Applying Evidence-Based Innovations | Berry Street Partner with EI Summit

Berry Street is an official partner for the upcoming Evidence and Implementation Summit 2023.

The EI Summit will bring together global experts and innovators to examine the generation, translation and implementation of evidence for improved policy and application.

Berry Street is partnering with the Summit alongside organisations, OzChild, Save the Children, Anglicare, Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency, NSW Communities and Justice, National Centre of Implementation Science, and Analysis & Policy Observatory.

Policymakers, researchers, implementation scientists, program evaluators, practitioners and organisation leaders will attend the Summit to uncover new and exciting ways of applying high-quality evidence to create more effective policy and programs – with the power to improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities.

Closing the ‘know-do’ gap is vital to realising better outcomes

There is a significant gap between what innovations have been researched and found to work, and their implementation in the real-world. This is referred to as the ‘know-do’ gap. It is present across many sectors and is evident in the child and family services sector.

Currently, it can take up to 15 years for an innovation that is known to be beneficial to be adopted into policy or programs offered by family services organisations. We know the critical period for child development is between 0 and 5 years of age, so this means generations of children are currently not able to benefit from innovations that would provide them with improved outcomes. We must eradicate this lag.

Creating the future we imagine: Evidence-based programs are key in affecting change

As a leading provider in the Victorian child and family services sector, Berry Street envisages a future where families have the support and tools they need to stay together safely and everyone who experiences violence has the chance to recover. We know this goal requires the uptake and implementation of new and innovative approaches to be embedded within our programs.

That's why we continue to grow our suite of evidence-based programs so that children, young people and families can benefit from the approaches that evidence shows work best.

Berry Street’s evidence-based programs

With the right support at the right time, children can recover from trauma they may have experienced and lead healthy, happy lives. Our Take Two program is a key provider in working with children using clinical frameworks, neurobiological research and evidence-based interventions. Take Two aims to understand a child’s experience through their eyes and works to address the mental health impacts of the trauma they have experienced from abuse, neglect or family violence.

Berry Street has also implemented evidence-based innovations within our early intervention services. For example, our SafeCare program is an early-intervention service for children aged 0-5 and has almost 20 years of research evidence behind it. The program equips parents with essential skills to ensure the safety and well-being of their children, facilitating healthier family dynamics and nurturing positive developmental outcomes.

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is another of our key evidence-based programs. MST focuses on providing young people aged 10-17 support to continue living safely at home, being engaged with education and out of the justice system. MST has had more than 35 years of research evidence and sees over 90% of families who start the program complete it.

We know the current residential care system is becoming increasingly inadequate. The number of children requiring out-of-home care in Victoria increases every year. The current system is stretched, and numerous studies have shown that the care young people receive in residential care homes is not meeting their needs. That’s why we became the first organisation in Australia to introduce the Teaching Family Model (TFM), which is the only evidence-based model of residential care worldwide. It aims to provide young people with trauma-informed care in a family style setting. Because of the results we’ve seen we aim to transition all of our Therapeutic Residential Care homes to TFM homes.

Attend the EI Summit and improve outcomes for the children and families you work with

The Summit is co-hosted by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions (BISI) and Monash University. It will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from the 9th to the 11th of October.

Summit participation can be in-person or virtual. If you are interested in attending or wish to learn more, you can visit the website here.