ACWA and Fams: Elevating sector-wide practice

About this work

Unifying practice governance

Fams and ACWA are NSW-based peak bodies representing the voices of social service organisations that support children, young people, and families to thrive.

Initially, we were contracted to design two separate practice governance framework models: one for Fams and one for ACWA. Each organisation sought to put high-quality practice at the centre of their activities and efforts, encouraging everyone to work together to keep improving.

However, as the project progressed, we saw an opportunity to develop a unified framework guide that could serve the entire social services sector – a perfect example of how collaboration can lead to broader, more impactful solutions.

What we did

Guiding innovation from start to finish

Our uniquely skilled team brought together ACWA, Fams, and 16 of their member organisations to develop a practice governance framework model, beginning with a scan of the existing evidence.

We set up a design team, coordinated expressions of interest, and facilitated consultation sessions to:

• explore the evidence on effective practice governance
• share insights from each organisation’s experience
• use key learnings to design a practical and impactful practice governance guide.

We delivered design workshops and drafted several iterations of the practice governance framework guide, seeking feedback from ACWA, Fams and the design team before reaching consensus.

We partnered with ACWA and Fams’ members to help them prepare for practice governance through reflective communities of practice.

Why it’s important

The power of practice governance

Strong practice governance can empower organisations to grow and transform, unlocking countless benefits. The resulting guide outlines the essential components of practice governance, and provides organisations with practical steps for developing their own customised framework.

It provides unity in a collective effort to deliver high-quality practice and amplify improvement from an organisation’s board to its practitioners.

Implementing practice governance helps everyone in an organisation to be confident that actions and decisions are based on the ‘best available’ evidence and data collected by the organisation.

There are also workplace culture benefits – robust practice governance within organisations helps leaders and staff support everyone’s wellbeing and creates a space where learning, change, and flexibility are embraced.