory of change and service utilisation to explore the enablers of FWB research impact
The research program impact logic is presented along with a brief impact narrative and statement of the relative contribution of the research. This leads to an overview of participation in the FWB program over 23 years

Summary

Introduction

An Aboriginal-developed empowerment and social and emotional wellbeing program, known as Fam‐ ily Wellbeing (FWB), has been found to strengthen the protective factors that help Indigenous Australians to deal with the legacy of colonisation and intergenerational trauma. A broad range of indicators evidence legacies of colonisation, with young Indigenous people reported to be: seven times as likely to receive child protection services; 26 times as likely to be in the juvenile justice system; 2.7 times as likely to be unemployed; and three times as likely to live in overcrowded housing compared to young non-Indigenous people [4,5,6,7,8] Underlying this inequity is the fact that First Nations people never ceded their sovereignty over the diverse lands that make up Australia, yet successive governments are yet to meaningfully commit to the idea of a treaty [9]. Empowerment enables people to have more control over their lives and the social and economic environment in which they live [1]; and has been found to improve education and employment outcomes for Aboriginal people in remote Australia [9]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion