Family Life is an inclusive organisation. We welcome, celebrate and encourage the diversity of our clients, staff, volunteers, and community. We are committed to challenging and responding to the marginalisation and disadvantage experienced by many of our clients due to often overlapping experiences of adversity.
Family Life, and all the individuals who make up our organisation, respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the country on which we live and work. We especially acknowledge the Boon Wurrung/ Bunurong people, and other peoples of the Kulin nation on whose ancestral lands Family Life provides services to the community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and acknowledge their living culture and centuries of custodianship of these lands, which were never ceded. We acknowledge that the land on which we stand always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.
Foreword
Artist - Adam Magennis
This year we welcomed the release of Australia’s first wellbeing framework - Measuring What Matters and the Australian Government’s recognition of the value of community and place for individuals.1
This strongly aligns to Family Life’s place based way of working which recognises the profound impact that the place where individuals and families live has on their ability to thrive.
This year has also seen wide attention drawn to the urgent need for action to address escalating rates of violence against women with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declaring violence against women a ‘national crisis’.2 The importance of this issue was reflected on a state level with the Victorian Government appointing a Parliamentary Secretary of Men’s Behaviour Change, Tim Richardson, in May 2024.3 The continued need to address the significant harm caused by family violence, and to support individuals and communities to recovery and heal, has never been greater, or more visible.
At Family Life we continue to innovate to create more responsive service models equipped to meet the complex and varied needs of all family members impacted by family violence. This year we have focused on an expansion of individual therapeutic support, across all family violence services, including in our work with men who use family violence. Two new pilot programs, Talk4Change and Home in Focus, will work with men to understand and address their use of violence, using an individualised approach, that aims to increase the impact of traditional models of men’s behaviour change. Within our specialist family violence services for women and children, an increased focus on warm referrals and continuity of care across our trauma capable, wraparound services is ensuring that victim survivors can safely access the right type of service, at the right time, in the place where they live.
While many families in our local communities continue to face challenges, we believe that all families possess enormous potential and we welcome the opportunity to support them take steps toward realising this. As a recognised leader in the child and family services sector, Family Life continues to provide high quality services for all family members.
Our place based approach is underpinned by our commitment to provide safe, effective and person centre care; being child focused and providing an intersectional lens in how we engage with clients. The recruitment and retention of skilled, trauma capable, empathic staff who embody the Family Life values is a key factor enabling our programs and services to meet the needs of vulnerable families. That’s why we are thrilled to have been selected as an Employer of Choice in The Australian Business Awards 2023. This award recognises organisations that develop workplaces that maximise the full potential of their workforce through established policies and practices which demonstrate effective employee recruitment, engagement and retention.
We continue to recognise and celebrate our success, while maintaining a strong commitment to continuous learning and improvement, and welcoming opportunities for innovation and critical reflection. This past year, we’ve embraced opportunities to reflect on practice and refine our data collection and analysis processes across our programs, services and social enterprise work. This has deepened our capacity to deliver service excellence and impact to clients, build our community connections through volunteering, and strengthen our ability to share our story.
It has been another busy but rewarding year at Family Life and we are pleased to share the highlights of these efforts with you.
Allison Wainwright Chief Executive Officer
Why we do what we do
Family Life has well established community roots, dating back to 1970 when a small group of community members recognised the need to better support children and families in their neighbourhood. This group sought government and donor assistance and established an op shop to fund services.
Over the last 54 years, this model has expanded to:
over 200 staff providing services
5,550 families accessing support every year
Our commitment to the communities where we began has continued, as we operate our place based model from hubs in Frankston, Dandenong and Sandringham, with strong connections to Mornington Peninsula, Casey and Kingston communities.
We are guided by our vision of transforming lives for stronger communities. Through our range of therapeutic services, community engagements, and our flourishing social enterprise Community Op
ten public facing social enterprise Community Op Shops which are supported by almost 400 local volunteers
Shops we support children, families and communities to overcome adversity, create strong connections and develop the skills needed to thrive. The Family Life Theory of Change (page 7) underpins all that we do, providing clear guidance for why and how we work. This year we have taken time to review and update our Theory of Change to ensure it reflects the breadth of our work, and articulates clear and measurable outcomes for children, families and the community.
This revised Theory of Change introduces three outcome domains that tell a story about the common types of outcomes or experiences we aim to support for communities, families and children. These are:
we support people to develop their connections with self, family, with services and supports, and with their community
we support people to feel safe, develop respectful attitudes, and positive and healthy relationships
we support people to enhance their social and emotional wellbeing, including improving their mental health and developing life skills, coping strategies and resilience to be empowered to make positive choices for themselves
These outcome domains have been used to frame the indicators of change we have supported this year in the Impact of Our Services section of this report.
To highlight how the elements work together in our Theory of Change, we:
• Start with our principles which drive us to dream big, be bold and embrace everyone
• In actions we collaborate with other organisations, hear the voice of the community and advocate for equal opportunities to access services
• In our daily work we reach the short term outcome of organisations working together to support individuals and families
• Through our strategic planning, continuous improvement and collaboration we strive for the intermediate outcome that organisations respond to the needs of their community
• To ultimately reach the long term outcome of a capable community where everyone learns and participates within sustainable, engaged, inclusive, thriving communities and responsive systems.
The outcome domains are woven through all elements of the Theory of Change to represent the ways in which our work supports Connection, Safety and Wellbeing for individuals, families and the community in support of our vision.
Transforming Lives for Stronger Communities
CAPABLE COMMUNITIES
Everyone learns and participates within sustainable, engaged, inclusive, thriving communities and responsive systems
Organisations respond to the needs of their community
Individuals have social support and a sense of belonging within their community and culture
Individuals are engaged and contributing to their community through employment, training, education and volunteering
STRONG FAMILIES
Individuals reach their potential enabling families to experience positive wellbeing and strong and respectful relationships
Individuals and families experience optimal functioning and wellbeing
Families have healthy relationships and experience reduced conflict and violence
Individuals are empowered, resilient and able to manage individual and family challenges
THRIVING CHILDREN
Children are safe and reach their full potential
Organisations work together to support individuals and families
Individuals feel more connected to culture and community networks
Individuals feel empowered to seek support when needed
Individuals feel empowered to contribute to their community
Initiatives that strengthen the community
Holistic place based services with families at the centre
Evaluate impact
Individuals learn strategies and skills to support their health and wellbeing
Individuals are aware of the dynamics and effects of conflict and violence
Individuals develop strategies to safely manage individual and family challenges
Caregivers feel more confident in their parenting
Caregivers feel more connected to family and support networks
Community connection and activation
Hear the voice of the community (co-design)
Children have healthy relationships with their family and support networks
Children experience safety in their family and support networks
Children have a sense of belonging
Children experience an environment that optimises their development and wellbeing
Children feel more connected to family and kin
Children feel empowered to say what they want and need
Children feel more connected to support networks
Children engage, learn, and participate in their community
Advocate for social justice and equal opportunities to access services
Collaborate with other organisations
Build social capital through volunteering and social enterprises
Innovative programs to increase knowledge and skills
Context: Communities experience a range of vulnerabilities including family violence, social isolation and mental health concerns. Factors such as intergenerational trauma and inequality (e.g. gender, social, cultural) exacerbate vulnerability. Services can support communities to heal from trauma and develop resilience.
Notes:
1. Family Life acknowledges that families are remarkably diverse both in structure and dynamics.
2. Children include children and young people.
3. Individuals include those who receive our services and those who engage in our community capacity building activities.
4. Organisation could include: government departments, community organisations, schools, businesses, etc.
How have we supported children, families and the community?
1,571 men who participated in interventions for people using family violence including case management services and therapeutic support
857 women and children provided with trauma capable therapeutic support to recover and heal from the impacts of family violence
940 victim survivors offered Family Safety Advocacy support while their current or former partner participated in a behaviour change program
174 children and young people
provided with support, assessment and counselling for stress, anxiety and trauma
1,950 couples or families (made up of 4,564 individuals) accessed family support and counselling services including:
591 families
provided with child focused and family centred services to give parents the skills and confidence they need to raise healthy and happy children in a safe home environment
850 families
provided with assistance to develop co-parenting skills as well as access to post-separation support
414 individuals, couples and/or families
provided with short term solution focused counselling to support family wellbeing and connection
103 families
provided with short term, intensive support to promote the mental health and wellbeing of a child or young person in their care
2,295 individuals attended 341 group programs including:
1,460 men participated in behaviour change programs and other support groups
758 parents or carers participated in parent support groups
139 children and young people participated in group activities supporting their mental health and wellbeing
399 volunteers supported Family Life, providing:
45,533 hours of service
170,598 customer purchases made across Family Life’s 10 Community Op Shops
600 tonnes of goods diverted from landfill
1,290 students across 30 local primary and secondary schools participated in 33 wellbeing and engagement activities through our School Focused Youth Services program4
536 primary and secondary teachers participated in 28 capacity building and training activities, which is expected to support over 6,000 students at risk of disengaging from school through the School Focused Youth Services program
More than
1,650 participants attended over 28 community events at schools, kindergartens, gathering places, community houses and other local community hubs
Who did we reach?
Gender Age
55.1% of our clients identified as female 44.4% of our clients identified as male
0.5% of our clients identified as transgender, nonbinary or intersex
Service area
Family Life engaged clients living and working across 264 Victorian postcodes and from more than 60 local government areas across Australia
78% of our clients lived in one of six local government areas areas
63% of our clients were adults
37% of our clients were children or young people under the age of 18
Service delivery footprint by Local Government Area (LGA)
First Nations status5
2.78% of our clients
identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Disability7
11% of our clients
reported having disability, including sensory, cognitive, psychosocial and/or physical disabilities
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity6
15.6% of our clients
were born outside of Australia, with more than 96 ethnicities represented across this group 14.3% of our clients spoke a main language other than English. Of this group, Rohingya, Dari and Mandarin were the most commonly spoken languages
LGBTIQ+8
1.5% of our clients
identified as LGBTIQ+
What difference are we making?
The following sections present an overview of key indicators of change across each of our three outcome domains - Connection, Safety and Wellbeing. These domains group the outcomes we expect to see across our work for communities, families and children.
In this report, we broadly speak about some of the ‘results’ of our services as the changes recorded over time by clients through the use of outcome measurement tools. These tools capture self or jointly reported scores which provide a context for practitioners to work with clients to support shared goal setting, continuous improvement and encouraging critical and compassionate self reflection.
Our emphasis on self reported quantitative and qualitative measures aligns with our client centred, strengths based approach. Our outcome measurement tools are positioned to recognise and identify client strengths that can be key enablers to assisting them navigate their current issues or areas of concern.
Changes in outcome measurement scores against identified areas in these tools are presented here as the ‘positive’, ‘stable’ and ‘negative’ progress clients make from their initial engagement through to service completion. All directions of change tell an important story about each client’s journey with Family Life, and help us to understand more about the contribution our service has made.
Achieving ‘positive’ progress across each outcome area is not always feasible, or the goal, within our service timeframes. Many clients enter a service with high self assessment scores and these remain constant throughout service resulting in a ‘stable’ or ‘neutral’ change in some areas.
‘Neutral’ change can also indicate that a client or family is able to maintain resilience and stability during times of hardship or while addressing past traumas. It is often access to a trauma capable service response that assists an individual to maintain this stability, and continue to be safe and supported through a crisis.
For many clients, engaging with a trauma capable practitioner can also foster psychological insights and the acquisition of skills to support critical and compassionate self reflection. When reflecting on their service journey, some clients will score themselves lower at service exit using an outcome measurement tool, as they are able to form a more realistic view of their current circumstances. This ‘negative’ change also tells an important story, around the nonlinear nature of progress, and reinforces the need to understand results and our contribution within the broader context of our clients lives.
Reflecting on our clients’ complex journeys and learning from emerging trends in the data helps us to both understand the impact of our work, and continue to adapt and change to provide client centred and responsive services for children and families in the communities we serve.
Connection Outcomes
We support people to develop their connections with self, family, with services and supports, and with their community
Individuals feel more connected to culture and comunity networks
1,650+ participants attended over 28 community events at schools, kindergartens, gathering places, community houses and other local community hubs
150+ people attended Families Week celebrations at a local community hub
2,500+ community members regularly connect to Family Life through newsletter updates
Individuals feel empowered to contribute to their community
399 volunteers contributed
45,533 hours to support our Community Op Shops, community engagement activities, boards and committees
170,598 purchases were made across our ten Community Op Shops
600 tonnes of goods were diverted from landfill
89% of Family Life volunteers
felt that they are part of their community
71% of Family Life volunteers found more social connection through volunteering
Caregivers feel more confident in their parenting
100% of our Community Bubs program participants reported improved or maintained strategies and skills to help them with their parenting at service completion9
83% of men engaged in our behaviour change programs reported improved or maintained ability to be a good father at service completion10
80% of men engaged in our Dad’s in Focus program reported improved or maintained ability to be a good father after at service completion11
92% of parents and carers in our Early Help parenting support program reported improved or maintained confidence in their parenting at the end of their service12
Caregivers and children feel more connected to family and support networks
57% of parents and carers
in our Community Bubs program felt more connected to support networks at the end of their service13
38% of Family and Relationship Service
Counselling clients reported positive changes in having someone to turn to when they needed support at the end of their service14
92% of parents and carers
in our Parenting Orders Program reported an improved or stable quality of relationship with their child or children at the end of their service15
84% of child clients
in our SHINE mental health support program reported improved or stable levels of connection to friends at the end of their service16
“Family Life believes all communities require hope, encouragement, connection, ownership and empowerment to create sustainable change.”
Connection Spotlight
This year, Family Life continued to partner with local communities across the Frankston, Mornington Peninsula and Bayside regions to amplify their voices and respond to changing and pervasive community needs around connection, inclusion and empowerment through the Creating Capable Communities program.
Since 1998 Family Life has worked in partnership with communities to celebrate their diverse and unique strengths, and listen to and respond to local needs to build inclusive, trauma safe communities where all children and families can reach their full potential. We work to create genuine connection, trust and networks of support within and between families and their local community to support long term sustainable change.
Over the past year, Family Life has supported and participated in a range of community events and activities including Children and Families week, IDAHOBIT, International Women’s Days, 16 Days of Activism against gender based violence, Harmony Day and NAIDOC week.
We have worked with community houses and hubs to raise awareness about local community events, activities and services and participated in more than 12 local networks to support organisational collaboration and reduce barriers to engagement for individuals and families. We also continued to deliver engagement events at local housing estates to build trust and networks of support between families and their community.
This year, our community activation work has also supported schools to be safe hubs for children and families.
Our School Focused Youth Services program engaged
1,290 students and 36 staff across 30 primary and secondary schools.
We also provided training and project support for four student led community wellbeing projects focused on respectful relationships, food security and belonging at three primary schools in the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston regions.
We continue to build warm referral pathways between schools and other community organisations.
40% of families
engaged in our Early Help parent support program were referred to Family Life through a connection with a primary or secondary school.
Safety Outcomes
We support people to feel safe, develop respectful attitudes, and positive and healthy relationships
Organisations work together to support individuals and families
63% of clients
were referred to Family Life from external sources (hospitals, medical practitioners, schools, courts etc.)
Individuals are aware of the dynamics and effects of conflict and violence
89% of men in our behaviour change programs
reported an increased or stable understanding of their own safe actions and reactions at the end of their service17
88% of Parenting Orders Program clients
reported high or very high levels of knowledge about the impact family violence has on children at the end of their service 18
Individuals develop strategies to safely manage individual and family challenges
83% of clients in our Parenting Orders Program
reported increased or stable ability to effectively manage conflict with the other parent at the end of service19
80% of family violence victim survivors engaged in our Women & Children’s Counselling program reported experiencing improved or stable levels of safety at the end of their service20
93% of caregivers in our Community Bubs program reported improved or stable ability to look after their child or children and keep them safe at the end of their service21
Children feel empowered to say what they want and need 23 children
at three schools
across the Mornington Peninsula region codesigned school based projects to meet their needs for wellbeing and safety through the Young Leaders for Change program
98% of child clients in our SHINE mental health support program reported that by the end of their Family Life service, the adults in their life had maintained or increased their ability to keep them safe22
100% of youth clients in our SHINE mental health support program reported improved or stable ability to communicate with others at the end of their services23
Safety Spotlight
In order to better meet the needs of women and children who have experienced family violence, this year Family Life has revised the way three of its programs operate, moving to provide services which are more trauma capable and client led.
This has resulted in women and children being connected to services that meet their needs at the time best suited to them, reducing waitlist times and providing more comprehensive safety and wellbeing support. Importantly, this revision has promoted working with the whole family and enhanced continuity of care, often enabling clients to stay with the same practitioner as they transition through different phases of service. Networks and connections with external services have also been strengthened so that warm onward referrals can be made if more intensive levels of support are required, or as they transition to lower intensity supports.
One client’s journey
Family Life commenced working with “Sophie” as a victim survivor of family violence through the Family Safety Advocate program, as her ex-husband was participating in our men’s behaviour change program. Through working with Sophie, we identified her need for more intense, whole of family support. Sophie and her children (aged 7 and 11) were subsequently referred to Family Life’s Intensive Family Services program for Early Help support and the children attended the What About Me? children’s group program to address the impact of their parents’ separation and their experience of family violence. Following this support, it was identified that mother-child attachment repair work would benefit their relationship and therefore, they were referred for both individual counselling and family therapy support.
At the end of service, Sophie reported having an improved relationship with her daughter, and both experienced improved emotional wellbeing and feelings of safety.
Wellbeing Outcomes
We support people to enhance their social and emotional wellbeing, including improving their mental health and developing life skills, coping strategies and resilience and be empowered to make positive choices for themselves.
Individuals feel empowered to seek support when needed
12,743 individuals accessed Family Life services and supports
11 local residents
participated in the Creating Capable leaders program in Mornington Peninsula shire to build leadership skills and support community driven projects
Individuals learn strategies and skills to support their health and wellbeing
89% of Family Life volunteers who attended a Mental Health and Wellbeing Essentials workshop felt they had increased their skills in maintaining good mental health and wellbeing
83% of Family Life volunteers feel they contribute to the general wellbeing of their community
81% of Parenting Order Program clients
reported stable or improved self-care strategies to support their mental health and wellbeing at the end of their service24
95% of young people
in our SHINE mental health support program reported improved or stable levels of health and wellbeing at the end of their service25
85% of clients in our Connect mental health and wellbeing program reported experiencing less psychological distress at the end of their service26
87% of men in our behaviour change programs maintained or improved reported levels of wellbeing at the end of their service27
74% of parents in our Integrated Family Support programs reported stable or improved levels of wellbeing at the end of their service28
Children engage, learn, and participate in their community 90% of youth clients
in our SHINE mental health support program reported improved or stable connections to education and/or work at the end of their service29
Our School Focused Youth Services program facilitated the delivery of 33 intervention programs to 1,290 students from 30 local primary and secondary schools
28 capacity building programs were delivered to 536 staff from primary and secondary schools across the Frankston, Bayside and Kingston areas
These interventions are expected to support more than 6,000 students at possible and high risk of disengagement from education
I DON’T NEED TO BE PERFECT TO BE ACCEPTED MY FEELINGS ARE VALID.
I FACE THEM WITH CONFIDENCE I AM STILL LEARNING. I WILL KEEP TRYING MISTAKES ARE HOW I LEARN AND GROW familylife.com.au Idon’tneedtobePERFECT tobeACCEPTED Myfeelingsarevalid. Iface
Wellbeing Spotlight
This year, Family Life’s Connect program collaborated with two local organisations to deliver three Wellbeing Groups; one for women of Burmese and Rohingya backgrounds with the Friends of Refugees in Springvale, and two groups with students of AMES Adult Migrant English Programs in Dandenong.
The groups, which were led by peer support workers, involved 79 participants from over 13 different ethnic groups, and reviewed the important role that food plays in physical and mental health. Art therapy based activities were used to enable participants to express their thoughts and feelings through art, and provide hands on interactions with herbs, spices, fruit and plants. These sessions also discussed ways to incorporate these items into healthy habits, and gave participants a platform to share their lived experience. Across the six sessions of each group, participants were provided with a safe space to ask questions, support their English language skill development, receive information about local services, and initiate referrals into other Family Life services, if required.
Feedback surveys were received from 36 participants, with all (100%) saying they would recommend the program to others, most (94%) agreeing that they better understood the link between food and mood and all (100%) now felt they knew the kinds of foods to eat to achieve optimal physical and mental health.
One of the Family Life workers delivering these programs describes the experience as incredibly enriching and feels fortunate to engage with many vulnerable individuals in such a positive way.
She says connecting through food opens up difficult conversations around mental health and emotional wellbeing, and enables participants to
share their story and knowledge, increase their sense of belonging, and feel empowered and proud of themselves and their traditions.
Participants valued both the content of the group sessions and the engaging presenter, saying:
“Sessions were very informative. Useful to understand about good nutrition and how it impacts health.”
“I can know how to eat any vegetable or fruit to help my body.”
“I love (the) presentation… When (the presenter) talked to us, it was easy to understand. She made the information very clear.”
“….please share the connect program among the community.”
What are our clients saying?
In the past year we have nearly tripled the number of clients who have provided us with written feedback, increasing our insight into client’s experiences of our services as well as providing valuable opportunities for us to continue to improve the way we support clients.
The Voice of Children & Young People
This year the use of our child and young person surveys was extended to five Family Life services resulting in a large increase in feedback received from clients aged 5 to 17 years.
At Family Life, we believe the best way to measure our service is to hear from the individuals and families we support. of children and young people30 felt the worker listened to them of children and young people30 were happy with the service they received of children and young people30 said they were better able to deal with the issue they sought help with, or had learnt new ways to deal with the problem
WHAT DID THE WORKER DO FOR YOU?
“Spoke
to me in my language and gave good information”
“(The worker) listened to me and was very supportive”
“It
was good to know about emotional wellbeing and that being sad is ok, we need to talk to elders”
“Support me with my education and linked me to other services”
“She give us very good information about support in Australia and also about mental health and respecting others in the family and outside”
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?
“To be ME and confident when meeting people”
“Respecting other people means they will respect us too”
“Talk about my emotions”
“I build my confidence and now I know how to respond to bullying”
“Knowledge of mental health and respectful relationships”
“I have become better at communicating and not getting angry quickly”
“Being kind and nice to others and seek help when someone is not nice to us”
Adult Clients
of adult clients31 felt listened to and understood by the worker
of adult clients31 were satisfied with the service
“The welcoming environment, the knowledge of our situation and what we needed… and the fact they made it such a happy experience at the worst time of my life.”
“[Family Life] helped me link into many services and resources and they helped to ease the burden and sleepless nights.”
“Warm, empathetic, supportive. Thank you so much!”
“It was a very non-judgemental group and I found it possible to discuss things openly.
The facilitator and guys are all helpful to each other, without ever diminishing the importance of the issues we were there to discuss.”
of adult clients31 felt they were better able to deal with the issue they sought help with
“It has all been excellent. Respect for cultural differences. They treated my family circumstances with respect and sensitivity for the challenging nature. I’m very happy with the outcomes.”
“Our worker was amazing with my daughter, using activities to build rapport and giving her tools and ideas to deal with life situations.”
“[The workers] extensive knowledge and skills [were] really important in making us feel safe, understood & supported.”
“I have nothing but respect, admiration and gratitude for the service. Knowing Family Life is there is a major comfort.”
Social Enterprise
Family Life’s social enterprise Community Op Shops provide a safe place for people to connect and build meaningful relationships. These stores foster capable, connected communities by engaging members in inclusive retail service, where they can contribute to community strengthening, and support environmental outcomes through reuse and waste reduction.
This showcase illustrates one way Family Life supports the following actions:
• Initiatives that strengthen the community
• Community connection and activation
• Build social capital through volunteering and social enterprise
What we did Opened 2 new stores (now operating 10 in total) and moved to a new distribution centre engaged 399 volunteers including 179 new volunteers 45,315 volunteer hours
The growth seen within Family Life’s Community Op Shops can largely be attributed to the fact they are embedded in communities, where locals can visit, donate, volunteer, make social connections and find out about local services. While retail turnover is in decline across the country32 customer purchases and revenue have increased within the Family Life Community Op Shops, with staff and volunteers given the mission and training to provide excellent customer service and positive social interactions to everyone who visits our stores.
170,598 customer purchases which resulted in
600 tonnes of goods diverted from landfill
26% increase in purchases compared with the previous year
65% of volunteers
said that providing a listening ear for visitors was one of their key roles, with many customers expressing to staff how much their interactions in Family Life’s Community Op Shop means to them.
In 2023, volunteers identified that they would like more training in mental health and wellbeing to support them to understand and connect with customers and the community. To meet this need, St John Ambulance were engaged to deliver three Mental Health and Wellbeing workshops to our volunteers in 2024. We are grateful to Australia Post for the funding support to make this happen.
98% of volunteers33
reported an increased understanding of what to do if things are not ok with themselves, another volunteer, a customer, or another member of their community after attending the Mental Health and Wellbeing workshop.
Impact
The Community Op Shops support community members to feel more connected, learn new skills and find meaning through engagement with the stores, as well as increasing their awareness of the community resources available to them.
75% of volunteers
felt that by volunteering they create a safe space for their community.
The community connection is particularly evident in one of the newest stores, Beaumaris, which is located close to the site of the original Family Life premises established 50 years ago. It quickly established a vibrant volunteer base, with many customers, volunteers and donors remembering the original premises.
Suzi, who has a deep connection to our organisation through her mother’s work as a Social Worker with Family Life in the 1980s, was inspired to volunteer when she heard about the Beaumaris store opening. She saw it as a meaningful way to reconnect with her community and regain her confidence after medical leave, supported by store manager Miriam and the team of volunteers she describes as “a big hug of women”. Suzi loves sorting through the beautiful donations, especially the unique fashion, connecting with regular customers and contributing to the Family Life purpose. In April, she was thrilled to transition into a retail assistant role, officially joining Family Life as a staff member and continuing her commitment in a new capacity.
94%
of volunteers
would recommend volunteering at Family Life to a friend
92% of volunteers feel valued by Family Life
86% of volunteers are motivated to volunteer to give back to their community
Now what?
The coming year promises to be one of our biggest yet and we are grateful for the volunteers and communities who support our social enterprise endeavours. We will continue to invest in our volunteers and our stores to maximise the value of these connection points back to the communities they are embedded in.
Family Law Services
Family Life’s Family Law programs deliver targeted services to improve the wellbeing of families, particularly those with children, who are separated or separating, many of whom have experienced family violence.
These services help families to navigate the family law system during separation, as well as supporting families to create and maintain sustainable parenting arrangements. Every family engaged in our Family Law services is provided with holistic, wraparound support that prioritises the psychological and physical wellbeing of parents and children.
What we did
This showcase illustrates one way Family Life supports the following actions:
• Initiatives that strengthen the community
• Holistic place based services with families at the centre
• Innovative programs to increase knowledge and skills
850 families were supported
by Family Life’s Family Law programs this year.
This year Family Life commenced delivery of our exciting new
What About Me? group for children
This group supports primary school aged children who have experienced family separation and/or reside with only one of their parents. The program aims to address the impact of separation and parental conflict and provides support to children in a safe environment.
17 children and young people
attended four groups offered this year.
“Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the program, it was full of lots of great information and delivered well.”
(Stand By Me participant, 2023)
Family Life also encourages separated parents to participate in a psychoeducational parenting group called Stand By Me. The group assists parents to focus on their children’s needs, comply with their court orders, and manage and resolve conflict.
83 parents and carers
attended
10 groups offered this year.
In addition to the group work, parents and their children are offered counselling sessions to support their relationships and reunification. Families are also referred to other support services as needed including financial counselling and property mediation assistance.
“Thank you, thank you for your course, it helped me a lot, how to approach my new situation. Thank you”
(Stand By Me participant, 2023)
Impact
“As a facilitator of the What About Me? program, I have witnessed first hand the profound positive impact it has on children navigating the challenges of family separation. By combining psychoeducation with creative therapies like art and play, we created a safe and supportive environment where children could express their emotions, develop resilience, and rebuild their sense of security. We placed each child’s needs at the forefront, as evidenced by thorough assessments conducted before the program begins and reflective meetings held before and after every session. The children found a safe space to express their feelings and gained reassurance that they were not alone in their situation. They not only enjoyed the activities as a creative outlet but also used them to process their experiences in a space that was both safe and respectful.”
(Sylvia, one of our What About Me? Facilitators)
Becoming debt free
“Kara” is a 34 year old woman with four dependent children. She connected with our Family Law program after fleeing her relationship and the family home with her children.
In doing so, she was burdened with $30,000+ worth of debt, no stable housing and no means to earn a living and support her family. After working with our Family Law services, in particular our Financial Counsellor, Kara was able to have most of her debt waived and concessions backdated to reduce overall bills and forward expenses. Kara is now debt free, and is enrolled to study nursing with financial assistance after being connected with external providers such as Mission Australia and Good Shepherd Financial Independence Hub. Kara is now excited for the future for her and her family “I feel like I have won the lottery…”.
Now what?
In the coming year, our Family Law Services will continue to focus on the best interests of children whose parents are transitioning through a separation. New practitioners will undergo training in Child Inclusive Practice (CIP) to ensure children’s perspectives and voices inform our Family Law services. This strengthening of the child’s voice aligns with the Family Law amendments that were passed in May 2024.
The Parenting Orders Program (POP) will offer more What About Me? children’s groups over the next year. The group has been well received by families of primary school aged children.The POP practitioners have also been attending Single Session Thinking (SST) training across 2023/24. This new practice area will assist POP with the effective and efficient delivery of specialist Family Law Counselling for families.
The Children’s Contact Service (CCS) will open a fantastic new child friendly location in late 2024. CCS will offer greater accessibility for families by expanding our CCS locations. The delivery of the enhanced CCS collaboration with Child Protection will continue into 2025 to offer specialist support to families impacted by separation.
Men’s Support Services
At Family Life, we work to reduce and cease family violence by working with all members of the family, as clients in their own right, supporting their individual needs for safety, healing and recovery.
By working therapeutically with men who use family violence we reduce risk and increase safety for themselves, and for their family members and the broader community.
What we did
Family Life delivers court mandated and voluntary programs including men’s behaviour change programs and our voluntary post program group, Stepping Forward, which aims to maintain connection and peer support. We also provide individual case management, and a Dads in Focus program to build parenting skills and capacity for fathers.
This year we supported 1,571 men in individual and group programs.
This showcase illustrates ways in which Family Life supports the following actions:
• Initiatives that strengthen the community
• Innovative programs to increase knowledge and skills
How we are innovating
Family Life has designed and launched a pilot program, Talk4Change, this year. The program aims to increase the effectiveness of men’s behaviour change programs by providing an individual therapeutic intervention alongside the behaviour change group model. This pilot has a strong focus on utilising the safety created through the therapeutic alliance between practitioner and participant, as the bedrock for respectfully challenging men’s use of family violence.
This initiative is a bold, trauma capable response that meets the growing acceptance that many men who use family violence have their own trauma histories.
Intensive Men’s Behaviour Change Workshops
This year has also seen the introduction of intensive workshops to support men to complete their behaviour change programs. Offered to men reaching the final weeks of group work, the intensive workshop aims to consolidate learnings from the curriculum and provide space for reflection to identify strategies and supports beyond the program to increase their safety to themselves, their families and the broader community. Twenty eight men participated in the three groups offered this year. Ninety five per cent of participants agreed that participation in the workshop improved their experience of the program. Almost all (98%) participants felt safe to speak and participate and
respected by facilitators.
Dads in Focus
Feedback on the program included:
“I’ve learned that I am in control of my reaction and I’m an emotional being.”
“I have
the tools I need to move forward with my life and
I’m
not limited by my past.
I’m hopeful and excited
for the
future.”
“It was great to have a group of men that are all at the same point of the program and gave very good insight.”
“I always have a choice and my response is what matters most.”
Increasing Insight
“Chris” was mandated to attend a men’s behaviour change program after a court hearing. During intake for the group program he and his practitioner discussed how Chris felt his mental health had declined since separating from his expartner and experiencing insecure housing.
Chris was referred for individual case management alongside the group program, where he identified goals around improving himself, being there for his child, working, and new social activities. His ex-partner was also offered supports and safety planning through Family Life’s Family Safety Advocacy program.
During the six months he engaged with this service he continued to work on these goals. He noted how important the behaviour change program had been to help him understand emotions, communication and the choice to use violence, saying
“It is a pretty good service and helped to unpack my use of smokescreens in the relationship.”
At the conclusion of his service Chris displayed a measurable increase in insight and understanding of how he had used violence in past relationships.
When Chris received a diagnosis of serious illness, he needed to stop work to get medical treatment. He was re-referred to case management, and worked with a known, trusted worker to access practical and emotional support including strategies to maintain his wellbeing and safety planning for himself and his family during a time of crisis.
Now what?
In the coming year, we will continue to strengthen the way we provide support to men. We will deliver and monitor the effectiveness of our pilot Talk4Change program. We will also increase our support to fathers through an expanded psychoeducation and counselling program for men in partnership with Child Protection services called Home in Focus. Both these exciting initiatives will be supported and evaluated through our ongoing partnerships with universities. We continue to collaborate with government and the family violence sector to build evidence for scaling our offerings of timely, tailored and trauma capable interventions for men that meet their specific risk and needs and build sector capacity to support the safety and wellbeing of individuals, families and the community over the longer term.
Learning and Innovation
This showcase illustrates one way Family Life supports the following actions:
• Innovative programs to build knowledge and skills
Innovation is the process of creating new ideas that add value and address a need or challenge. It involves finding new and creative ways to solve problems, improve performance and create positive change and is essential for success and growth.
At Family Life, we are committed to using Human Centred Design as a creative approach to problem solving. This process begins with understanding the people we are designing for and ends with solutions that are tailor made to suit their needs.
By doing this we are able to build deep empathy and understanding of the perspectives and needs of the individuals, families and communities that we support, and use this information to inform both how we work as an organisation and how we can influence and advocate to the systems in which we operate.
What We Did
Over the past year, Family Life has continued to foster a culture of innovation, learning and curiosity. We reflect on, and learn from, the stories, strengths and experiences of our community to identify opportunities to improve the reach and quality of our services. This year we:
• Invested in client journey mapping to increase engagement with our mandated client services, increasing their capacity to be safer with themselves, their families and the community.
• Collaborated with Family Safety Victoria to design and pilot a flexible and responsive model of support for adults who use family violence including Talk4Change, an enhanced model of Men’s Behaviour Change.
• Worked with philanthropy to pilot an early intervention program called Home in Focus, an attachment focused therapeutic intervention for fathers.
• Had our work delivering community listening tours across five local government areas recognised by the Financial Review BOSS Most Innovative Companies for 2023 (Government, Education & Not for Profit) as a top 10 finalist in the category of internal innovation.
• Strengthened existing, and built new, partnerships with funders and philanthropy to support greater connection, safety and wellbeing for children and families and the broader community.
• Conducted a small qualitative research project funded by Family Safety Victoria to inform the development of child focused approaches for Family Safety Advocacy support that is provided to victim survivors of family violence, while their partner or ex partner is engaged in a Men’s Behaviour Change program.
Internally, we have invested in developing:
• An updated Practice Framework which brings together our unique approach to practice, articulating our six practice principle which underpin service excellence and serves as the benchmark for all of our interactions with clients, colleagues and inter-agency collaborators.
• A new organisational Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Framework that articulates how our use of monitoring and evaluation supports continuous improvement of the activities, programs and services that we provide, and enables Family Life to best support the children, families and communities we serve.
• A Theory of Change and measurement framework for our Social Enterprise work to connect our observations of community need with evidence to better understand how our Community Op Shops support communities, and identify opportunities to strengthen this support.
• A new Learning and Development Strategy and a relaunched Performance Review program to foster a culture of high performance across the organisation.
• Stronger capability in place based community strengthening approaches through continued learning and collaboration with the Tamarack Institute and other key partners.
Now What?
Our success is equally grounded in both what we do and how we do it. This includes supporting staff to innovate, reflect and learn within their own practice by rolling out organisation wide initiatives. Across the coming year we are:
• Establishing an ‘Innovation Mailbox’ where staff can send ideas, thoughts and opportunities to be put on the table for shared inspiration, sector insight, and with assessment, resourcing and investment.
• Establishing a dedicated ‘Innovation Award’ at All Staff Days to encourage and promote innovation organisation wide.
• Delivering a Practice Symposium for all client facing staff to enhance and support practice excellence across services and provide a valuable opportunity for learning, collaboration, reflection, knowledge sharing and innovation.
• Further client journey mapping across different programs.
• Strengthening our collaborative partnerships at a local, state and national level to deliver place based responses with deeper impact for children and families in our local communities.
Family Life continues to foster an environment that encourages continuous improvement and the generation and sharing of evidence, ideas and insights, both internally and externally as we work towards our goal of transforming lives for stronger communities.
References
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). (June 2024). Quarterly turnover, in volume terms - seasonally adjusted estimate. ABS Website.
Albanese A. (2024). No more: National rally against gender based violence march [speech]. Canberra, 28 April 2024
Commonwealth of Australia. (2023). Measuring What Matters: Australia’s First Wellbeing Framework. Victorian Government. (28 May 2024). Statement from the Premier.
Footnotes
1 Commonwealth of Australia. (2023). Measuring What Matters: Australia’s First Wellbeing Framework.
2 Albanese A. (2024). No more: National rally against gender based violence march [speech]. Canberra, 28 April 2024
3 Victorian Government. (28 May 2024). Statement from the Premier
4 School Focused Youth Services program data calculation methods have been revised this year in line with Department of Education and Training reporting requirements and now only reflect ‘participating students and staff’ in these activities, and not those who go on to benefit from those initiatives. In addition, there was an overall change in the way activities were delivered this year which focused on smaller group work rather than larger presentations and workshops. Both of these factors have significantly reduced the volume of people included in the count of our School Focused Youth Services program activities.
5 Calculated based on 100% of clients with data recorded
6 Calculated based on clients who provided information on country of birth (61% of total clients) and main language spoken (42% of total clients)
7 Calculated based on clients who provided disability status information (38% of total client group)
8 Calculated based on clients who provided LGBTIQ+ identity information (55% of total client group)
9 40% of clients reported positive change, and 60% of clients remained stable
10 42.55% reported positive change, 40.43% remained stable, and 17.02% reported negative change in this area.This negative change can be seen as occurring in response to their increased insight into their role in being a good father.
11 55% reported improvements, 25% remained stable, and 20% reported negative change in this area.
12 29.17% reported improvements, 62.50% remained stable, and 8.33% reported negative change in this area
13 28.57% reported stable levels, and 14.29% reported negative change in this area
14 38% reported positive change, 38% remained stable, and 24% reported negative change in this area.
15 21.33% reported a positive change, 70.67% remained stable, and 8% reported a negative change in this area
16 36% reported a positive change, 48% remained stable, and 16% reported negative change in this area
17 59.57% reported positive change, 29.79% remained stable, and 10.64% reported negative change in this area
18 10.47% reported positive change, 79.07% remained stable at a high or very high level of awareness, and 10.47% reported a negative change in this area.
19 31.91% reported positive change, 51.06% remained stable, and 17.02% reported a negative change in this area
20 53.33% reported positive change, 26.67% remained stable, and 20% reported a negative change in this area
21 88.37% reported positive change, 4.65% remained stable, and 6.98% reported negative change in this area
22 28% reported positive change, 70% remained stable, and 2% reported a negative change in this area
23 37.5% reported positive change and 62.50% remained stable
24 21.33% reported positive change, 60% remained stable, and 18.67% reported a negative change in this area
25 54.55% reported positive change, 40.91% remained stable, and 4.55% reported a negative change in this area
26 A further 5.71% remained stable, and 9.14% reported a negative change in this area
27 40.43% reported positive change, 46.8% maintained their wellbeing score across their service, and 12.77% reported a negative change in this area
28 50% of clients reported positive changes, 23.96% reported stable levels, and 26.04% reported negative change in this area
29 52.38% reported positive change, 38.10% remained stable, and 9.52% reported a negative change in this area
30 Who responded to feedback surveys
31 Of those clients aged 18+ who responded via written feedback survey
32 ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). (June 2024). Quarterly turnover, in volume terms - seasonally adjusted estimate. ABS Website.
33 Of those attendees who completed a feedback survey (88% response rate).
