Organisational Impact Framework
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgement of Country
Act for Kids would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where our Australian offices are based.
We would also like to acknowledge Elders past, present and emerging. We seek to foster a culture of friendship and partnership between Act for Kids and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, organisations and communities.
Acknowledgement of contributions
Act for Kids acknowledges those who shared their stories, experiences and insights with the Beacon Strategies project team as part of the development of this framework. We thank you for your contributions.
Acknowledgement of Beacon Strategies
Act for Kids acknowledges the contribution of Beacon Strategies in facilitating the project which led to the development of this framework.
This project included desktop research, extensive consultation with internal and external stakeholders, collaborative development of the framework document itself and implementation support. We thank the Beacon Strategies team for their efforts.
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All kids have a safe and happy childhood
Our vision We help keep kids safe, heal from trauma, and lead happy lives
Our purpose We are a professional, ethical team who is caring, courageous and collaborative
Our values
In early 2021, we redefined our organisational purpose based on the contributions and perspectives of key internal and external stakeholders (the ‘Purpose Project ’).
Our new purpose statement was officially launched in August 2021: “We help keep kids safe, heal from trauma and lead happy lives”. A recommendation from the Purpose Project was for Act for Kids to develop an Impact Framework to enable to better understand the impact of our design future services to maximise our impact.
BackgroundThis Impact Framework has been developed utilising a highly consultative approach, involving
Desktop Research
Engagement with internal and external stakeholders
A review of sector-leading impact framework examples including The Common Approach ©
Alignment across service types and best practice indicators
The findings of these consultations included mapping program outcomes and considering their alignment with the organisation’s purpose.
Our Impact Framework aligns the Act for Kids purpose to the ARACY Common Approach© .
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Impact
Framework Impact areas Outcome areas for kids Activities Day-to-day actions taken and work performed by Act for Kids teams ORGANISATIONAL IMPACT FRAMEWORK | Page 5 Participating Products and results of our activities, which contribute to generating outcomes.Outpu t s Valued, loved and safe Outcome Measurement Identity & Culture Learning & Developing Healthy Targeted Assessment Tools Feedback from kids and families Keep kids safe Lead happy livesHeal from trauma Material Basics
Impact areas
Act for Kids is committed to achieving impact in line with our purpose statement. Aligning our impact areas with the domains highlighted in our purpose statement enables us to maintain a clear line of sight and ensure our actions translate into the impact we strive to achieve.
We help keep kids safe
Our aspiration is for a world where children live free from harm, particularly in the context of relational trauma, abuse and neglect. At Act for Kids, the concept of safety is observable through increasing protective factors and reducing risk factors which enable us to identify and act on preventative initiatives.
We help kids heal from trauma
We help kids lead happy lives
We aspire for all kids to live bright, happy lives free from trauma and safe from harm. We consider happiness to reflect a child’s wellbeing and development, and to be an enabler for a life where they thrive.
We acknowledge the significant impact and complex circumstances experienced by many kids accessing our services. At Act for Kids, we support children with the consequences of behaviours or circumstances that harm a child, such as abuse and neglect, and take a holistic, child centred approach to healing their trauma.
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Outcome areas
Our outcome areas encapsulate the positive, observable changes that occur for kids and families as a result of their involvement with our services. These outcomes are generated through the culmination of our day to day activities and their respective outputs and are measured by various evidence-led assessment tools and feedback mechanisms.
Valued, loved and safe
All kids deserve to be nurtured and protected by their caregivers.
Not only do we want kids to be physically safe from harm or threat, we also want kids to feel safe and secure too.
Healthy
Being physically healthy means kids have all their medical needs met and they have good nutrition and opportunities to be active.
Being emotionally healthy is about having the skills and resilience to cope with adversity and be supported to regulate when needed.
Learning and developing
All kids regardless of their adversity should be afforded the same opportunities to grow, develop and succeed in life. We want to ensure kids are ready and able to learn and achieve.
Material basics
Kids have the right to shelter, food, clean water, weather appropriate clothes and other material basics that are foundational to their wellbeing.
Participating
Kids have the right to a voice which is heard and to be given opportunities to actively participate in decisions that impact them and engage in activities that help them heal from trauma and thrive.
Identity and belonging
Identity and belonging refers to kids being connected to themselves and others. This includes kids being connected to country and culture, actively engaging with people, places and spaces they feel they belong with, and family being prioritised through maintaining connections and reunification.
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