In 2020–2021, Wombat Housing and Support Services (Wombat) partnered with the Outcomes, Practice and Evidence Network (OPEN) to strengthen evaluation capability across the organisation. At the time, Wombat identified gaps in evaluation capacity and access to technical expertise, alongside a strong desire to better understand and articulate the impact of their work.
What began as a focused piece of work with the Wombat Pathways to Independence Program (PIP) evolved into a longer‑term, capability‑building partnership. OPEN partnered with Wombat to strengthen evaluation capability – as a technical partner – bringing evaluation expertise where it was needed, while supporting staff to build confidence, shared understanding and practical skills for using evidence in everyday practice.
This combined approach ensured that tools and methods were fit for purpose within a complex service context, while progressively embedding evaluation capability within the organisation. Over time, this partnership positioned Wombat to undertake a rapid review of client outcomes in 2025.
Wombat works with people experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness, providing practical support to help individuals build stability, safety and independence. Across its programs, Wombat focuses on supporting people to secure and sustain housing while addressing the broader social, economic and wellbeing factors that affect long‑term outcomes.
The Pathways to Independence Program (PIP) sits within this broader mission. PIP supports care-experienced young people to move towards greater independence through a combination of housing assistance and tailored, goal‑focused support. The program aims to help participants achieve more stable housing, strengthen the skills and confidence needed for independent living, and improve outcomes related to wellbeing, connection and participation in the community.
Prior to working with OPEN, Wombat identified a need to more clearly articulate how PIP activities were expected to lead to these outcomes, and how progress could be meaningfully tracked over time. The PIP team contacted OPEN to support them to strengthen evaluation capability across the organisation
Commencing in 2020, OPEN partnered with Wombat to strengthen evaluation capability within PIP. This began with a facilitated workshop that created space for staff to articulate how their day‑to‑day work contributed to meaningful change for participants, drawing on their existing knowledge and practice experience.
Across two iterative sessions, staff worked collaboratively on a program logic to clarify the core elements of the program, the outcomes they were working towards, and how these outcomes were expected to be achieved. OPEN’s role was both relational and technical: helping to surface and structure staff knowledge, while also providing the expertise needed to translate this into practical, usable evaluation tools and frameworks.
The collaboration extended beyond the initial workshop. Wombat staff, led by their General manager, demonstrated strong ownership from the outset, applying what they had learned to develop program logics across other programs. Teams began actively engaging in discussions about intended outcomes, reflecting on changes observed in participants’ lives, and identifying and documenting opportunities for improvement regularly in team meetings.
This organisation‑wide uptake marked a shift from a single piece of work to embedded practice, laying the foundation for sustained evaluation capability.
“… being a part of OPEN reinvigorated me and gave me a real zest for learning to further develop my programs for the last two years … OPEN kept me satisfied in my job!” – Wombat staff member
The program logic workshops had two major impacts:
By 2024, Wombat was ready to take the next step: a rapid review of client outcomes for PIP. This was made possible by the foundations built through earlier work.
The review was facilitated and managed by OPEN, with support from a Master of Social Work student placement. The student assisted with data preparation and early analysis, while OPEN provided technical oversight and ensured the approach was robust and fit for purpose.
OPEN also worked with Wombat to develop an outcomes tool for data collection. This took the form of a survey administered by practitioners in an interview‑style format, maintaining the relational approach that is central to the program.
The tool drew on the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) for quantitative measures and included open‑ended questions to explore changes in participants’ lives and identify key program ingredients or success factors.
A retrospective approach was used so participants could reflect on how far they had come and articulate changes and impact at a point of greater stability, rather than during periods of acute housing insecurity.
OPEN analysed the collected data alongside existing program data and produced a final report, ensuring findings were both rigorous and meaningful for ongoing service improvement.
This case study demonstrates the value of combining technical evaluation expertise with a partnership‑based approach to capability building. By working alongside staff, OPEN provided specialist support where internal capacity was limited, while progressively building Wombat’s confidence, skills and shared understanding of outcomes.
This balance – between providing fit‑for‑purpose tools and acting as a trusted technical partner – enabled Wombat to embed evaluative thinking across programs and undertake a rigorous, practice‑grounded review of client outcomes.
The case study highlights that sustainable evaluation capability is built not by removing the need for expertise, but by using it well: in ways that strengthen organisational capacity, support staff ownership, and align with the realities of service delivery.
“… Just wanted to let you know that PIP was funded for an additional 1 year! … I was able to use elements of your evaluation to advocate [to our funder] … I just wanted to pass on my everlasting appreciation of the work you both did in both the creation of this report – but also the educational component, which continues have an impact across Wombat.” – Wombat General Manager
OPEN supports Victoria’s child, youth and family services to use, build and share evidence about what works. We bring together practice, implementation, research and evaluation expertise to help organisations plan for outcomes, demonstrate the difference they make, and strengthen learning and improvement over time.
We can help wherever you are on your outcomes journey — from identifying needs and developing a program logic or theory of change, through to designing outcome measurement approaches, strengthening data collection, analysing findings and communicating impact. Support can include training, workshops, coaching, project support, just-in-time advice and tailored advisory services.
Whether you are starting a new program, improving an existing service, preparing for evaluation or building organisation-wide evaluation capability, OPEN can work alongside your team to make evidence practical, useful and embedded in everyday practice. Contact us today!
Want to learn more? OPEN can help!
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OPEN Team
open@cfecfw.asn.au
