If you’re planning or overseeing a program

Getting started

A critical step in Design is developing a Theory of Change (TOC) that draws on relevant research, practice expertise and client and community perspectives to illustrate how proposed strategies will achieve intended outcomes.

This could involve exploring Evidence-Based Programs, identifying and embedding evidence-informed practices into existing services, or developing a new ‘logic informed’ approach.

Your TOC should communicate how a program or service works; the causal links between strategies and outcomes and the underpinning evidence or assumptions.

Exploring evidence-informed practices and programs

Look for reliable and up to date information and carefully consider your implementation context. Some key sites are:

• PracticeWise
• YSAS Toolbox
• What Works for Kids
• Early Intervention Foundation
• Education Endowment Foundation Teaching and Learning Toolkit

Planning for implementation and monitoring

Before you put your design into action, it’s important to think about and assess a range of implementation considerations. This includes:

• Organisational factors – staff, training and/or mentoring required to put the program into practice
• Program characteristics – target population, adaptations, costs, tools and resources; and
• Implementation elements – the approach and resources required
• Monitoring processes – ethics, data collection, analysis and use for knowledge building and continuous improvement.

An Implementation Consideration Checklist has been developed to help inform decision-making processes before you begin the process of implementation.