PracticeWorks case study: Barnardos Australia

Barnardos approached PRC to collaboratively develop a framework that would bring their wide umbrella of services – from long day care to out-of-home-care – towards a common approach to working with children and families, across different programs and jurisdictions.

Drawing on our PracticeWorks methodology, PRC worked with Barnardos to identify the core practice principles that sat across the organisation when it came to working with children, young people and families, taking this beyond concepts such as ‘child-focused’ and ‘family-centred practice’ to more granular, actionable and measurable descriptions that could be used to inform behaviour across the organisation.

“We wanted our team to feel part of a bigger whole” said Penny Hood, Barnardos Australia Executive Leader, Children and Families.

“It was important to develop a common language that could inform practice across a practitioner cohort that was very diverse in terms of the type of experience and capability they brought to their roles.

“We have staff across NSW and the ACT, which is why we felt it was really important to involve staff at different levels and from different jurisdictions in the design process.”

While only at the beginning of implementing the work, Penny is excited about the potential and the feedback from practitioners so far.

“We’re already seeing our team thinking more about evidenced-based outcomes for children, what this means in terms of their practice, exploring and analysing how this translates to their relationships with  families and carers, and what robust measurement looks like.”

Barnardos is also taking the work to the next level by beginning to communicate ‘the Barnardos way’ through a range of practice tools and resources.

Elizabeth Cox, Barnados Australia Executive Leader, Practice Quality said “This is one strategy that is laying the groundwork for us to take our program fidelity to the next level, and to see more and more positive change for the children and families we work with.

“The outcomes framework we developed with the PRC will also help us keep track of that in a really tangible way.”