Monitoring and evaluating your partnership

Carve out the time to sit down with your partner organisation, look at the data that you have and see what it tells you. Taking confidentiality and privacy into consideration, see what data from each partner organisation could be shared with each other and talk about how you can make this happen.

The HJA discussion guide for evaluating in partnership has more helpful information about this topic.

These tasks can fit into a variety of roles. Some HJPs have engaged psychology students to do follow-up surveys. Others have front desk admin/reception staff who have been trained to undertake the relevant tasks.

One way (not the only one!) is the “chain of change” used in Program Logic, which we get into the details of in our identify outcomes of interest video guide. You can also check out a summary of that information in our PDF guide to program logics and theory of change.

Start talking about consent for monitoring and evaluation processes during the initial intake process. Be clear about what it means for a client to consent to specific use of their data and their stories, explain what you will do with them. Explain what it means when you ask for consent to talk to their support workers, or to keep each other up to date. Make sure you’ve discussed this with your partner organisation beforehand too, and built trust with them, so if clients say no, you can communicate that to your partner.

Our discuss data sharing video guide gets into the details of data confidentiality. You may also find our 5 ways to talk about mandatory reporting and legal privilege resource helpful.

Putting people first and paperwork second is important. The challenge is the big gaps it can leave in administration and data.

Some ideas for minimising these gaps:

• Give people choices – surveys and giving feedback is always optional and never dictates whether someone receives a service.
• Make sure clients know their responses to evaluation surveys won’t affect the service they receive. Separating out the survey from the lawyer, who has real and perceived power, makes it easier. Can the health or social service partner facilitate client feedback for the legal service?
• When 85% of people we support experience significant trauma, much of it from damage the system has inflicted, feedback and evaluation processes need to be trauma informed. Name this and work towards it explicitly.

Resources for ethical and trauma-informed practice in evaluation lists the key guiding documents for ethical practice in Australia. They share common principles of ethical practice, such as respect, consent, accuracy, transparency, and ensuring that evaluation does no harm and provides a benefit.

These resources will help you reflect on the ethical issues associated with evaluation and consider how you and your partnering organisation can ensure the benefits of your evaluation work outweigh any risks or inconvenience to your clients. It is also important to check that any external evaluators you are working with are familiar with current ethics guidelines.

Start with what you already know and have.  If you’re attending a conference, make plans for a poster or presentation. You could also write a short article for local press or a piece for your own newsletter or blog.

Write together as a partnership and coordinate announcements in all partners’ EDMs or socials.

Our monitoring and evaluation plan template is great for keeping everything in one place and to clarify expectations for new staff or students as part of induction.

We also provide evaluation of participant information and consent form templates for staff and clients of HJPs (plain language versions).