Supporting child and family welfare

Family Preservation and Reunification

The Family Preservation and Reunification Response is an initiative funded by the Victorian government that aims to foster strong families with children who are safe and thriving and parents who are supported to create a safe and nurturing home environment.

Led by Dr Heather Morris, MacKillop Family Services has been delivering the program in eleven rural and metro areas of Victoria since 2020, and an evaluation is currently underway.

While parent and child outcome measures are being sought, the program’s implementation is also being evaluated. This will enable an understanding of what works across contexts and what translates for sustainability. A realist evaluation lens has already supported our understanding of the program. Long term, this smart use of implementation science will drive positive outcomes for families.

Sanctuary Model

The Sanctuary Model is a trauma-informed and responsive method designed to shift organisation culture to foster healing from traumatic events. This approach is being rolled out across residential care homes in South Australia, that are run by the State’s Department for Child Protection.

Led by Dr Heather Morris and Dr Emma Galvin, a three-year evaluation is currently underway, and will look to identify organisational, service and client level examples of use, and to examine factors contributing to this using implementation science principles. Barriers and enablers that contribute to the successful roll out of Sanctuary are being identified.