Embedding evidence in practice

The Outcomes Journey is for everyone working with or on behalf of children, young people and families to achieve better outcomes.

The Outcomes Journey is intended to:

1. Help you integrate the best research evidence with client experience and Practice expertise.
2. Strengthen the evidence base for child, youth and family services by supporting you to document what works, for whom and under what circumstances.

The Outcomes Journey is made up of the following areas of focus:

• Identify Identify the service gap, need or opportunity that, if addressed, will lead to better outcomes
• Design Design the appropriate program or service, and the accompanying implementation and evaluation plan
• Implement Implement your program or service and monitor progress in partnership with clients and colleagues
• Evaluate Evaluate how and why a program or service is leading to outcomes (and if not, why not) and share this knowledge with clients, colleagues and community
• Reflect and review all the way through Reflect on client and practice experience and review data to improve your practice and build the evidence base

Guiding Principles

1. Dynamic –This journey is not linear or a step by step process. Learning, refining and adapting are continuous.
2. Participatory – This journey includes clients, communities and key stakeholders as active participants whose knowledge and experience is sought and integrated throughout.
3. Multidimensional – ‘Evidence’ is more than literature and peer-reviewed journals; it includes practice expertise, client perspectives, cultural knowledge, evaluations and organisational learning.

Moving through the Outcomes Journey can feel messy! Trust in the process but adapt the tool to meet the needs of your particular client, program, organisation, community and cultural context.