Recent work: Communities and Change
Christmas project
In 2013 and 2014, the Counties Manukau Police District collaborated with community partner organisations to trial a Christmas Project. The Christmas Project is part of a broader strategy for reducing high rates of family violence in the Counties Manukau district. As part of the project, 170 families identified in Family Violence Interagency Response System (FVIARS) meetings as at high risk for family violence were invited to attend a family fun day and received a Christmas parcel. The project aimed to impact on family violence in three ways:
- By strengthening relationships between families, community organisations and the police;
- By fostering connections between families to reduce isolation; and
- By providing practical support to lessen family stress over the Christmas period.
Alternative Action for Reducing Family Violence – a literature scan
Work has commenced on developing a new post-charge, post-plea Family Violence Alternative Action programme to put in place tailored interventions aimed at preventing future offending.
Acceptance criteria for the new programme are a guilty plea and that both partners wish to continue the relationship. A literature scan was undertaken to establish the components of interventions into family violence that were or should have been successful. The review focuses in particular on post-arrest, multi-agency facilitation and mediation options likely to be relevant to the programme under development. The review attempts to move away from the message that `nothing works’ to provide findings that may help to provide practical assistance in setting up post-charge post-plea interventions in family violence.
Acceptance criteria for the new programme are a guilty plea and that both partners wish to continue the relationship. A literature scan was undertaken to establish the components of interventions into family violence that were or should have been successful. The review focuses in particular on post-arrest, multi-agency facilitation and mediation options likely to be relevant to the programme under development. The review attempts to move away from the message that `nothing works’ to provide findings that may help to provide practical assistance in setting up post-charge post-plea interventions in family violence.
Tamaki Makaurau – E Tu! Collective Action Plan to prevent violence in Auckland
Point Research supported the development of the action plan designed to create an Auckland where children grow up free from violence, where the people of Auckland have respectful and healthy relationships and where families, whanau, neighbourhoods and communities are safe, inclusive and equitable.
01. Evaluation Framework for the Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence (2014)
Sexual violence prevention is a highly specialised area of practice with unique ethical challenges. Despite this being an emerging field, there is a growing body of evidence about what works, what looks promising and what doesn’t appear to work well. Despite this, there is concern that some of the prevention work being funded is not consistent with evidence of what works or shows promise. Investing scarce resources into low or no impact initiatives detracts from investment in more effective approaches, and may be counter-productive.
In March 2014, the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) commissioned Point Research Ltd to develop a research-based evaluation framework to evaluate sexual violence primary prevention activities in New Zealand. The intentions of the framework are to:
This was a highly collaborative project with ongoing involvement from a number of sexual violence prevention programmes and practitioners, evaluation professionals and others. The framework is expected to be released some time in early 2015.
In March 2014, the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) commissioned Point Research Ltd to develop a research-based evaluation framework to evaluate sexual violence primary prevention activities in New Zealand. The intentions of the framework are to:
- Guide funding decision making and specialist sector programme development.
- Help funding agencies to target support to those sexual violence prevention sector activities and initiatives which are delivering strong outcomes.
- Guide provider programme development in the future.
This was a highly collaborative project with ongoing involvement from a number of sexual violence prevention programmes and practitioners, evaluation professionals and others. The framework is expected to be released some time in early 2015.
02. Connecting Education and Communities (2012 - ongoing)
The JR McKenzie Trust has committed approximately $1.5 million over five years to proactively work with whānau and community engagement in education , supporting better educational outcomes for disadvantaged children.
The Trust is taking a multi-level approach, not only supporting service delivery and field work in four communities, but also working to strengthen the field by bringing people together, and working towards improving the public policy context through advocacy and communication.
Point Research are working alongside the Trust to help monitor and understand the impact of their activities by building the capacity of funded organisations around evaluation and their evaluative needs and through monitoring the impact of the field and advocacy activities. As part of our work, we have developed a website www.cec.net.nz to help share what we are learning and help build momentum for this very important work
The Trust is taking a multi-level approach, not only supporting service delivery and field work in four communities, but also working to strengthen the field by bringing people together, and working towards improving the public policy context through advocacy and communication.
Point Research are working alongside the Trust to help monitor and understand the impact of their activities by building the capacity of funded organisations around evaluation and their evaluative needs and through monitoring the impact of the field and advocacy activities. As part of our work, we have developed a website www.cec.net.nz to help share what we are learning and help build momentum for this very important work
03. Community Coordinator Review (Auckland City 2013-2014)
Auckland Council community development activities on the North Shore have largely been delivered through the activities of six Community Coordinators. Their role remained largely unchanged with the amalgamation of the councils. The intent of this research was to review the Community Coordinator model of community development on the North Shore and find out which roles and approaches make the most difference to communities and why, whether changes and improvements are needed, and what difference these would make.
Point Research worked closely with the community coordinators and local boards to scope the parameters of the review and the key questions prior to the start of the review, and continued to work closely with them throughout the second phase of the project.
Point Research worked closely with the community coordinators and local boards to scope the parameters of the review and the key questions prior to the start of the review, and continued to work closely with them throughout the second phase of the project.
04. AMPLIFY Action Enquiry (2013)
AMPLIFY is a 13-month action enquiry into the needs and best practice approaches for 9-13 year olds in the West Auckland suburbs of McLaren Park and Henderson South. The action enquiry was conducted by a team comprising representatives from McLaren Park Henderson South Community Initiative Inc. (MPHS), Point Research Ltd. and 70 local school pupils.
The purpose of the research was to understand how MPHS can provide meaningful youth engagement to improve local young people’s connectedness and wellbeing, particularly those with the greatest need not currently catered for by government programmes for working families as well as how the MPHS community can work together to ensure new youth initiatives are effective, innovative, collaborative and sustainable whilst building the communities capacity to consider the new emerging evidence from this project.
Findings from the action enquiry have been fed back to MPHS and local schools throughout the project so they may be acted on. In addition to this, the best practice approaches articulated by the young people who took part in this project formed part of the research process, that is, in working with young people the researchers were privileged to see first hand the practices which were most likely to positively engage them and were able to respond accordingly. The research process was itself, therefore, a form of community intervention with its own sets of impacts and outcomes.
The purpose of the research was to understand how MPHS can provide meaningful youth engagement to improve local young people’s connectedness and wellbeing, particularly those with the greatest need not currently catered for by government programmes for working families as well as how the MPHS community can work together to ensure new youth initiatives are effective, innovative, collaborative and sustainable whilst building the communities capacity to consider the new emerging evidence from this project.
Findings from the action enquiry have been fed back to MPHS and local schools throughout the project so they may be acted on. In addition to this, the best practice approaches articulated by the young people who took part in this project formed part of the research process, that is, in working with young people the researchers were privileged to see first hand the practices which were most likely to positively engage them and were able to respond accordingly. The research process was itself, therefore, a form of community intervention with its own sets of impacts and outcomes.
05. Court of New Beginnings Evaluation (2013)
Te Kooti o Timatanga Hou, or the Court of New Beginnings, was established in October 2010 following advocacy to the Chief District Court Judge by Lifewise, an agency working with inner-city homelessness. The Court is the central part of an interagency approach to working with homeless offenders to address underlying behavioural and lifestyle issues that contribute to the offending.
This report, commissioned by the Auckland Homeless Taskforce in 2012 is a progress report of the Court. The report, written by Point Research combines findings from Positive Thinking, an independent evaluation company contracted by Lifewise to undertake interviews with stakeholders and court participants.
The primary objective of the report is to determine both progress to date, and the impact of the programme across three areas: 1. Outcomes for participants, particularly in relation to reoffending, housing, health, and financial stability; 2. Service delivery effectiveness; 3. Cost effectiveness.
This report, commissioned by the Auckland Homeless Taskforce in 2012 is a progress report of the Court. The report, written by Point Research combines findings from Positive Thinking, an independent evaluation company contracted by Lifewise to undertake interviews with stakeholders and court participants.
The primary objective of the report is to determine both progress to date, and the impact of the programme across three areas: 1. Outcomes for participants, particularly in relation to reoffending, housing, health, and financial stability; 2. Service delivery effectiveness; 3. Cost effectiveness.
06. Community Response Model Evaluation Capability (2013)
The Community Response Model (CRM) brings government and communities together to plan the delivery of community social services. As part of this model, several community hub and broker projects were initiated across New Zealand, funded by the Quality Services and Innovation Fund.
Point Research were contracted to design and develop the tools for the evaluation of community hubs and brokers and provide training and development on evaluative thinking.
In addition to facilitating a series of workshops, we developed the website capturingchange.org.nz which is designed to help social change practitioners to use evaluative thinking and reflective practice to evaluate their work. We also continue to support three local hub and broker initiatives.
Point Research were contracted to design and develop the tools for the evaluation of community hubs and brokers and provide training and development on evaluative thinking.
In addition to facilitating a series of workshops, we developed the website capturingchange.org.nz which is designed to help social change practitioners to use evaluative thinking and reflective practice to evaluate their work. We also continue to support three local hub and broker initiatives.
07. Know Your Neighbours (2012)
Know Your Neighbours is a North Shore-based initiative designed to encourage individuals, neighbourhoods and communities to build strong neighbourhood connections thus making neighbourhoods healthy, fun and vibrant places to live. The Know Your Neighbours (KYN) initiative is a partnership between Lifewise and the Takapuna Methodist Church.
Point Research worked with Lifewise and the Takapuna Methodist Church to help understand the impact and outcomes of the project, as well as better understand how relationships, systems, innovative ideas and strategies began and were developed.
Point Research worked with Lifewise and the Takapuna Methodist Church to help understand the impact and outcomes of the project, as well as better understand how relationships, systems, innovative ideas and strategies began and were developed.
08. It's Not OK (2011)
1. In 2010 a new phase of the "It's Not OK" campaign began, looking at the practical things friends, whānau and families can do to keep each other safe. A new set of advertisements, `cut-outs’ was commissioned to encourage people to notice when things start to go wrong, and to support people to get the help they need.
The research focussed on asking those who have given or received help or taken action after seeing the advertisements, to describe the dynamics of their actions e.g. what motivated them to take action, and what that help or action looked like.
2. The second formative project aimed to better understand the motivations and barriers to taking action against family violence by giving and/or receiving help. This review focussed on people’s willingness, confidence and capacity to give and receive help.
The research focussed on asking those who have given or received help or taken action after seeing the advertisements, to describe the dynamics of their actions e.g. what motivated them to take action, and what that help or action looked like.
2. The second formative project aimed to better understand the motivations and barriers to taking action against family violence by giving and/or receiving help. This review focussed on people’s willingness, confidence and capacity to give and receive help.
