Evaluation of Home in Focus program for Family Life

Title

Evaluation of Home in Focus program for Family Life

Investigators

Professor Daryl Higgins, Douglas Russell, Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University (ACU); in partnership with Family Life

Funding

Family Life

Aims

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Home in Focus pilot project in determining what works, for whom, and in what contexts.

Background

Family Life is piloting the project Home in Focus as an alternative pathway for families who wish to remain together following incidents of family violence, particularly when fathers are in the early stages of system engagement. It aims to interrupt cycles of family violence through individualised and whole-of-family therapeutic support, while prioritising safety for the whole family. The project’s ultimate goal is to eliminate the man's use of violence in the home and promote healing, recovery and connection between all family members.

Research questions

• What is known about the individuals and families who engage in the program?
• To what extent, and for whom, has the program supported positive outcomes for individuals and families?
• What were the particular features of the program and context that contributed to the outcomes (positive or negative)?

Project details

Family Life seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of its Home in Focus pilot project. This evaluation will explore the effectiveness of the intervention in terms of what works, for whom and in what circumstances against criteria such as parent trauma histories, attachment styles and demographics.

We will analyse data that Family Life collect and provide to ACU, and make recommendations for improvements to data collection protocols. The program has the following intended outcomes:

1. Eliminate the use of family violence
2. Increase safety
3. Centre and elevate the voice of the child
4. Recognise and respond to trauma
5. Enhance men’s emotional regulation
6. Promote family connection and attachment
7. Strengthen positive attachment
8. Promote effective co-parenting
9. Foster healing, empowerment, and choice.

This evaluation will help us understand if the program’s intended outcomes have in fact been achieved. Our findings will be presented in a written report led by the Family Life Research and ACU Evaluation Team.

Method

A mixed-methods design using both quantitative and qualitative data will be used in the evaluation. Quantitative data will be sourced from service records, questionnaires, and client experience surveys. Qualitative data will include practitioner reflections and qualitative client feedback. Family Life will also conduct around 10 qualitative interviews that will provide some more contextual understanding of the process and the client experience.

Projected community impact

The long-term expected outcomes of the program are increased safety of children in the households referred into the program, an increase in safety for protective parents, and improvement in the safety of the relationship between children and their fathers. If the evaluation identifies benefits of the Home in Focus program, these outcomes will be possible.

We expect that this evaluation will provide a nuanced understanding of how, under what conditions, and for whom the project was effective. We also expect that identifying barriers or conditions that diminish the program’s effectiveness will also be a key learning.

Ethics oversight/organisational governance

Family Life will maintain oversight of their data collected from clients as part of their usual quality assurance program. ACU will seek ethics approval to be provided with relevant data for the purpose of the evaluation, where consent has been granted by clients for use of their data for evaluation purposes. 

Project timeline

July 2025 - June 2027

Links

Family Life

Project timeline

May 2025 – January 2028

Contact

For more information contact: icps@acu.edu.au