ARTD and Taylor Fry, in collaboration with the NSW Ministry of Health, undertook the evaluation of Towards Zero Suicides Initiatives. This was a four-year evaluation of a suite of six of the Towards Zero Suicides initiatives, three delivered through Local Health Districts and three through commissioned community managed organisations.
The evaluation examined process, outcomes and economic dimensions at an individual initiative level and across the suite of six initiatives.
The nomination strongly demonstrated change and contribution to knowledge at a broad scale, beyond the individual intervention or organisation. This contribution to knowledge included practical tools and frameworks that can guide future evaluation practice to achieve similar levels of excellence. The length of time for these evaluation activities assisted a strong focus on learning throughout which makes a strong case for the change created in an important sector. Additionally, this nomination clearly demonstrated adaptations required in response to significant disruptions during the COVID pandemic and the impact this had on the initially proposed evaluation approaches. Further strengthening the nomination, was the embedded nature of a range of expert stakeholders representing important and diverse groups such as an Indigenous reference group and evaluation team members with lived experience to reflect the differentiated impacts experienced by some groups.
About the Public Sector Evaluation Award
This Award recognises exemplary evaluation work conducted within the Australasian public sector that has been used to effect real and observable changes in policies or programs. It recognises the work of all the partners of the evaluation: those who commissioned it, conducted it and implemented its findings.
Work conducted by contractors, consultants or academics employed and managed by a public sector agency is eligible for nomination. However, work conducted wholly by external consultants, academics or contractors without management or oversight by a public sector agency is not eligible.
For the purposes of this Award, the Australasian public sector is defined as the executive branch of government (including quasi-autonomous bodies) at the local, state and national levels, or the administrative arm of the judiciary.
Nominations for this Award must demonstrate that at least one of the following elements was conducted within the Australasian public sector:
- design of the evaluation and evaluation instruments
- fieldwork
- data analysis
- reporting.
Nominations focusing on evaluation systems within public sector agencies will not be considered for this Award; they should be submitted under the Evaluation Systems Award.
Nominations need to explicitly demonstrate how the evaluation work has created observable changes in public sector policies and/or programs.
Nominations need to include evidence showing how the changes have occurred as a result of the process of evaluation or as a result of the evaluation’s findings. Although the changes need not have occurred immediately, nominations will demonstrate a probable causal link between the evaluation process or products, on the one hand, and the changes in policies and/or programs, on the other.
Nominators’ assertions about the extent and nature of the changes created by the evaluation must be supported by documentary evidence, including statements from third parties who are familiar with those changes in policies or practices.