AES Awards for Excellence in Evaluation

Past Award Recipients

Evaluation Systems Award

2024

Evaluation System Award awarded to National Link-Up Leadership Group and beyond…(Kathleen Stacey & Assoc) for the National Link-Up M&E Strategy

This award recognises the co-design of the National Link-Up Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy, and the co-design and implementation of the Monitoring Plan across eight independent Link-Up Services.

This nomination demonstrated excellent evaluation practice in a complex and challenging environment. This system clearly and successfully operationalised the AES First Nations Cultural Safety Framework to develop an evaluation system that was appropriate and fit for purpose. Stakeholders were meaningfully and thoroughly engaged throughout the process, building strong ownership, buy in and potential for future use. The NIAA is using lessons from this project as a case study exemplar to further develop the Agency’s maturity in conducting culturally safe evaluation. And some of you here may have had the privilege of hearing from Kathleen Stacey (beyond...Kathleen Stacey & Associates Pty Ltd), Cheryl Augustsson (Yorgum Healing Services), Raelene Rosas (NT Stolen Generation Aboriginal Corporation), Pat Thompson (Link-Up (Qld) Aboriginal Corporation) and Jamie Sampson (Link-Up (NSW) Aboriginal Corporation) on Wednesday when they presented an interactive workshop leveraging learnings and experience from this project.

In the NIAA’s statement of support they say the 'NIAA and Link-Up services have benefited from the strengths of working in open partnership, and actively listening and working through project challenges to reach a shared understanding and agreement on viable solutions. This approach has facilitated the development of a fit-for-purpose M&E Strategy that is supporting the collection and analysis of high-value monitoring data that is meaningful for Link-Up services and NIAA'.

In their statement of support the Link Up Leadership Group says 'the Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy created in close liaison and consultation with the Link-Up CEOs, Managers and Team Leaders [..] ensure[d] important key information was included to correctly reflect the “story”' … and that 'the importance of having and using these Tools to capture the client journey and our work as Link-Up Services speaks for itself'. .

Australian Border Force and ARTD Consultants for 'The Australian Trusted Trader 10-year monitoring and evaluation strategy'

This nomination demonstrated the benefits of long-term engagement and investment in evaluation.The system generated both improved program delivery and outcomes as well as attitude change about evaluation and enhanced recognition of the value of evaluation. The nomination also laid out a clear avenue for uptake of the evaluation learnings and potentially aspects of the system beyond the organisation that it was designed for.

The programmatic changes that have occurred have resulted in a high-quality program with broad potential for learning beyond the Australian Border Force. For example, the nomination notes that, the constant redesign of the program has been enabled by these evaluations. The success of the program has been recognised by the World Customs Organisation where the team was invited to present results from the evaluation work in Brussels.

There is also demonstration of shifts in organisational thinking about evaluation. At a recent conference, a former policy officer said, ‘The ATT evaluation was hard to stomach [at first], it was uncomfortable, but I encourage you pursue evaluation, because it helps you build the momentum for better public policy.’ Now there is ongoing investment in evaluation beyond activities outlined in the M&E Strategy demonstrating the value placed in evaluation. All of this combines to indicate ongoing and future use both within the context that the system was designed for, and more broadly.

Public Sector Evaluation Award

2024

Public Intoxication Trial Evaluation Team for 'Decriminalisation of public intoxication in Victoria: Evaluation of the health response trials'

The evaluators from the Department of Health Centre for Evaluation and Research Evidence (CERE), Urbis, Cox Inall Ridgeway Aboriginal Researchers, and Karen Milward Consulting conducted a highly collaborative and ethical evaluation which met stakeholder needs in a highly political and contested context.

The evaluation was conducted in a culturally safe manner through inclusion of Aboriginal evaluators in the team, engagement with Aboriginal service providers in a manner that supported their autonomy. The data was analysed and interpreted by Aboriginal people, and these data are held and retained by Karen Milward Consulting and Cox Inall Ridgeway. In this way, the evaluation practice was consistent with data sovereignty principles. The nomination contains strong endorsements a variety of perspectives - from decision maker to policy analyst to service provider to evaluator. The evaluation has led to changes in the Victorian response to public intoxication, specifically in the commissioning, relationship management and support to Aboriginal service providers, increased cultural safety of the overall program, improved governance to ensure independent oversight (including through Aboriginal experts), better cross-agency coordination, and better service demand and delivery management. The blended team is an innovative approach, and especially important in the health sector and in a programming area as sensitive as this (public intoxication). As noted in the nomination: 'The CERE as the in-house team retained responsibility for stakeholder liaison and scoping/scope containment. The Aboriginal co-lead external team brought valuable skill diversity as well as experience and existing relationships with many of the community service organisations, and provided additional resourcing that was not available through the in-house team alone'.

EJA Publication Award

2024

Alison Rogers and Amy Gullickson for 'Embedding evaluation in non-profit organisations: Lessons from evaluation advocates'

In this article Alison Rogers and Amy Gullickson highlight the importance of embedding evaluation as routine in not-for-profit organisations. The article explores challenges and provides practical strategies for sustainment. It promotes organisational learning as a capacity building approach. Through the case studies it presents workable strategies that could be applied by leaders of not-for-profit organisations more broadly

Emerging New Talent Award

2024

The 2024 Emerging New Talent Award has been awarded to two emerging evaluators, both already recognised by their peers for their contributions.

Carla Pozo Jeria

Carla is clearly recognised by her peers as an expert in qualitative methods and has worked in a very difficult area of 'working with children' which is seldom done in evaluation studies. Carla has moved up very quickly to managing evaluation studies at prestigious research organisations (Melbourne University Center for Program Evaluation (CPE), and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI). She has developed some very professional tools and practices in working with children which would be usefully made available more widely. Her references are extensive and consistently very positive. Carla has already published in the children's health research area, delivered training in qualitative methods, and presented at conferences.  

Martina Donkers

Martina's contributions to the AES are many and varied including workshop facilitation, the AES Peer-Group Mentoring Program Working Group, the aes25 Canberra Committee, co-authorship on an EJA article (Turner, et. al., 2024), and conference presentations. She has completed a Masters at The University of Melbourne with 1st Class honours. There is excellent feedback on an AES workshop that she delivered. Martina has conducted a wide range of evaluations for an emerging evaluator. There is strong evidence of good use of evaluation theories and approaches.  

Award for Enhancing the Social Good

2022

Centre for Health Service Development, Australian Health Services Research Institute, University of Wollongong – for Evaluation of the Pathways to Community Living Initiative

The evaluation makes a strong contribution to the social good by building up knowledge and support for the deinstitutionalisation process for those with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). The evaluation informed and supported the development of new service models for appropriate care in the community. It is noted that community-based settings aid recovery of those with SPMI, and historically limited support to this context has reinforced inequalities experienced by those with long-term mental health challenges. The overall quality of the evaluation was excellent. The team adopted a useful formative approach with a strong commitment to add value and contribute to the on-going refinement of the program. The evaluation team's focus on the significant role of clinicians and the need to build support and reflective practice within rehabilitation psychiatry are impressive. Similarly, theoretical and methodological attention to the drivers of transformation in a complex health system were important to identify and maintain focus on areas critical to change. Attention to including consumer and carer perspectives were pivotal in building a valid, credible, and useful evaluation.

Indigenous Evaluation Award

2024

The Seedling Group and The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Centre

This evaluation is an excellent example of a partnership approach to evaluation. The AES wholeheartedly supports both the important topic of the evaluation (healing, building community) and the inclusive indigenous practice, centring of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander perspectives, priorities, knowledge and ways of being.

Inclusive and culturally responsive practice in the evaluation methods brought together the collective voice of those who have experienced trauma. This work and the evaluation approach has the potential to significantly improve the self determination of indigenous peoples in the network.

Evaluation Study or Project Award

2018

Queensland Government’s Office of the Commonwealth Games, Department of Innovation, Tourism Industry Development, and the Commonwealth Games; and the evaluation team of Mark Douglas, Robert Grimshaw, Nicolette Pavlovski, Sean Conway, Kelly Reynolds, Joanne Ryan and Meghan Purcell – for the Evaluation and Monitoring Framework for the Embracing 2018 Legacy Program

The Queensland Government’s Embracing 2018 Legacy Program aims to ensure the Queensland community realised lasting benefits from hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The reach of this event extends beyond the Games host and event cities to provide measurable outcomes for Queensland and Australia. An Evaluation and Monitoring framework for this program has evolved since 2013 and is designed to guide implementation of the Embracing 2018 Legacy Program and assess its outcomes over a 10-year period.

The assessors were impressed by the evaluation’s sound use of evaluation theory and approaches, including the ability to incorporate emergent findings into a results’ framework and ensure ongoing connections between projects. There was evidence of strong and sustainable connections being developed; for example, with the evaluation team building on work started in Glasgow with the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and their commitment to developing a framework that can be used by future hosts of the Commonwealth Games. The assessors noted the evaluation team’s commitment to publicly share the methods behind their framework.

Evaluation Policy and Systems Award

2019

The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Centre for Evaluation and Research

The DHHS Centre for Evaluation and Research led the development and implementation of evaluation policy and systems in this large Victorian state government department. It played a pivotal role in transforming the evaluation culture of the department through policy guidance, advice and support, design and delivery, training and knowledge translation.

The Centre for Evaluation and Research demonstrated excellence in applying theory-based principles and approaches to developing and implementing evaluation policy and systems. The judges were impressed with the high-quality evaluation resources and pragmatic support that departmental staff have access to, including tools and tailored advice. The nomination included good evidence of stakeholder satisfaction with the team’s work. The judges were also impressed with the significant contribution of the team to transferring knowledge across the department and broader community and public sectors. Overall, the judges considered this Award winner as an exemplary case of evaluation policy and systems contributing to service delivery and improving community wellbeing, including among those most vulnerable to the risks of poorer outcomes.

Community Development Award

2012

Palmerston/ Tiwi Island Communities for Children (C4C) Participatory Evaluation conducted by the Communities for Children (C4C) Local Committee, Pandanus Evaluation & Planning Services (Nea Harrison) and the Australian Red Cross (Rachel Dunne)

The Award judges noted that the work was well-thought through, extremely thorough and comprehensive. A local committee, the elders and young women were all actively involved in the project in a strong collaboration with the facilitator of the evaluation. The nomination indicated an understanding of how an evaluation design contributes to community development goals and how the use of community development processes enables the accomplishment of the evaluation.

Areas that stand out as exemplary and examples of good evaluative practice in this evaluation include:

  • culturally appropriate evaluation design and methodology
  • strong community engagement at all stages of the evaluation from inception to conclusion, including closure and reporting back to the community
  • a developmental approach working sensitively and in sympathy with the local community
  • outcomes resulting in sustainable benefits for local participants (e.g. capacity building)
  • use of advanced techniques –logic framework, quality rubrics, the community report.

Evaluation Publication Award (Caulley Tulloch Award)

2015

Samantha Abbato – for 'The case for evaluating process and worth: evaluation of a programme for carers and people with dementia'

This is a book chapter published in the most recent volume of the prestigious series Advances in Program Evaluation, edited by Trisha Greenhalgh & Saville Kushner. Its thesis is the utility of the case study approach as a major component of a mixed-methods evaluation. What makes the chapter worthy of the award is the author's careful analysis and demonstration of the role of case studies in mixed methods evaluations, including the way she contrasts them with the quantitative methods more frequently used in the sector covered by the project (community health/dementia). This chapter will be particularly valuable for people new to evaluation, or to those coming from a quantitative background who wish to gain an understanding of the role of case study research in evaluation. The nomination explicitly and convincingly addresses the specified filters and the seven specified criteria of excellence.

Outstanding Contribution to Evaluation Award

2018

Jess Dart

Jess is a recognised leader in evaluation with over 25 years of experience in the collaborative design and evaluation of programs that seek to bring about a more equitable and just society. The judges were impressed by this nominee’s sustained application of authentic inclusivity, and her high level of ethical standards so clearly evidenced through her practice. The judges noted this nominee’s skill in being able to combine deep evaluation knowledge and theoretical understandings with straightforward communication. She has undertaken more than 30 external evaluations and overseen over 120 evaluations in countries around the world. The judges noted the high level of professionalism and stakeholder satisfaction evidenced in this nominee’s work. As an ‘evaluation entrepreneur’, the judges were impressed by this nominee’s capacity to constantly scan the horizon for where evaluation is headed, and to create fresh approaches and techniques. The judges were impressed by her pioneering work on no less than five innovative approaches.

The judges were impressed by this nominee’s other contributions to evaluation knowledge. She is a contributor to evaluation textbooks, an author of refereed journal articles including publications in the American Evaluation Journal and New Directions in Evaluation, and a prolific trainer who has reached more than 1,000 participants, including many AES members.

Jess has been an AES member since 1997 and a Board member since 2014 in the role of treasurer; and was involved in the aes18 International Evaluation Conference as convenor. The judges acknowledged this nominee’s significant contribution to the AES.

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