Keep Them Safe Outcomes Evaluation
Project Summary
Keep them Safe (KTS) is the NSW whole-of-government response to the recommendations of the 2009 Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW undertaken by Justice Wood (Wood Inquiry). NSW has spent nearly $800m over five years to reform the child protection and early intervention systems, with over 50 different projects being funded as well as changes to the legal system and in protocols for interagency collaboration.
The NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet commissioned a research consortium comprised of the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Social Policy Research Centre, the Parenting Research Centre and the University of Melbourne to evaluate the outcomes of KTS, focusing on outcomes related to system change, improvement of services and the impact of KTS on vulnerable children and families in NSW.
The evaluation involved nine separate methodologies that were designed to address eight evaluation questions and to analyse the various sources of data available to the evaluation team. Where possible the different methods were triangulated to strengthen the findings and to provide more depth to the analysis. Overall eleven evaluation reports were produced to inform the evaluation. The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre led the Economic Evaluation, KTS Indicators, Spatial Analyses and Synthesis of Evaluations. BCEC also played a key role in the Data Development compendium.
Project Outputs
Economic Evaluation: Objective, approach, challenges and solutions
Keep them Safe (KTS) is the NSW whole-of-government response to the recommendations of the Wood Special Commission. NSW has spent nearly $800m over five years to reform the child protection and early intervention systems, with over 50 different projects being... Read article
Keep Them Safe Outcomes Evaluation: Economic Evaluation Final Report
The purpose of the economic evaluation is to provide evidence of the cost-effectiveness of both the overall and individually funded aspects of KTS and to inform ongoing budgetary directions for child protection and wellbeing policy in NSW. A cost-effectiveness framework... Read article
Keep Them Safe Outcomes Evaluation: KTS Indicators Final Report
The NSW government has made a substantial investment towards protecting children from harm through its $800m KTS child protection initiative. KTS is arguably the most significant change to child protection policy in NSW since the introduction of mandatory reporting in... Read article
Keep Them Safe Outcomes Evaluation: Spatial Analysis Final Report
The NSW government has made a substantial investment towards protecting children from harm through its $800m KTS child protection initiative. KTS is arguably the most significant change to child protection policy in NSW since the introduction of mandatory reporting in... Read article
Keep Them Safe Outcomes Evaluation: Synthesis of Evaluations Final Report
Many of the individual programs established or expanded as part of the KTS initiative for child protection in New South Wales have been evaluated as part of the wider commitment to evaluate the KTS reforms. This report provides an assessment... Read article
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre team acknowledges the Wadjuk Nyungar people as the traditional owners of the land on which the Centre is situated.