OPEN Forum: Embedding Evidence: Voices from practice – Building outcomes, service data and client focus

Join us for an engaging session exploring practical strategies to embed outcomes, service data, and client insights into everyday practice. This event is part of OPEN’s new series, showcasing diverse approaches from organisations across the sector—offering key takeaways for leaders, program managers, and practitioners alike.

No matter where you are in your evidence and data journey, this session is for you. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to refine your approach, you’ll gain practical, real-world insights that can be applied across different programs and services. These presentations will show that embedding evidence and client voice doesn’t have to be overwhelming—small, strategic steps can make a big impact.

This session will highlight three different approaches to embedding evidence in practice:

• From Vision to Impact:  Anchor’s Journey in Implementing Evaluation Work – Avi MacMull (Anchor Inc.) will share how their Outcomes & Impact Framework was developed to align with strategic goals and drive a consistent approach to measuring success. Avi will take a deep dive into a project where theory of change was reviewed, outcome measures were refined, and practitioner-led tools were developed to systematically collect data without overburdening clients. The presentation will highlight how culture, infrastructure, and processes work together to embed evidence-informed practice across an organisation.
• Keeping on with what’s working or correcting the course: the role of outcomes and client voice data during active service-provision – David Giles  and Jonathon Cummins (Anglicare Victoria) will outline Anglicare Victoria’s processes for assessing client outcomes and conducting client voice surveying during ongoing service episodes, using the example of out-of-home care. These processes are designed to inform decision-making about ongoing service provision; both at an individual client level, and for continuous improvement purposes at an organisational level.
• Engaging practitioners and clients in understanding impact – Mia Lorenzo (Uniting VicTas) will explore how integrating client and practitioner insights throughout the evaluation process leads to better quality data and improved outcomes. Mia will share lessons from the Family Preservation and Reunification Response (FPRR) evaluation, where diverse feedback methods—including workshops, surveys, and focus groups—were used to build engagement, improve service delivery, and drive continuous improvement.

Alongside these presentations, OPEN will introduce new training, project support, and resources to help organisations build their evidence and outcomes capabilities.

This session offers a blend of foundational insights for those new to evidence-informed practice and more advanced strategies for those looking to refine their approach. Don’t miss out on practical takeaways from these shared experiences, highlighting key lessons, tools, and challenges in embedding evidence and client voice into service delivery.

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Speakers:

Avi MacMull

Quality and Evaluation Manager, Anchor Inc.

Avi MacMull has been part of OPEN’s Evaluation Community of Practice since 2024. Avi is the Quality & Evaluation Lead at Anchor Community Care and has over 20 years’ experience in both commercial and philanthropic organisations including mutuals, co-operatives, social enterprises, and charities.  Avi uses evaluation and measurement techniques to help understand operational performance, strategic priorities, and client outcomes.

David Giles

Manager Evidence and Outcomes, Anglicare Victoria

David Giles has been an active contributor to the OPEN Network for many years and an Editorial Board member of the Children Australia journal. David is currently Manager Evidence and Outcomes at Anglicare Victoria. He is a social worker and psychology-trained researcher who has worked in the sector for 17 years. David has worked as a practitioner in family services, as well as in middle and senior management of family and community services.

Jonathon Cummins

Manager Client Engagement and Lived Experience, Anglicare Victoria

Jonathon Cummins is the Manager Client Engagement and Lived Experience at Anglicare Victoria. Jonathon has worked in the social services sector for over 20 years and brings a wealth of experience in designing and implementing child, youth and family centred approaches.  

Jonathon holds a Bachelor Social Work and Master Public Policy and Management.

Mia Lorenzo

Implementation and Evaluation Lead, Uniting VicTas

Mia Lorenzo has been involved in OPEN’s Evaluation Community of Practice since 2023, following the completion of her Master of Evaluation at the University of Melbourne, where her capstone project was supervised by Dr Mandy Charman.

Mia is the Implementation and Evaluation Lead for Family Services at Uniting Vic.Tas. She holds a Bachelor of Psychology and a Master of Evaluation, equipping her with a strong foundation in evidence-informed practice and robust evaluation methodologies.

Mia specialises in evaluating and implementing programs focused on family preservation and reunification, child wellbeing, and early intervention in families. She is passionate about elevating consumer voices within evaluation, ensuring that the lived experiences and insights of children and families meaningfully inform service delivery and improvement.

In her current role, Mia effectively bridges research and practice, translating evaluation findings into practical, impactful strategies. She actively champions data-driven decision-making, continually advocating for rigorous, consumer-centred approaches to evaluation.