The Implementation of Families First NSW: Process lessons from the first four years

Abstract

Families First is a NSW Government strategy that aims to improve the effectiveness of early intervention services supporting families and communities to care for children. Its implementation is the joint responsibility of the five NSW Human Services agencies: the NSW departments of Community Services (DoCS); Ageing Disability and Home Care (DADHC); Education and Training (DET); Housing; and NSW Health through Area Health Services. Area Reviews are one element of the Families First evaluation process. The reviews focus on the experiences of individual areas during the implementation of the strategy. They were not designed to evaluate individual services but to garner generalisable lessons for future implementation. This article sets out four categories of implementation lessons from the Area Reviews, relating to managing systems change, a systems approach to early intervention and prevention, family services system capacity, and Indigenous participation. These lessons reflect the challenges faced and achievements made in each of the three Families First Areas to improve the coordination of the service network and increase the provision of services for early intervention and prevention.